Madam, - For months I have been following the M3 controversy from my home in New Jersey. I have written to the Ministers for Transport and for Environment, Heritage and Local Government without acknowledgment. I hope you will publish my opinion because, while Tara is in Ireland, it is of great significance to all the world.
A highway - a four-lane, lighted toll-road in particular - must not desecrate the vale of Tara because Tara is so much more than a hill. Rather than an elevation, or any number of geographic concentricities or acres, Tara is a touchstone area, a landscape of eternity. There is nothing here in the United States that approximates to the history and significance of Tara. As modernisation progresses, it is ever more important to preserve timelessness. Tara's unique and powerful history truly makes it a sacred treasure and, until it rightfully joins the list of other World Heritage Sites, Ireland is solely responsible for its preservation. How you respond to this crisis, how you embrace the need for cultural identity, how you respect a world landmark, how you come to Tara's aid will be remembered as surely as my country is remembered for its decisions, both bad and good.
If the reason for the M3 is strictly to ease the plight of the commuter, bear in mind that adding a highway will actually add more vehicles. The better solution for the commuter is in rails, not highways.
Demand a better transport solution, and preserve irreplaceable Tara. - Yours, etc.,
DEE GRAFFOX, Scotch Plains, New Jersey, USA.