LETTERS TO THE EDITOR May 9

Seek an alternative route for the greenway A Chara, As a Galway man I have been following the reports in your paper about making a greenway out of the railway line at Tuam and was interested to read that Galway County Council has voted by 22 to 1 against the idea. It is understandable that some people in Tuam are disappointed that the greenway idea cannot go ahead but would it not be better for them to look for an alternative route in the area and have the support of all the councillors for it?[private] After all, what is it about the railway that makes it the only suitable location for this idea? I would have thought that a greenway can be built anywhere leaving the railway free for development. This would be a win-win situation for Tuam. Yours etc Bill Cunningham Cloonbrackna Avenue Roscommon Towards a secular society Dear Editor, The word secular comes from the word saecularis meaning â€Å“worldlyâ€Â, making a distinction between spiritual and worldly issues. When we talk about a secular society we mean a society where religious considerations are not paramount in education, medicine and or laws to do with the family. In the Western World most laws which relate to crime, education and marriage have their foundation in Christian values. The laws in many Arab countries are based on the Koran or Muslim faith. Both of these religions have strong connections to the Jewish faith through the Old Testament. Statistics on religion in Europe show 35 per cent Catholic, 26.7 per cent Orthodox, Protestant 13.7 per cent, 18.2 per cent No Religion, 5.2 per cent Islam, Others 1.4 per cent. So religion in Europe is far from dead. So is it possible for both the believer and the non believer in Government to find common ground without major conflict? This is now the dilemma for Irish politicians as new laws expose conflicts with their core beliefs. Are we looking at two parallel lines in the sand where never the twain shall meet? Are we ready for a society based purely on rational thinking? Maybe it is time for public debate on this dilemma. â€Å“As every divided kingdom falls, so every mind divided between many studies confounds and saps itselfâ€Â â€â€ Leonardo da Vinci Yours Sincerely Cllr Nuala Nolan 24 Bowling Green Galway Banning of bee harming pesticides Dear Editor, Great to hear that the EU has banned bee harming pesticides, but this wonderful news is overshadowed by the fact that our own Agricultural Minister failed to take a stand against the use of products that threaten, not just bees, but by extension the vital process of pollination upon which a high percentage of our food depends. The pesticide giants had waged a lavishly funded campaign to dissuade EU member states from backing the ban. They had enormous resources at their disposal and the services of the best PR firms that money could buy. In the weeks leading up to the vote, the corridors of power in Brussels and Strasbourg became hives of activity as the lobbying intensified. Thankfully enough States placed the proven ecological value of the bee above commercial, and short term political, gain. The bee has been a friend to humankind for millennia. It occupies a special place in the folklore and literature of almost every nation. Yeats rhapsodized about building a hive for the honey bee in one of his great poems. Shakespeare paid a memorable tribute to the creature in Henry V: For so work the honey-bees, Creatures that by a rule in nature teach, The act of order to a peopled kingdom. But for all their proven worth to us humans, and their complex societal structures, the bees may yet not be able to withstand the ravages of human greed and ignorance. How sad that Minister Coveney saw fit to abstain in the vote on this hugely important issue. Only a few weeks ago, he refused to include hare coursing in a Bill tackling animal cruelty. Now he canâ€â„¢t seem to find it in his heart to give the hard-pressed bees a break. Another Irish solution to an Irish problem, although what exactly the problem was for the Minister is a mystery to me. Thanking you, John Fitzgerald Lower Coyne Street Callan Co Kilkenny[/private]