Madam, - According a report in your edition of April 27th Donegal now has some of the biggest wind turbines in Ireland and Britain and provides a third of the country's wind power, thanks to Airtricity.
I heard the chief executive of Airtricity, Eddie O'Connor, on both RTÉ and BBC radio telling us: "Donegal is great, the wind blows 90 per cent of the time. It's beautiful and there are places where you wouldn't put wind turbines, but you can't see these ones".
Firstly, we in Donegal also think our county is great but it won't be for much longer if people such as Mr O'Connor have their way. Secondly, has he not been to Donegal recently? The turbines at Meentycat can be seen for miles and are a daily irritation to all who love our mountain ranges, which now have massive white towers on them.
The word "wind farm" conjures up an image of a benign alternative energy source. Instead we should speak of "industrial wind-power generating plants".
Donegal's mountains have been relatively free of industrial chimney stacks, but now we are slowly inheriting their modern equivalent, the wind turbine. Of course our coastline is now awash with concrete, but that's another story. - Yours, etc,
MARY HARTE, Raphoe, Co Donegal.