PUBLIC SERVICE

Dear Sir,

In recent years, accountability and responsibility are becoming less and less, especially in the public sector and state owned companies. There is a distinct lack of effort to make those people who are failing in their duty held to account and that applies to ministers as well as ordinary inspectors.

For a number of years in some areas of Ireland the quality of potable water available to the public has deteriorated and people have to buy bottled water. The water is being contaminated by untreated effluent from farms and factories and why has the source not been discovered and where are the inspectors.

Our Government had to recall hundreds of tons of contaminated pork at a huge cost both to our reputation and financially. Where were the inspectors and where are they now.

It is a miracle that there was no loss of life when a section of the viaduct in the Malahide area collapsed. It will be interesting when we get the results of the enquiry, especially the comments relating to the thoroughness of the inspections.

Man made structures in tidal areas require constant and frequent and thorough inspections as the ebbing tide can scour away the surrounding soil at the base of the structures even if they are seated in a group of pilons that are driven into the river bed.

The vibrations caused by passing trains does not help and the more earth that is scoured away, the vibration increases and the structure weakens.

History tells us that centuries ago when a Roman general encountered a dodgy bridge during a hectic advance he ordered his men to march out of step to avoid the vibration.

Thank you,
Richard Prendergast.

THE DEMISE OF GALTEE

Dear Editor,

We blame everyone but the real culprits for the demise of Galtee. It was we the shareholders who by a large majority voted to amalgamate with Ballyclough, having fallen for the cure “Bigger is Better”.

We swallowed the bait and ended up in a Kerry frying pan. We released our grip on everything bar the Gradoge and Funcheon. Our founding fathers must be turning in their graves. They began with nothing and against the odds, an established creamery Newmarket to contend with.

In five or six years it went from a butter-churn to a world renowned cheese factory. It was well known to Hitler who issued threats to its existence being one of the supply lines to the British Troops in the Battlefields of Europe. Where the Luftwaff failed we succeeded, we blew the Galtee brand to its “Kingdom”.

All had a hand in its downfall big disturbance money to enter by a different door in some cases.

We killed the goose that laid the golden egg, forgetting that a dead goose lays no more.

Joe Chamberlain,
Mitchelstown.

A FEW IDEAS

Dear Editor,

We are a small group with ideas that we feel can be beneficial to this area or even to the country as a whole, if they are implemented by the powers that be. The following are some of our ideas:-

1) A new ferry route should be inaugurated to serve Cork and La Coruna in Galicia, a Celtic region in northern Spain. This would be ideal for providing trade and tourism links between Ireland and Spain, Portugal and southern France. This service could provide two return sailings to Spain per week. (sailing time to Spain is approximately 23 hours), and 1 return sailing to Swansea, thus restoring the old ferry service from Cork to Wales, (sailing time to Wales is 9 to 10 hours).

2) A new €9 million hotel could be built in Fermoy on the old mart site, east of the town centre, providing for 60 bedrooms and a convention centre for weddings, seminars and other functions.

3) A new €4 million bridge should be built in Fermoy extending across from the Pike Road (north river bank) to the hospital road (south river bank), similar in design to the Ballyhooly one, and providing for a walk/cycleway for tourists.

4) The provision of a multiplex cinema in Fermoy on the site of the old Barry’s timber yard.

5) The area adjacent to Fermoy House along the river bank (north side) should remain a greenbelt area and could be developed as cycling, running or walking tracks.

6) The toll stations at Corrin, Fermoy, should be abolished so as to allow free to and from the motorway at Corrin, thereby reducing traffic congestion in the town.

The Fermoy project ideas represent good value for money in comparison to the €38 million flood plan for the town, a flood plan that may not work.

Michael Sheehan,
Munster Awareness Group,
Greenhill,
Fermoy.