Madam, – Lord Mayor Emer Costello is reported as saying that over a million euro of public money was wasted last Halloween cleaning up illegal bonfires in the Dublin area (Home News, October 21st).
Each year we hear similar reports on the negative side of Halloween celebrations. It’s unfortunate that the Department of Education continues to contribute to making this ancient pagan festival a hazardous time for the emergency services by having a mid-term break beforehand, thus ensuring plenty of time for children to gather materials for an even bigger bonfire than last year. – Yours, etc,