A chara, - An Bord Pleanala's decision to insist on Hill 16 being seated should be viewed as a disappointment by followers of Gaelic games in general - and not just Dublin supporters as Jerome Burns implies (May 21st).
Hill 16 has a unique atmosphere unmatched at any other sporting venue in Ireland. For this reason alone, its existence must be preserved. It is a travesty that supporters should be deprived of the choice to stand on a terrace as safe as the Hill and redeveloped as recently as 1989. .
Comparisons with Hillsbrough are erroneous as the Leppings Lane end was in no way comparable to the state of the art terracing that exists at the railway end of Croke Park. That terracing still exists at famous "international class stadiums" such as the Olympicstadion in Munich and the Nou Camp in Barcelona gives credence to the belief that the culture of standing and everything that spawns from it should not be eradicated just yet.
As somebody who stood on the old Kop at Anfield on numerous occasions and have since witnessed the deterioration of atmosphere since it was seated, I urge the GAA to do all in its power to ensure the Hill doesn't go the same way.
Failing this, I second Sean Kilfeather's suggestion that An Taisce should intervene and safeguard the future of what truly is a site of significance to our culture and heritage. - Is mise, Alan MacMaolduin,
Cluain Dolcain, Baile Atha Cliath 22.