Sir, - Allow me to applaud the efforts of the Inistioge Conservation Society in preserving the very special heritage and atmosphere of Kilkenny's most beautiful village. It would do the powers-that-be in Kilkenny Corporation much good to take heed of their concerns and look at the damage that has been caused to our beautiful village in recent years. The character of the centre has changed - in a frighteningly short space of time - from elegant to twee, as somebody somewhere tries to make everything "pretty" and the High Street with its red and white traffic control barriers is taking on the appearance of a theme park.
There must be a better way. I wonder if Fas could redirect their energies to the cleaning up of the once beautiful formal gardens in Woodstock just outside the village. On a visit there in May, I was saddened to see just how overgrown they had become. - Yours, etc.,
Joe Dunphy,
Frankfurt am Main, Germany.