Compulsory land purchase
Sir, – The recent article on the Connemara Greenway (“A 15-year ‘muddle’: the long and winding road to building a greenway through Connemara,” Home News, August 28th) was illustrative of the promise and the problems holding these projects back.
Where a proposed greenway follows a former or pre-existing right of way, such as a disused, or abandoned, railway line or canal towpath, there is basis for development if there is the assent of the affected parties. In such cases, compensation should not be limited to agricultural rates for severed strips of land, as is currently the norm, but should reflect the real economic value created.
At present, compensation in rural contexts is calculated on agricultural land rates for the square meterage used, with capital gains tax applied. This does not reflect the impact on the property owner, whose property is severed, blighted, opened to the public, may be rendered unviable commercially, and who is left unable to replace it with an equivalent alternative having only been remunerated for a fraction of the total value.
A more equitable solution would be to link compensation to the economic benefits the greenway is expected to deliver, and for the entire property. If 250,000 visitors are forecast annually, as we’re told visit the Great Western Greenway, the per-trip value can be estimated and compensation paid on a transparent formula, such as ten years of projected earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA). This would respect property rights, deliver certainty, and avoid costly stalemates.
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What should not be accepted is the imposition of compulsory purchase across private property for greenways where no pre-existing right of way or public access exists. Our Constitution rightly protects citizens from arbitrary expropriation, and eroding this safeguard, as some suggest, would be deeply unwise.
Some argue that the constitutional protection of private property ownership is overly strong, but the alternative amounts to a fundamental reorganisation of society and the economy. If such a change was ever to be considered, it would need to be put before the people in a referendum. One thing is certain; it is not the role of infrastructure planning to undermine constitutional protections in pursuit of greenways. They do not represent a pressing social need, but an amenity designed for pleasure. The use of compulsory purchase orders for their development through private land is disproportionate, particularly as viable alternatives exist alongside roads.
Finally, there is the matter of priorities. Our capital, political and financial, is being spent on greenways while serious investment in rail, which could transform regional connectivity and sustainability, is neglected. Greenways are valuable amenities, but they are not equivalent to motorways or railway lines and should not be presented as such, neither in terms of the state’s legal right to pursue their development, nor in terms of their importance as strategic transport infrastructure.
We can have both: world-class cycleways where rights of way exist, and a constitutional order that continues to respect property and the rights of the citizen. Undermining the latter in pursuit of the former would be a mistake with consequences far beyond Connemara. – Yours, etc,
PATRICK SLEVIN,
Fahburren,
Co Mayo.
Texting in the theatre
Sir, -I was in the Olympia Theatre on Wednesday evening to see a play. During a particularly dramatic moment (on stage), a woman sitting in the row in front of me put on her reading glasses, took out her phone and sent a text message.
The woman sitting next to her consulted her phone 12 times during the performance. I worried that if she received a message, she too might send a text reply, or even make a call. Fortunately, no message was received. I could only be thankful for small mercies. – Yours, etc,
DERVAL DUGGAN.
Kilternan,
Dublin 18.
Flying the Tricolour
Sir, – I can understand that there has been and will probably be a significant amount of upset and protest regarding the removal of Tricolour flags erected without authorisation on Dublin lamp-posts.
But this story (“Man drove into Garda van after calls to remove Tricolours,” Home News, September 4th) has me entirely perplexed considering the sheer number of scandals and social issues in this country today. From homelessness, the cost-of-living crisis, migrant attacks, a failing healthcare system and children going missing for years and feared dead, the list is endless.
We have a Government that has completely disregarded our right to vote. Yes, we still vote but it would seem obvious that this vote is an entire waste of our time and an even greater waste of the public’s money. We dutifully walk to our voting booths like cows in a milking parlour, make our choices based on favourites, votes are counted and then they decide to have a coalition, totally undermining everything.
So, sir, what I cannot understand, considering all of this, is the delirious passion that people have for a flag and the lengths, as is highlighted in your report, people will go to defend it. All these national issues and heinous crimes but we say “no more” for a piece of fabric.
