‘Peasant mentality’ drives all over our heritage

IN the run-up to the general election it’s perhaps timely to consider the appalling lack of respect for our heritage which has been continually displayed by the Government, in particular since 2002 when Martin Cullen and his successor Dick Roche held the Environment portfolio.

Arguably, the two most glaring mistakes which occurred during this time were Cullen’s decision to allow the imposition of a modern hotel alongside the unique Anglo-Norman site of Trim Castle and Roche’s decision to approve routing the M3 motorway through the archaeologically sensitive landscape near the Hill of Tara.

Just goes to show that despite our affluence, a peasant mentality still prevails and we have progressed little since the dark days of the 1960s and ‘70s when unique, historical parts of our capital city such as the Georgian terrace of Fitzwilliam Street, and Wood Quay, were ruined through short-sighted opportunism.