Madam, - Fintan O'Toole's column of September 27th reminds all of us who live in Trim and have to watch daily with heavy hearts as the new hotel is built just how furious we are.
When I bought a house in Trim four years ago one of the major attractions was the unspoilt beauty of the area and the majestic castle. I come from a country (Lesotho) which has no monuments, castles or any buildings over 120 years of age and I was excited by the prospect of living in a heritage town.
I have now learned a hard lesson. Ireland does not care for its heritage; development takes precedence over history and the will of the people can be ignored.
The only small comfort is that when this ugly hotel building has decayed and collapsed the castle will remain. I am just sorry that I won't be around to see when it happens. - Yours, etc,
ELIZABETH EVERETT,
Umbertstown,
Trim,
Co Meath.
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Madam, - Two reports in your edition of September 27th relate to issues which are or were ultimately the responsibility of Martin Cullen and which are costing taxpayers massive amounts of money in either on-going storage costs or investigation fees.
We know about the fiasco of the electronic voting machines which don't work and now we are to hear more about the fiasco of building a hotel practically as an extension to Trim Castle. It is inconceivable that Mr Cullen was not aware of the Trim hotel's proximity to the remains of one of Ireland's most important Norman castles. As it is no secret that the Taoiseach doesn't have the depth of character to make difficult but correct decisions, I can't help wondering what exactly Martin Cullen has to do before Bertie Ahern finally calls time on the Minister for Blunders. - Yours, etc,
DESMOND FITZGERALD,
Canary Wharf,
London E14.