In one day, I hear about the shocking story of another missing child, then read about an individual busting up a Garda vehicle for a flag. Not for the disgraceful system we have where children can go missing and unheard of for years, but for a flag. I feel that we, as a nation, need to re-evaluate what we are and who we are. – Yours, etc,
SARAH ROBERTS,
Youghal,
Co Cork.
Sir, − On visits to the United States I have always been impressed by the everyday display of the stars and stripes on flagpoles in suburban gardens.
During the last Rugby World Cup and on other recent sporting occasions, I was loath to display our Tricolour for fear of being associated with those right-wing extremists who believe that “Ireland is full” and only “pure Irish” have a right to live here. I resent the totally alien ideas being expressed by people ironically apeing the English extreme right who do not represent the large majority of people on this (previously) island of the welcomes.
Perhaps we should all begin to display our flag in the same way as we display county colours for local and national GAA matches, thereby diluting the effect of the extremist and at the same time saving our councils the cost of removing them. − Yours, etc,
MARION WALSH,
Donnybrook,
Dublin 4.
Bounty on deer
Sir, − The proposal put forward at a local Kerry Irish Farmers’ Association meeting earlier this week for the State to introduce a bounty on deer in the county is a populist gesture with no scientific basis. It’s a crude and unhelpful intervention by biased stakeholders and local, populist politicians in what is a complex issue with no clear and obvious solutions.
No one knows how many deer there are in the country as no survey has been carried out to determine the actual population. One would think that this information would be a basic starting point in any strategy to reduce the numbers.
As it is, we are already culling an enormous number of deer each year; over 78,000 culled in 2023, up 41 per cent from the previous year. The 78,000 doesn’t include deer illegally killed by poachers, nor does it include the number of deer killed on the extensive road network. Some 6,486 deer-hunting licences were issued by the State in 2023 and 71 per cent of the deer culled in 2023 were from seven counties: Wicklow, Cork, Waterford, Tipperary, Kerry, Galway, and Clare. Wicklow accounted for 29 per cent of the cull.
The idea of a bounty is a throwback to the dark ages of animal bounty hunting in Ireland, when amputations from foxes, crows, magpies, weasels, stoats, badgers and mink were presented at the local Garda station. Typical offerings were severed heads, tails, paws and tongues.
There are alternatives to culling: the widespread use of ultra-sound deer whistles, small whistles that can be attached to the bumper of a car and which emit a warning whistle that humans cannot hear but deer can; targeted relocation of deer from over-populated areas to low-density areas; fencing in strategic areas, in particular in areas where there have been and continue to be deer encroachment onto roads; further research and trials into the viability of using contraceptives to reduce the numbers; a nationwide education programme encouraging drivers to slow down when they are driving at night through an area in which there is a large deer population.
A suite of measures as above will not solve the problem in its entirety but will undoubtedly reduce the hysteria that presently exists around this emotive issue. − Yours, etc,
GERRY BOLAND,
Keadue,
Co Roscommon.
Presidential election campaign
Sir, – So Heather Humphreys is confirmed as the Fine Gael candidate for the presidency of Ireland (“Fine Gael confirms Heather Humphreys as candidate as presidential vote set for October 24th,” Politics, September 2nd).
If elected, she will become the third Protestant in the history of the State to be accorded the Republic’s highest honour – the first being Dubhghlas de hÍde, the founder of Conradh na Gaeilge, and the second being Erskine Childers, a former Fianna Fáil minister and tánaiste.
Ms Humphreys is coming out of retirement to run for Fine Gael. Unlike her illustrious predecessor, de hÍde, she has never shown much interest in the Irish language. As the senior minister with responsibility for the Gaeltacht, I think it’s fair to say that she left that part of her portfolio largely to her junior minister Joe McHugh.
As a minister, Ms Humphreys was known for her scorching attacks on the main opposition party. This was something which went down very well with Fine Gael backbenchers and grassroots alike. Much as she may personally disdain Sinn Féin, as president Ms Humphreys will have to represent all sections of the population, including the 20 per cent plus of the electorate who vote for that party, as well as the majority of the nationalist community in Northern Ireland who also vote for Sinn Féin.
