1 week Ago
Consultants are making recommendations as to how to reopen the Cliffs of Moher Walking Trail. A taskforce is looking to reopen the Bray-Greystones Cliff Path. When will we accept that we need robust legislation to protect and extend access to the countryside for walkers and other recreational users? We need to learn from the experience of other countries, such as our neighbours in the UK, France and Sweden, to mention but a few.
Those countries demonstrate that it’s perfectly possible to provide access for responsible people while, at the same time, allowing farmers and other landowners to get on with their livelihoods. I recently visited the Cliffs of Moher with some of my family, having not been there for over 40 years. The barrier blocking access to walkers beside the O’Brien Tower sends out a very unwelcoming message to the hundreds of thousands of tourists and visitors to that location.
It’s time for the politicians to enact legislation guaranteeing access for walkers, as happened in England and Wales. Robert Dowds, Clondalkin, Dublin Biggest loser in game of tariffs will be the US as its best allies turn their backs It looks like the Chinese government and the penguins on the Heard and McDonald Islands are the only ones not afraid to stand up to the obnoxious bully that is Trump. China, from being a country we were suspicious of, has now taken a more important role in our lives and that of the whole world.
The main loser in the long run will be the United States, not only financially, but its loss of reliable and long-term allies will take years to re-establish. Unfortunately, you get what you vote for. Aidan Hampson, Artane, Dublin Republicans could face a mid-term wipeout – if the election is even allowed I note the rising tensions within the Republican Party as leading senators, including Ted Cruz, have come out in criticism of US president Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Cruz has warned of serious economic consequences, including increased inflation and market harm, potentially leading to Republicans losing control of the Congress. It appears Senator Cruz is prognosticating that the mid-term elections could turn out to be a bloodbath if tariffs trigger a recession. I believe what Cruz is missing here is that there may not be mid-term elections in November 2026.
One could see Trump calling a national emergency, therefore all bets will be off. Uncertainty is Trump’s brand in that he is a man who is capable of doing and saying whatever best suits his agenda. John O’Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary We should see if pharma firms here can switch to make medicine for EU While we wait to see if Mr Trump slaps tariffs on Ireland’s pharmaceutical exports to the US we should: 1.
Remind Europe that we have manufacturing capacity that might be switched to make critical medicines that the EU needs and currently imports. 2. Seek to engage with companies that make drugs here and have benefited from grant aids and low taxation to see if they can derive benefit from continuing to stay here and modifying their production lines to suit Europe’s critical pharmaceuticals list.
Fergus Jordan, Greystones, Co Wicklow Trump and his ‘art of the deal’ seem to run out of road on the Russian front I, like most of the world, was shocked by Donald Trump’s tariff announcements last week. What I was less shocked about was how he “magnanimously” pulled almost all of these back this week, further announcing that this had been his strategy all along. It was a supposed application of his “Art of the Deal”.
What that has me questioning is how this unprecedented and almost fantastical strategic thinking can’t be applied to his tactics to end the war in Ukraine, which seems to be a growing thorn in his side and further proof of the US president being unable to fulfil his campaign promises. Is the next step to arm Ukraine to a level that has not been seen before to turn the tide of the war back in its favour and apply a similar level of bullishness to his dealings with Russia? This reader thinks not. James Tate, Dublin Wishing Boyd Barrett a speedy recovery – Ireland will need his future input I‘m very sorry to hear that Richard Boyd Barrett has had a cancer diagnosis and will be undergoing treatment for some months.
Richard is a man of principle in politics and a sincere advocate for the disadvantaged in society. His leadership will also be missed at this time when it is imperative that the entire left wing in the Dáil puts its differences aside and unites behind an agreed candidate to take on the political establishment in the upcoming presidential election. I wish Richard well.
John Glennon, Hollywood, Co Wicklow Council has managed only to fool itself with magic trick of disappearing cars Reports regarding further efforts by Dublin City Council to restrict private car use through the city centre say that last summer’s restrictions “resulted in substantial...
reductions in traffic volumes”. Where do the powers that be think the “voluminous” number of cars went? Are said vehicles parked up in driveways? Hardly. Have those drivers all switched to public transport or taken to walking or cycling? Some hope.
No – they have simply moved outwards, clogging up urban streets and roads where there was never an issue with traffic. This is obviously fine, so long as the optics look right. Peter Declan O’Halloran, Belturbet, Co Cavan Thank you, Kirsty, for laying out the bald facts for men losing their hair The article on receding hairlines/baldness by Kirsty Blake Knox (‘Cancel the trip to Turkey, lads – receding hairlines are super-sexy and back in Vogue’, Irish Independent , April 7), reminded me of a very self-confident completely bald friend.
He insists: “I’m not bald, this is just a wide parting.” Tom Gilsenan, Beaumont, Dublin 9.
