Sir, - Your contributor, Anne Byrne, in her "lrishwoman's Diary" (June 3rd), arising from Mr Conor Newman's lecture on the Hill of Tara, suggests that the fate of the statue of Saint Patrick, removed from the hill by the Office of Public Works, "hangs in the balance." In case it might be inferred that our national apostle may be banished from the hill we would like to assure the concerned public that this is by no means the case.
On the contrary, Mr Michael D. Higgins, Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, has kindly invited an official from our society's Tara committee to join representatives of his department, the Arts Council, Sculptors Society, Office of Public Works and National Monuments Committee in the selection of a suitable sculpture piece to replace the statue.
I would add that before removing the original "badly broken and decayed" statue from the hill. for examination, the OPW secured the consent of their lordships, the bishops of both denominations in Meath diocese, for the plan, having specifically commented that "from a preliminary visual inspection it seems beyond repair" - which proved to be the case.
A meeting of the selection committee will be held in the near future and in due course the Hill of Tara, in its association with the coming of Christianity to Ireland, will be accorded the honour which is its due. - Yours, etc.,
Honorary Secretary, Rathfeigh Historical Society, Tara,
Co Meath.