Letters to the Editor: Today we should stand together and mark grief of Covid-19
The merits of greenways are obvious, as they encourage cycling and walking which is great for the environment, tourism and public health in rural Ireland.
"Give sorrow words,” writes Shakespeare in . “The grief that does not speak whispers the o'erfraught heart and bids it break.”
One year — and nearly two million deaths — since Chinese officials informed the World Health Organization of a cluster of cases of “viral pneumonia”, people around the world will be coming together to give their sorrow words.
Today (New Year’s Day), people around the world will come together for a worldwide day of day of remembrance for those taken by coronavirus in 2020. It will span 24 time zones, starting in New Zealand and ending in Hawaii.
In Britain and America, where Covid-19 has become inextricably entwined with politics, we have not had a national moment to remember the dead. Compare this with Spain, where a 10-day period of remembrance was held. Indeed, it sometimes feels that in the UK and US, the simple act of grieving the dead has become a political act.
But on Covid Memorial Day we will set aside politics and, just as our hearts swelled with gratitude when we clapped the carers, so will we share our collective grief.
Expert, David Kessler, argues “grief must be witnessed” and on Friday, around the world, we will allow ourselves to feel the loss. To feel the pain. To feel the grief.
I recently returned home to rural Ireland from college after living in Cork city for the past few months and realised what Budget 2021 may mean for the future of public transport in rural Ireland.
In this budget, which was dwarfed by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, over €3bn in funding was secured for the transport sector.
After hearing the news, I was optimistic however upon further research, I cannot help but feel that an opportunity to implement better transport services in rural towns and villages has been missed.
There has been an increase in funding in the attempt to combat climate change following the demand for more climate friendly transport options as seen through the rise of the Green Party and climate protests occurring around the nation. This is most apparent in the €1.8bn funding secured for sustainable transport.
This was a very welcome change as many criticised that Budget 2020 did not go far enough with the funding it allocated for public transport; let alone for sustainable methods of transport.
While it is promising to see such an increase in funding for sustainable transport, one could raise the question as to whether introducing 30-odd new greenways across the country was the correct decision.
The merits of greenways are obvious, as they encourage cycling and walking which is great for the environment, tourism and public health in rural Ireland, where a lot of these proposed greenways will be built.
Greenways draw crowds but do not aid the environment if residents of the surrounding areas and tourists need to drive to reach them.
There must be more of an emphasis on providing rural Ireland with more public transport services such as rebuilding and repairing these train tracks that often accompany these greenway routes.
The Waterford Greenway has been an astounding success, which has led to the discussion of extending the greenway from Waterford to Rosslare.
While the project may seem exciting, it does also mean that the abandoned railway line connecting the two will be torn up to achieve this aim. This may be of consequence for both tourists and transport for rural transport activists as its cuts off the chance of connecting one of Ireland’s biggest seaports to Munster.
The extension of this greenway misses the opportunity to promote connectivity between the provinces. Surely connecting rural Ireland with urban centres is an environmental must, to encourage motorists to opt for public transport over their own personal vehicles.
Undeniably, there have been positives from Budget 2021, but I fear that we have missed the chance to bring more public transport to rural Ireland which would cut down on emissions caused by motorists and provide rural villages and towns with much needed transport links.
So perhaps the fundamental question here when looking at the greenways vs public transport argument, is why must rural Ireland settle for one over the other. Why not both?
From reading the newspapers and listening to the radio, I gather that there is considerable relief that this year is ending, and equally considerable enthusiasm for embracing 2021. Very understandable sentiments.
