Madam, - I am sure that all who love this beautiful country will be heartened by the news of the purchase of Lissadell House by the Cassidy-Walshe family and their enlightened plans for the house and grounds. Whatever one's reservations about Countess Markievicz, one can have none about the great poet who immortalised his association with the house.
As a very elderly citizen who has spent all but 12 years of his life here, I find the despoiling of our wonderful landscape and heritage, especially in recent times, heartbreaking.
We seem to be at the mercy of greedy developers, corrupt local representatives and philistine Government Ministers, compounded by an apparent innate vulgar visual sense on the part of many Irish people. The number of inappropriately situated and designed holiday homes, the incongruous suburbia-style housing developments in many pleasantly plain small towns and villages, and the ravages of golf-mania have all added to my despair about the future of our landscape.
Some people argue that it is only in other countries that these things are done better. Not entirely true, I'm afraid. Drive up the new MI and see how well they are looking after their environment and heritage in counties Down and Antrim and you will realise that of course we, the Irish, are quite capable of cherishing our country and countryside. - Yours, etc.,
Prof NIALL O'DONOHOE, Mount St Anne's, Milltown Road, Dublin 6.