India-Pakistan hostilities
Sir, – As a Pakistani-South Asian doctor living in Ireland, I find deep inspiration in the peaceful evolution of relations between Ireland and the United Kingdom – two nations with a long and painful history, who nonetheless chose dialogue, respect and shared prosperity over permanent hostility.
This stands in stark contrast to the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan, who, more than 75 years since partition, remain locked in a cycle of suspicion, conflict and nationalist posturing. Despite common languages, culture and history, the people of the subcontinent are held hostage by political and military establishments that benefit from division. The region is perched dangerously on a nuclear fault line – one mis-step away from catastrophe.
The peace agreements and the will of the Irish and British people to move forward shows that peace is possible when leaders choose maturity over militarism, and when people’s welfare is placed above pride. Trade, education and open borders have replaced war rhetoric in Ireland. Why can’t South Asia follow a similar path?
The people of India and Pakistan – like the people of Ireland and the UK – deserve more than endless conflict. They deserve peace, prosperity and the freedom to reconnect. As someone who has witnessed both realities, I urge policymakers and citizens alike to reflect on Ireland’s example – not as an ideal but as a possibility at least. – Yours, etc,
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Dr MUHAMMAD MATARO
HINGORJO,
Limerick,
Ireland.
Sir, – The most dangerous and potentially world-shaking aspect of the latest outbreak of Indo-Pakistan hostilities is the presence of China, which occupies part of the disputed territory of greater Kashmir.
India has fought wars with both Pakistan and China in Kashmir’s high and extensive plateau of Ladakh. India suffered defeat there in the Sino-Indian war of 1962. It dislodged Pakistani positions along the main supply route to Ladakh in the Kargil War of 1999.
If the present conflict worsens, and if China comes to the aid of its ally Pakistan, or if it feels that its own Ladakhi border regions are threatened, what might be the result? A war involving three nuclear powers could indeed shake the world. – Yours, etc,
PADDY O’LEARY,
Salthill,
Galway.
Awaiting the next pope
Sir, – The conclave cardinals, locked into the Sistine Chapel, are now discussing the future of the Roman Catholic Church. The battle lines are firmly drawn. Their dilemma is whether they will elect a pontiff with the openness of the late Pope Francis or one with the more closed mentality of the late Pope John Paul II.
The world and the Christian Church need a new Roman Catholic leader who is not afraid of change, one who will offer leadership in a world torn apart by armed and ideological conflict. Hopefully they will engage with the present, face the future with Christian hope and leave the past to rest in peace. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN BUTLER,
Drumcondra,
Dublin 9.
Sir, – As the world speculates about the outcome of the deliberations inside the Sistine Chapel, one certainty exists. The next pope will be a man. – Yours, etc,
RITA O’BRIEN,
Lucan,
Co Dublin.
Closure of Castletown House
Sir, – The doors of Castletown House, Co Kildare, the finest of the great country houses built in Ireland during the Georgian period, have been closed to visitors and most staff since September 2023 with issues over vehicular access to the grounds presenting seemingly insurmountable problems.
Lost in this impasse has been the international architectural significance of Castletown House itself which, for over one and a half years, has limped along with a skeletal crew of curators caring for its collections while its grounds have gone to seed.
This saga runs counter to what up until now had been one of the great success stories of conservation in Ireland. Saved by Desmond Guinness in the late 1960s and restored through the efforts of the Irish Georgian Society, Castletown was brought into State ownership in the early 1990s since when the Office of Public Works (OPW) has proven to be an outstanding custodian of both house and grounds.
The Irish Georgian Society maintains its long association with Castletown and continues to add to an important and valuable collection of art and furniture, which it has on loan to the OPW. This collection, together with those of the OPW and the Castletown Foundation, not only helps to furnish the house in an appropriate manner but also works to enhance the educational experience of visitors.
Looking after this collection requires the input of skilled curators and trained tour guides, while further staff are required to manage building and grounds maintenance, and cafe and shop facilities. As normal access to the house has not been possible since 2023, these staff members have been unable to reach their place of work and so have been redeployed or, in some cases, have lost their jobs.