Reaching out to that republican community, North and South, may prove to be her greatest challenge if elected. Her supporters claim she is a warm and embracive person but she will certainly need to demonstrate this to the wider electorate if she is to become the next Uachtarán na hÉireann. – Yours, etc
JOHN GLENNON,
Hollywood,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – The framers of the 1937 Constitution showed remarkable foresight in setting a high bar for presidential nominations. It is sparing the public the spectacle of oddballs and the discredited seeking the Áras. Candidates of the highest character will always find a way to get on the ticket. – Yours, etc.
DOUGLAS BRENNAN,
Donabate,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – I hope Bertie Ahern will only be peeved for less than five minutes following Micheál Martin’s decision to look the other way (“Bertie Ahern defends legacy but rules out Áras bid: ‘Friends gave money, not robbers or crooks’,” Politics, September 5th). His legacy is peace in Ireland -the Good Friday agreement, something history will not forget, even if many now have taken that prize for granted. I for one will always be grateful. Ahern is perhaps the best relationship builder of our time and undoubtedly he would have brought that supreme quality to the office of president. But it is not his time, as it was not for Albert Reynolds. No sulking, Bertie, enough of that. – Yours, etc,
AIDAN RODDY,
Cabinteely,
Dublin 18.
Continuous cover forestry
Sir, – Your article about the adoption of continuous cover forestry (CCF) across 30 per cent of the Coillte forest estate (“Building resilience in nature with forest restoration,” Science & Climate, September 4th) marks a landmark moment for sustainable forestry in Ireland. The emphasis on biodiversity conservation and the move away from even-aged forestry is to be celebrated.
However, two points were omitted from the article. First, it is important to note that CCF promotes biodiversity conservation but also supports the growing bioeconomy in Ireland. Gifford Pinchot, first chief forester of the US Forest Service, stated that his goal for forestry was “to harvest timber and preserve the forest, at one and the same time”. This sounds paradoxical, but in fact CCF results from over a century of scientific experimentation in central Europe and North America, where careful thinning of the forest maintains ecosystem attributes but also produces value-added timber. We now know that active management of woodlands using CCF principles brings stability, structure and diversity that enhances biodiversity.
Second, credit for the emergence of CCF in Ireland must go to the pioneering foresters and private woodland owners who founded Pro Silva Ireland in 2000. This volunteer group has spent years gaining practical experience and undertaking applied research to prove that CCF can work in Irish conditions. What might seem to be a “revolution” for Irish forestry has been more an “evolution” of understanding. Forests take time to grow and reveal their secrets. Several private woodlands made the switch to CCF in the 1990s, especially in Co Wicklow. The family-owned Cloragh Forest is widely regarded as one of the most important examples of CCF management in the oceanic region of Europe.
Coillte’s new approach to woodland management is indeed a breakthrough moment in Ireland. However, let’s also acknowledge the tremendous achievement of dedicated foresters and woodland owners who blazed the trail and set Ireland’s woodland culture on this new, “greener” and more resilient path. – Yours, etc,
EDWARD (TED) WILSON,
Institute of Forestry and Conservation,
University of Toronto,
Canada.
Terror from the sky
Sir, – On a sunny lunchtime in Brisbane today, preparations are under way for a firework spectacular to launch the city’s annual arts festival. Sound-barrier-breaking fighter jets (SuperHornets, I’m told) spent half an hour or so running practice sorties for the main event this evening.
The noise and terror just one plane creates as it flies low over the city is enough to cause you to think the world is about to end. I sat imagining what it must be like for a child in Gaza or Ukraine with machines of destruction like these exploding from the sky over and over again, every few hours of every day. Except of course dropping lethal ordnance as they go. Bombs that kill families, maim friends and reduce neighbourhoods and hospitals to rubble. And for what end?
How are we still behaving like this as a supposedly enlightened species?
SEAN BOYLE,
Brisbane,
Australia.
