Letters to the Editor: Thank you to the young Cork people who came to my assistance in Oz 

Well done, Cork. 

I am an 88-year-old, long-retired lawyer, and a lifelong resident of Sydney.

On Tuesday last week, I suffered a bad fall on the wet forecourt of the old Customs House building at Sydney’s Circular Quay and was unable to get up. Within a few seconds, I was surrounded by a group of six young people, who turned out to be from your city.

The lads got me back on my feet and found a place on the forecourt where I could sit and regain my breath and composure. The young ladies mothered me very tenderly. They then left me briefly but without my knowing stayed nearby.

Once I felt up to it and started to move, they returned to my aid. One of the lads ran off to find a taxi for me and get it to come as close as possible. The young ladies led me by the hand to the taxi, put me in it, and sent me on my way.

Detecting the Irish accent, I asked whether they were from Dublin and one of the lasses told me they were from your city.

My wife, who was half Irish on her father’s side, and I have been to Ireland several times and driven round most of your beautiful country. We were in Cork briefly in the mid-1980s. We always loved our time on the Emerald Isle and loved the Irish folk we met.

I don’t know the names of the young Corkonians who helped me but want to put on public record my great appreciation of their kindness, concern, calmness, and sweetness to a total stranger. Your city can be very proud of producing such outstanding young people.

My hope, if you decide to publish my letter, is that a relative of one or more of my guardian angels will see it and convey my thanks to all of them personally.

Tony Hemingway, New South Wales, Australia

Páirc Uí Rinn hasn’t a ‘paddy field’ pitch

Anthony Daly, in his preview of the Munster club hurling final, availed of the opportunity, not for the first time, to aim a “cheap shot” at the Cork GAA fraternity — ‘ This is no free shot for Clonlara. It’s a Munster final’ (Irish Examiner, Sport, December 4).

Even though that game was being played at Semple Stadium, he deliberately veered off-script to describe Páirc Uí Rinn as having a “paddy field of a pitch”.

Since this ground opened its gates 30 years ago it has hosted a phenomenal amount of games ranging from junior “B” club games to senior inter-county matches as well as many schools and colleges contests. I would also suggest that no inter-county ground has catered for as many training sessions as the Boreenmanna Rd venue.

I have attended many many matches there, a lot more than Anthony Daly, for sure, and I can honestly say that even in extreme weather conditions have I ever seen the pitch even remotely close to the description Dalo bestowed on it.

Finally, it must be said that there is a remarkable improvement in the quality of of GAA playing pitches all over the country and I have no doubt whatsoever that Cork’s main stadium tops the lot.

Matt Aherne, Passage West, Co Cork

Nursing home for Rosslare Harbour

I write in response to various news reports concerning the ongoing protests in Rosslare Harbour. From the point of view of residents engaged in the protests, it is important to clarify the motivations behind our campaign.

The old Great Southern Hotel in the heart of the village has been derelict for some years. The village was delighted when we learned it was to be developed as a 90-bed nursing home.

To our astonishment some months into the building work this plan was changed to delivering the old hotel as a new International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centre.

Try as we might, we could find no change of use in the planning application.

Since then the whole project has been mired in controversy around questions such as the legality of changing the project in mid-stream, what constitutes exempt development, and related issues under the Planning Acts.

For us residents the question is quite simple, we want the original nursing home, as promised, to be developed.

There are more than 700 nursing home beds in Co Wexford yet there are none in Rosslare Municipal District.

We are a famously welcoming village; as the Wexford motto has it, we are an ‘exemplar Hiberniae’ when it comes to integrating the hundreds of refugees in our community. Sadly as a community we lack the resources to integrate even more in the manner we would wish.

Kevin Connelly, Rosslare Harbour, Co Wexford

Thanks and praise

It is so uplifting to hear so many passengers, as they get off Dublin buses, calling out a sincere loud ‘thank you’ to bus drivers.

Such appreciation of bus drivers adds an infectious touch of joy and appreciation also to the passengers.

Brendan Butler, Drumcondra, Dublin 9