EDITOR –  I’ve recently returned to Harbour View, Kilbrittain, a place that holds some of my fondest childhood memories, and I’ve been saddened by how much the area has changed.

What was once a peaceful, open landscape, where a child could feel invisible on the beach and free beneath the wide sky, now feels dominated by several large, modern ‘watchtower’-style houses overlooking the beach. Many of these new buildings have vast windows facing directly onto the shore, with little or no screening or effort to blend into their surroundings.

As I walk the beaches or the narrow coastal roads of Harbour View and Timoleague, I find it hard to shake the sense of being watched. The quiet beauty and privacy that once defined Harbour View and many beaches seem to have been replaced by a kind of architectural intrusion. It’s disheartening to think that future generations will never know the same feeling of openness and escape that once made this place so special.

I would ask: what are the planning authorities doing to protect the views and the experience of visitors and locals alike? Surely there must be a balance between development and preservation, a way to allow people to enjoy this coastline without feeling under scrutiny. Is there no requirement in the planning permission process that requires that these large developments necessitate screening?

Mariah Howard,

Lexington, Kentucky.

Our reader wonders about planning regulations.

Disaster looms in fishing quotas

EDITOR -   Our fishing industry will be doomed if these quotas are implemented. This is due to reckless overfishing by third-country coastal states Norway, the Faroes, Iceland, and Russia, and not our small fleet of boats.

Enough is enough. We in Ireland need to start demanding fairness for our fishermen. We have already taken a big hit since Brexit, and our coastal and fishing industry needs to be protected by the EU. These cuts will be the end of our fishing industry and lead to job losses.

Noel Harrington,

Kinsale.

There’s no human right to a home

EDITOR –  According to media reports, the launch of the presidency of Catherine Connolly has ticked all the right boxes. However, on closer scrutiny there are glaring inconsistencies.

Her inaugural speech spoke of people having a human right to a home. There is no such thing as a human right to a home, or other things dependent upon the individuals involved such as, a loving marriage or happiness.

The nearest thing to this in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is the right of a man and a woman to marry and found a family (Article 16) and that motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance (Article 25).

We live in a society that has given priority to economic and consumeristic values over family-living. However, no country has a future without functioning families.

During the presidency of Michael D. Higgins, the number of babies being born has fallen by one fifth. We are now no longer replacing ourselves as a people.

We are on an extinction trajectory. In spite of this, when our new President spoke of existential threats to Ireland, she overlooked this reality entirely.

Our new President may have delighted media commentators, but as always, the devil is in the detail.

Gearoid Duffy,

Lee Road,

Cork.

If at first...Troy, Troy again

Our nation’s football team’s abode,

Aviva Stadium, Landsdowne Road.

Roared on by the greatest din,

We pulled off a famous win.

The favourites, the Portuguese,

were humbled to their very knees,

Ronaldo, their darling boy,

was upstaged by Ireland’s Troy.

CR7 lost his way,

and elbowed Darragh O’Shea.

An early bath was his reward,

as he fell upon his sword.

Another game, a further quest,

awaited us in Budapest.

A must-win game or we were gone,

again, the great Troy Parrott shone.

Two more goals, he made it three,

that final goal brought ecstasy.

A hero now, one of the greats,

a playoff game next awaits.

This team has grown, it’s on the up,

Let’s hope we make the world cup.

Jim Williamson, Montenotte