Béal na mBláth signs are hot property

I CAN only offer sympathy to Patrick Fitzpatrick (Letters, January 22) for the way he was frustrated in his attempts to locate Béal na mBláth.

I can assure him the people of Cork are rightly proud of Michael Collins and all he stood for.

As a member of the Béal na mBlath commemoration committee I have been instrumental in getting signs placed and replaced on numerous occasions in recent years. If they last 48 hours, we are lucky.

Souvenir-hunters and people who see an opportunity to make a quick buck seem to be drawn to them.

These signs have turned up in numerous car boot sales around Ireland and are displayed as trophies in ‘Irish’ bars across America. We have now resorted to putting up temporary signs on the weekend of the Collins commemoration every August, but these also disappear before we get a chance to remove or reuse them

Frank Metcalfe

Secretary

Béal na mBláth

Commmoration Committee

Ovens

Co Cork