Madam, - I wish to highlight a key point that was overlooked in your report on the IFA's new proposals for countryside walkways ("IFA urges annual payout for walkways", The Irish Times, July 28th).
The basis of the proposals is that farmers should be paid for work carried out in the development and maintenance of walking routes. The Mountaineering Council of Ireland (MCI) welcomed the proposals specifically because the payments would be contingent on work done. As to the amount to be paid, that is an issue for the Government.
The IFA's proposal is not a complete solution - it deals only with walking on marked trails and doesn't allow for those who want to wander on the open hills. Nor does it make any reference to the many other recreation activities that take place in the Irish countryside. However, it does provide a foundation for further discussions.
Over the coming months Comhairle na Tuaithe, on which both the MCI and the IFA are represented, will carry out a public consultation and develop a strategy setting out a vision for the future of countryside recreation in Ireland. This will provide an opportunity for all interested parties to have an input into the co-ordinated, sustainable development of this area. - Yours, etc,
HELEN LAWLESS,
Development Officer,
Mountaineering Council
of Ireland,
Dublin 12.
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Madam, - Countless sacrifices have been made down the centuries so that old Ireland might regain its lands. The suggested imposition by the IFA of an eventual charge of €16 million for Irish people and visitors to walk our countryside is one more example of the naked greed that now stalks this land. This proposal is an insult to the memory of our forebears whose sacrifices brought us our freedom. - Yours, etc,
DENIS O'SHAUGHNESSY,
Janemount Park,
Limerick.