While a recent announcement that OPW staff are preparing the house and estate for the season, it is not apparent that access issues have been fully resolved leaving uncertainty as to whether the public will be able to gain entry to the house this summer.
Castletown House and Parklands comprise one of Ireland’s foremost visitor destinations and should be cherished and celebrated for the extraordinary contribution they make to our heritage. This can only be achieved through throwing open the doors of the house once again and ensuring that impediments over access are set aside once and for all. – Yours, etc,
Donough Cahill,
Executive director, Irish Georgian Society
Dublin 2.
Ecological conversion
Sir, – I am writing in response to your editorial on Pope Francis and the environment, and the “toothlessness of the calls to action” (“The Irish Times view on Pope Francis and the environment: a legacy worth building on”, Editorial, May 4th).
It may interest readers to know that this groundbreaking document, Laudato Si’, has given rise to a global and national faith-based grassroots environmental movement.
It is widely recognised that Laudato Si’ was an instrumental factor in the signing of the Paris climate agreement in 2015 .
Last year 56 per cent of Dublin parishes celebrated the Season of Creation across the city, something not widely recognised pre-Laudato Si’.
In March 2023 the Irish bishops asked parishes across the country to return 30 per cent of church grounds to nature in an effort to address the biodiversity crisis locally and nationally. Parishes are teaming up with biodiversity officers and community groups to embrace the challenge.
Hundreds of Laudato Si’ animators have been trained in parishes across the country to share the wisdom and calls of Laudato Si’ locally. It is going to take time but Pope Francis reminded us that “much can be done” and that “things can change”. Lifestyle changes lead to cultural changes, which lead to policy changes.
The moral imperative to act on the environmental crisis and to embrace “ecological conversion” as Christians, as people of faith, as people of goodwill, is one of the many lasting legacies of his pontificate. – Yours, etc,
JANE MELLETT
Church outreach manager, Trócaire.
Maynooth,
Co Kildare.
Humanitarian aid to Gaza
A chara, – On behalf of the largely silent Quaker community of Ireland, I would like to confirm that many Irish friends endorse the statement, made by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, regarding the blocking of humanitarian and other forms of aid to the Palestinian community in Gaza and the West Bank, which he has declared a war crime, and which violates international law and the Charter of the United Nations (“Taoiseach Micheál Martin accuses Israel of war crime over blocking of aid entering Gaza”, News, May 6th).
Quakers, known for their 17th century founder George Fox, have a record for speaking out when faced with the kind of horrors and inhumanity currently being imposed on the innocent Palestinian community. It would seem that many Israeli Jews are opposed to this horrific approach and I appreciate their position along with the position of my Jewish friends in the United States.
Let’s hope that the Israeli leadership can begin to understand the futility of its military approach and live in harmony with the Palestinian community, as proposed many years ago via the two-state solution. – Yours, etc,
DENIS J HALLIDAY,
Former UN assistant secretary
general (1994-98),
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – The Dutch foreign minister, Casper Veldkamp, has announced that he will call for an urgent review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement at the two-day informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Poland this week (“Netherlands backs calls for review of EU-Israel agreement”, World, May 7th).
This is a striking move from a country that usually supports Israel, and is a reflection of the horror and dismay felt by governments across Europe at the continued killing, forced starvation and total humiliation of innocent women and children in Gaza.
Ireland must strongly, openly and unequivocally support the Dutch in this urgent action. Deliberate famine is a deep scar in Irish history. We must actively oppose its use by Israel as a weapon of war in Gaza. – Yours, etc,
TOM BUTTERLY,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.
Victory over racism?
Sir, – Amid the 80th anniversary celebrations of the official end of the war in Europe, it is sobering to think of the fact that racism, which was at the heart of the evil regime that the Allies defeated, has made a big comeback, ensnaring new generations of Europeans.
