Madam, - I am sure I will be joined by many other devotees of W.B.Yeats, Sligo and Irish history in supporting the growing chorus in favour of the State buying and maintaining Lissadell.
The associations of the name in Yeats's personal myth and the vivid and extraordinary history of the most famous Gore-Booths supply reason enough to save the house as a part of Irish cultural heritage.
The extraordinary setting, the architectural impact of the building itself, and the continuity of the house's ownership, reflected in its contents and decoration, make it an unparalleled opportunity.
The situation, mystique and beauty of Lissadell would attract visitors from all over the world as well as Ireland, and it is not hard to think of ways in which it could function as a centre for cultural events based in the Yeats country, as Parnell's Avondale does in Wicklow. A vital and poignant part of Irish heritage is at stake, which uniquely reflects upon our literary, artistic, architectural, social and political history. It must not be sacrificed like Coole Park. - Yours, etc.,
ROY FOSTER, Carroll Professor of Irish History, University of Oxford, England.