Sir, - Instead of putting things over the Liffey - new bridges, a boardwalk, or putting things into the Liffey - the now aborted clock, why not introduce something really useful on the Liffey - a waterway public transport connection between Heuston and the Point or the Ferryport?
A glance at the high-water mark on the quay wall shows sufficient clearance under the various bridges at normal high tide for the use of flat-bottomed boats such as are used on the Seine and other rivers in Europe. All that is necessary is to deepen the river at various points or/and to construct a parallel channel to take a river service - surely not a huge problem to engineers at the end of the 20th century. In this regard I would point to the Malton prints of Dublin which show the river well utilised by water-bound traffic 200 years ago.
Many cities make use of water transport to alleviate traffic problems and at the same time provide a tourist amenity. The provision of such a service would not obviate the building of the over-the-river plans that have already been published. - Yours, etc., Ernest F. Crossen,
Knockmaroon Hill, Chapelizod, Dublin 20.