Sir, - John Moran's Irishman's Diary of March 15th made for depressing reading as he forthrightly pointed out the "distinct lack of meaning" in the millennium spire. As he put it: "Strange that a monument designed to mark the passage of 2,000 years since the birth of the founder of Christianity should signify absolutely nothing".
Nothing jolts the human heart as much as the implication of meaninglessness. Mr Moran suggests that the designer - Ian Ritchie of London - be discreetly compensated and that the foolish project be abandoned. "Nothing would be better than this," he asserts.
These are hard words indeed and one can appreciate the depths of feeling from which they come. So perhaps, rather than abandon the project, now that it has been approved by the city council, why not leave it stand and give it a Christian meaning for all of us by simply replacing the pointless light bulb at the top with an illuminated cross - preferably a four-faced one, which could be seen for miles around from north, south, east and west. This could bring a ray of hope to many souls struggling to find meaning for their lives. - Yours, etc., Fr Placid C. Nolan,
Holy Cross Priory, Tralee, Co Kerry.