Madam, - In answer to Arthur Dunne (July 14th), yes, someone does give a damn about spelling on road-signs - but it remains to be seen whether anyone with responsibility shares his concern.
The problem, as I see it, is that there is no single central agency responsible for placenames, and therefore no-one to order errant authorities to make changes. Personally, I have found that An Post, Ordnance Survey Ireland, the TV Licencing Record Office, and the Electoral Register all had different spellings of my townland.
Nearby are the townlands of Aghyohil (or is that Ahiohill?) and Enniskeane (or is it Enniskean?).
The point is not a pedantic one. When accessing services such as GPS or planning permission applications, people need to be certain that they are searching for the correct place. How is this possible when so many agencies of the State themselves cannot agree on what the placename is?
In the UK, the Royal Mail maintains a central database of all addresses, and this is shared and re-used by all State and commercial bodies. With the inevitable introduction of postcodes here, would it be possible to have the appropriate bodies agree on the correct spelling of every town, village, parish and townland in the State? - Yours, etc,
COLIN COOPER,
Derrymeeleen/Derrymileen/ Derrymeleen,
Ballineen,
Co Cork.
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Madam, - I share Arthur Dunne's exasperation at the inability to provide consistent and accurate road signage, to the point of ruefully shaking my head in bemused wonder. In our little rural parish outside Swords, after 30 years (at least) of having not a solitary road-name in the area, three green signs were erected along Balheary Road.
Whilst the geniuses in the county council managed to spell the English correctly, I noted that all three signs bore different Irish versions of the placename, namely Baile na hIora Rua, Baile Harai, and Baile na Shiorrai. All nice new translations, I might add, from an already Anglicised version of some previously unknown Irish name.
Then to cap it all, yesterday evening I spied a fourth sign newly erected further down the way: "Balheary Road - Bothar Baile na Shaoi". I despair. - Yours, etc,
ROBERT HOBAN,
Balheary,
Swords,
Co Dublin.