Sir, - I wish to join the poet Michael Longley (October 19th) and those who have subsequently written to your paper in support of his eloquently argued objections to further unnecessary despoliation of the Burren and what it represents in Europe and the world.
I have spent nearly 30 years studying and painting Ireland's wild orchids. I first visited the Burren in May 1967 and was astonished at the sight of fields full of orchids. Everywhere I looked there was an abundance of flowers, insects and birds. Since then I have returned every year to monitor key sites.
Sadly, many sites have been grievously degraded. My annual pilgrimage is increasingly fraught with dismay and trepidation. Ms de Valera's plans for the Mullaghmore turlough area will result in irreversible destruction. As Minister for Arts, Culture, the Gaeltacht and the Islands she should ponder the tawdry example she is setting. I plead with her to think again. - Yours, etc.,
Raymond Piper, Notting Hill, Belfast 9.