I listened recently to an old interview with an Irishman who was among the first Allied soldiers to enter the Nazi death camp of Bergen-Belsen. He’d lost friends on the battlefield, had numerous brushes with death and seen the ugliness of war up close. But this left him stunned and disbelieving. It was evidence of human cruelty brought to new levels.
We should never forget that the horrific scenes of mass murder, torture, and the classification of entire ethnic groups as subhuman only became possible because people had allowed themselves to fall under the spell of racism. It started with name-calling, the casting of racial slurs, and the dehumanising of people who didn’t seem to “fit in”, or were of different ethnic origin.
In Britain, the VE (Victory in Europe) celebrations are lavish and colourful and the relatives of who served in the war or gave their lives are rightly proud of their sacrifice (“VE Day: Britain takes a break from its troubles to celebrate 80th anniversary”, Analysis, May 5th).
How sad to see though, in Britain and here, people using the national flag to promote hatred of “others” such as refugees and asylum seekers.
Eighty years have passed since the Nazis ran up the White Flag. Unfortunately, unreasoning hatred of people on grounds of creed, skin colour, or ethnicity still thrives.
Will any of us live to celebrate VR day – victory over racism? – Yours, etc,
JOHN FITZGERALD,
Callan,
Co Kilkenny.
Experiences of Irish expats
Sir, – I am writing in response to three articles, published in your paper in consecutive days, on May 4th, 5th and 6th, essentially exhorting young Irish people to emigrate from this country and live, respectively, in Portugal, Qatar and Australia. While the articles feature snippets of interviews with Irish expats, little genuine attempt is made to interrogate the very real drawbacks that exist in re-locating to these countries.
For example, in the piece on Australia, there is a statement attributed to the chief executive of the Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce to the effect that “for the price someone might pay to live in a not so nice part of Dublin, they can live by the beach in Sydney”. Really?
Sydney is reportedly the second least affordable city in the world in which to buy a property. Rental prices have also skyrocketed there, particularly since Covid. Whereas, in relation to Qatar, little attention is paid in the article to the human rights concerns that many have raised in relation to that regime. – Yours, etc,
ROY PHILIPS,
Ballsbridge,
Dublin 4.
Housing not headlines
Sir, – As a councillor working to increase housing supply in my community, I can tell you this: people on the ground are not concerned about who will deliver housing, and how much they’re paid – they’re worried about whether they will afford a family home. Ever.
The controversy surrounding the position of head of the Strategic Housing Activation Unit continues to dominate headlines, but it is a distraction from what is now a perma-crisis: Ireland’s dysfunctional housing market. Inexplicably, the focus in Dáil Eireann is on titles, salaries and playing politics.
Housing failure in Ireland isn’t an abstract notion – it is a daily reality for so many. Families are struggling with soaring rents, low supply, limited social housing availability and young adults with good jobs stuck in childhood bedrooms. These people want solutions, not political theatre.
We need leaders who will pursue proactive policies at a speed that acknowledges the depth of our housing crisis; faster planning, leaner procedures, improved co-ordination with infrastructure providers aimed at delivering more affordable homes, and supporting rural builds.
The public is losing patience. They want homes, not headlines. It’s time the State met that need with an urgency and single-minded policy focus. – Yours, etc,
Cllr CLODAGH HIGGINS,
Fine Gael,
Galway City West,
Salthill,
Galway.
Tales of the Irish passport
Sir, – Many years ago I travelled to the United States to play a golf tournament. It was a time when, on board, you were given an immigration form to fill out. In response to the question “occupation” I wrote “mum”.
When I handed the form to the officer at arrivals he grumpily asked me: “who is minding the children then?”
“Their father,” I replied, and he handed me back my passport without reply! – Yours, etc,
LAURA O’MARA,
Stillorgan,
Co Dublin.
Guillemot’s beauty
A chara, – Congratulations to Fran Veale on the wonderful photograph of the guillemot on Tuesday’s front page. A beautiful bird! – Is mise,
N C NÍ MHAOLCHATHA,
Baile Átha Cliath 16.
