Sir, - On the Merrion Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, opposite the Royal Dublin Society Showgrounds, there exists a horse trough. Few if any horses slake their thirst there now. Its contents are muddy water and litter. It is frequently knocked sideways off its plinth. Nevertheless, it is a relic of old decency, a reminder of the times when Ballsbridge echoed to much clip-clopping between Gough's Bloodstock Salesgrounds and the RDS Spring and Horse Shows.
Wouldn't it be a nice pre-Millennium gesture if both the RDS and Allied Irish Banks, whose headquarters are on the old Gough's grounds, and on whose corner the horse trough stands, co-operated to refurbish and enhance this historic piece of street furniture? It would be a shame if Ballsbridge's only horse trough was knocked over once too often, damaged irreparably, and then slung into the skip of memories. - Yours, etc.,
Rodney Devitt,
Tritonville Road,
Sandymount,
Dublin 4.