Sir, – As a former Dubliner, now a resident of Co Leitrim, I yield to nobody in the ordinariness of my citizenship.
However, I feel I must politely but firmly disassociate myself from Gemma Hussey's protest on my behalf (February 17th).
I still visit the metropolis regularly and often admire the banks of the Grand Canal, sometimes even going so far as to park the car and take a stroll along the towpath.
For well over a decade I worked in Upper Baggot Street, and many was the lunchtime spent taking the air and/or my early afternoon sandwiches on the very stretch about which Ms Hussey has expressed concern.
I still consider it one of the most pleasant areas in the city but I also believe its character, attractiveness and amenity value are all enhanced rather than reduced by the current once-a-week food markets.
These stalls, for the few hours that they operate, lend additional colour and variety to the waterside greenery. The stallholders appear to be diligent in cleaning up after their business has been conducted.
The edibles on offer may not be cordon bleu but they are reasonably priced and, to my palate at least, many of them are genuinely tasty.
Ms Hussey and any like-minded residents of Dublin 4 might find these simple open-air pop-up eateries more digestible if they thought of them as street food (trendy, cosmopolitan, culturally inclusive) rather than fast food (unhealthy, plebeian, heritage-menacing). – Yours, etc,
JOE PHELAN,
Killegar, Co Leitrim.