Sir, – Wales has about 20 per cent of its territory in national parks; Ireland, with similar terrain has less than 1 per cent.
Here in Wales, the national parks are excellently run, with recreational users well catered for, whereas in Ireland’s national parks, facilities for such users are inadequate or barely adequate. Here’s one major explanation for this disparity: in Wales and Britain generally, land remains in private hands, while in Ireland, the State purchases every square inch, leaving little over for the necessary infrastructure.
This is a point missed by Mountaineering Ireland in its letter about the Dublin Mountains (Letters, July 25th) which assumes all land for national parks must be purchased by the State. Not so! Measures can be introduced to allow public access over private land, as has been done over much of Europe. This would not be repugnant to the Constitution, as those who oppose any measure to improve public access claim; however it is a convenient excuse for doing nothing.
What Government lacks is the backbone to take on landowners, primarily farmers, whose sturdy independence does not preclude the acceptance of immense largesse from the same taxpayers who are granted peanuts in the form of inadequate access to their land in return. As long as this state of affairs continues, Ireland will lag far behind other European countries, with grave implications for tourism and recreation generally. – Yours, etc,
DAVID HERMAN
Benllech,
Wales.