THE PEOPLE’S LETTERS PAGE

Here is this week’s People’s Letters Page…

Dear Northside People,

It was with great shock and sorrow, I learnt today that many trees that were planted 20 years ago, when Tyrrelstown was developed, are now cut down.

The reasons why they were cut down were contained in a notice which was posted on social media and not brought to the attention of the residents in any other form.

It said that leaflets were supposed to be issued to residents by 31st March, which no one has received so far.

So, today (14th) they came with their troops and machinery and cut down many trees in our estate.

Living in Tyrrelstown for 16 years, being engaged in local activities and working in one of our local primary schools, the most spoken about topics I have heard over the years are anti-social behaviour, littering and now the issue of parking permits.

But trees????

Whoever brought this topic before Fingal County Council must have had a good influence and got heard quicker than all the other residents who are contacting FCC, TDs, companies and organisations since years.

So, I wonder is this another joke?

Kind regards,

Michaela Omojola,

Tyrrelstown

Dear Editor,

Following the horrific murders of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee in Sligo this week I was shocked to learn that Ireland has no hate crime legislation in place.

Obviously, it goes without saying that there must be a zero tolerance approach to any form of homophobia in our society.

No person should be made a target or marked for punishment because of their sexual orientation.

At present there is no obligation on our courts to consider a hate element of a crime when sentencing takes place.

Surely this must change immediately and hopefully our government is considering changing the law.

Yours etc,

Gerard Connolly,

Glasnevin

Dear Editor,

Attending a greyhound track to bet on races greatly raises the risk of witnessing an badly injured, or possibly dead greyhound, maybe ever a few.

Danger to dogs is caused by the track bends being taken at very high speed and a number of the dogs colliding. Some tracks are more dangerous.

Broken necks, backs, hocks or legs are the usual result, heart attacks are common as are the effects of illegal drugs to enhance performance. Dogs suffer greatly.

If we were referring to humans here would you bring your child to witness this scenario?

Similar to a boxing match, injuries to dogs are frequent.

Dogs collapse usually on the track and are left lying there till they are carried off whimpering and yelping in pain. Injured dogs are most likely killed as their winning days are over.

Worse than that is the practice of sending them to Asia, where no rehoming or welfare exists as this ends the dogs lives in the meat trade.

To allow kids to witness this occurrence and treat it as normal behavior is saying this is ok.

Attitudes to violence are formed early in life and accepting violence to greyhounds at dog tracks is wrong.

These dogs are sentient, and greyhounds especially are gentle shy dogs.

This behaviour must be stopped, children should not be exposed to violence, alcohol and gambling from the time they can walk.

However, the Greyhound industry allows is to happen week after week at tracks in Ireland. Communion and confirmation celebrations are encouraged at these tracks.

Many kids are pushed in buggies into Shelbourne Park every week, bigger ones of school age also attend and witness gambling, dog suffering and rude behaviour.  Urinating outside dog tracks in full view of passers by, leaving bottles and using local gardens as toilets are well documented.

Is this acceptable?

Our main concern are in innocent dogs raced to death, the rest of this behaviour is totally unacceptable to the majority of people.

And now the Irish Greyhound Board want another million euro to develop another of their tracks, unbelievable.

SHUT THE TRACKS.

B Wright

Alliance for Animal Rights

Dear Editor.

I see that the Greens in government are sticking to their guns in seeking a ban on the sale and distribution of turf from September, despite claims from the backwoods wing of Irish politics that the move will drive a stake through the heart of rural Ireland.

Their consistency on this issue is commendable.

Our peat lands are ecological treasures beyond price, helping to prevent flooding by absorbing water and protecting human health by storing enormous amounts of deadly carbon dioxide.

Unfortunately the Greens are not being similarly brave or consistent on another ecological issue: the plight of our persecuted Irish Hare.

This mammal is a sub-species of the Mountain Hare that is unique to Ireland.

One of our few truly native species, it has been on this island since at least the last Ice Age of 10,000 years and for possibly around 60,000 years before that.

Despite its “protected” status an exemption allows coursing clubs to capture thousands of these animals each year- not for pest control or scientific research, but so that gangs of so-called sportspeople can set dogs on them.

They are terrorized, and in some cases mauled or have their bone crushed as gamblers cheer on the participating greyhounds.

The Irish Hare is also under threat from loss of habitat resulting from urbanization and the downside of modern agriculture.

Further pressure from widespread netting, and disruption of habitats by gangs beating the ground around them with sticks, doesn’t help its conservation status.

A Bill to ban hare coursing will appear before the Dail in the coming months, and you’d expect that Green Party support for such a measure would be a given.

After all it’s official party policy to seek a ban on the practice. But because the party is in government with parties that condone hare coursing it looks set to vote against the Bill.

That would make history.

It would be the first time a Green Party anywhere in the world had supported hare coursing.

Whatever about a turf cutting ban discommoding country dwellers, hare coursing should be uprooted completely from rural Ireland and banished forever from our countryside.

Opposition to it has been a core principle of the Irish Green Party.

For the Greens to accord it parliamentary approval would be on a par with them voting in favour of Climate Change or the Hole in the Ozone Layer.

Who would have thought that coursing clubs would have greater political clout than turf cutters?

And a what a strange “green” environment we’d have: Where cutting turf was illegal but one of the world’s barbaric blood sports was allowed…and with the ringing endorsement of a party that for more than three decades was committed to its abolition.

Thanking you,

John Fitzgerald

Dear Editor,

While it was great to read that moves are finally being made to bring the Kinahan drug gang down, unless we change the law nothing will change.

The current prohibition of drugs in this country is not working and has led to the creation of billion euro cartels.

Business for drug gangs is booming but it doesn’t have to be like this.

Drugs have been decriminalised in countries like Spain and Portugal and those caught with small amounts for personal use aren’t prosecuted.

This move has led to significant drops in overdoses and drug-related crime.

Why can we not pursue a similar approach here in this country?

Criminal gangs don’t care about their clients or the quality of the ‘goods’ they are selling.

Our drug laws are killing our young people.

If you’re caught with drugs in this country there are two consequences, either damage to users health and the criminalisation of marginalised groups.

To quote Senator Lynn Ruane:

“The war on drugs costs lives, it’s discriminatory, it’s moralistic, it’s a breach of civil rights, and it criminalises poverty.

“If you want to focus on drug use, you need to forget the type of drug that’s being used, and you need to look at poverty and marginalisation.”

Yours sincerely,

Paul Gildea,

Whitestown Way,

Tallaght