As predicted, it didn't take long and how guilty the Times must feel, to allow such a lengthy response on the letters page.
I could dissect it all night long, but I won't because it contains nothing new. How unfortunate that Mr. O'Raghallaigh has made no attempt to shed new light on the worthiness of this project.
References to British rule in Ireland, only further my belief that some in the west of Ireland still believe that they are holding out and Michael Collins is on the way to rescue them. This kind of commentary is a perfect example of why people view those in the west as Gombeens. Mr. O' Raghallaigh's, "propaganda", (and thats what it is) about the DART subsidy and roads is so wide of the mark, its laughable. His secrecy about who actaully carried out the "favourable" evaluation for West on Track should be questioned. The WRC has been evaluated by two different, independent and professional companies (Booze,Allen,Hamilton and Fauber Maunsell) Both found it to be an unfavourable prospect. The latter may not have been made available to the working group and Mr. O'Raghallaigh's admission that it wasn't precludes him from making some of the wild claims made in his letter. This is probably why he cannot question the estimates of 750 passegers a day and by the end of his letter, falls back on the tired and worn out reasons of "balanced Regional Development" and "the National Spatial Strategy" for reopening the WRC.
The McCann report was doctored by someone. Thats a fact. But by who? I have in my possession two different versions that I received in Castlebar last May.
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