THERE is a simple solution to the Shannon-Heathrow controversy. Let Shannon keep its existing slots. Transfer four of the Dublin-Heathrow slots to Belfast and one to the underutilised Knock Airport. This would help North, South, East and West relations. It would also, in a small way, relieve congestion in the greater Dublin area where even the provision of fresh water is becoming a problem. I doubt if any of the Dublin-based media will publish this letter.

Kieran Bell, Clarecastle, Ennis, Co Clare.

From Seamus McGrath

AER LINGUS vacating Shannon should not surprise balanced, realistic observers.

Shannon is a dinosaur with a greedy appetite for taxpayers' funds. Over the years, it has done major damage to Irish business and tourism. Through political manipulation it got special treatment. SFADCO epitomises the Shannon syndrome. It has been an embarrassing thorn in the side of Bord Failte and the IDA over the years. It has been like a cuckoo, greedily eyeing where it can next get an advantage at others' expense. Shannon has deviously employed tactics of obstructing other regions when a threat was sensed.

A culture of government subsidy lay at the heart of all Shannon strategy. Back as far as the 1970s, Shannon poached existing tourist traffic from Cork Airport. Kinsale-bound tourists were bussed from Shannon past Cork Airport's entrance. Who paid for the buses? Were any tears shed for jobs at Cork then?

The new Shannon Airport Authority opted to give an unprecedented deal to Ryanair to entice them to establish new routes. The same company gave an unprecedented generous redundancy deal to its staff and even extended benefits to staff that were not being made redundant. Siptu et al will have that deal as their bible in all future redundancy negotiations with state bodies. Shannon did all this while they are losing money. Who pays? In the meantime, they care not a whit that they are damaging Cork, Knock, Kerry and Galway . . . with taxpayers' money.

It galls me to hear the clamour of whingeing and indignity about people with mortgages and families to support. Who cried for Cork staff when they endured cutbacks 20 years ago? The Mayor of Shannon had the audacity to suggest taking a Heathrow service from Cork to give to Shannon. At least he was up front about it. Usually the poaching is done by stealth.

It's time Shannon was brought into the real commercial world and compelled to play on a level playing pitch. Aer Lingus is overstaffed at Shannon and many bad practises have endured because of political patronage. Bad practises come home to roost sooner or later.

It's not that many years since a national daily newspaper exposed the greed of local suppliers who were grossly overcharging Aer Lingus for certain foodstuffs and there was no outcry from the Shannon region about that.

Shannon portrays itself as the gateway to the west of Ireland.

It should redesignate itself as the gateway to the bottomless begging bowl. The west can be served by Kerry, Galway, Knock, Sligo, Donegal and Derry airports.

Seamus McGrath, 171 Deanwood Mews, Cork.

From Diarmad O Grainne

THE decision of Aer Lingus to relocate from Shannon to Belfast makes curious reading.

Once upon a time, the more civic-minded people of the Republic chose Aer Lingus as opposed to Ryanair to get to their destination. Tradition, loyalty and an aversion to the cavalier attitude of Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary coloured their choice. Alas, this loyalty to Aer Lingus was not reciprocated. The people in the west and mid-west felt let down.

It would be a strange twist of fate if an entrepreneur appeared out of the North (preferably of the Unionist persuasion) to reopen the Heathrow route. Stranger things have happened.

Diarmad O Grainne, Mullach na Si, Co Roscomain.

Blue flag beaches From A Reeves

I WONDER why the blue flag has continued to be allowed to fly above Seapoint in the burough of Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin. On Thursday 23 August last I was appalled to discover what appeared to be human excrement floating in the sea there. A marked deterioration in the quality of the water was also apparent, not to mention a foul odour which saturated the entire area. As one of Seapoint's regular swimmers, I find this situation deplorable and totally unacceptable.

Perhaps, also, the Almighty should be petitioned to guarantee good weather in the area as I am informed by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council beaches section that their pumping station in the water treatment plant was unable to cope with an overflow of effluent due to recent heavy rainfalls. This overflow in turn polluted the sea, by their own admission.

The main point here is that the public should immediately have been informed of such an occurrence. On the contrary they have been blatently deceived by the continued presence of the blue flag at Seapoint. It should be removed until an acceptable quality of water can be guaranteed and a notice erected forthwith warning of the dangerous condition of the sea at that location.

A Reeves Bulfin Road, Dublin 8.

Compulsory English in gaelscoileanna From Micheal O Nuallain

WHO does the Minister for Education and Science think she is in issuing a diktat to all gaelscoileanna that they must teach English to all of their students. Compulsory English!

This is worse than the misguided educational policy enunciated by Enda Kenny TD in a bid to win popular support before the last general election, when he stated that all pupils following the Junior Certificate need not bother to study Irish further, unless they wanted to.

What a short-sighted policy, just when the Irish language is turning the corner.

If I were in charge of a gaelscoil I would ignore the irresponsible mouthings of Minister Hanafin and seek her immediate resignation and I hope and trust that will be done.

Irish was my first language. I had to learn English. I learnt English from my playmates long before I went to school. Of course, every boy and girl should learn English, the language of Shakespeare and the most widely spoken language in the world. But all in good time, of course.

In the future, every young Irish woman and Irish man should be able to speak at least two continental languages as well as the language of this country. Only a small fraction of Irish people can speak Irish fluently at the moment, but that is changing. In a different context, I wrote to Mary Hanafin some years ago, to point out to her that in a stamp celebrating the discovery of quaternions by the Irish scientist Rowan Hamilton, the equation An Post quoted (on the stamp) was not the full and correct equation arrived at by Rowan Hamilton. My letter was given to someone in the Department of Education and Science. The answer I received consisted of a long litany of all the great things that the government was doing to celebrate Rowan Hamilton. No mention was made of the whole point of my letter which was concerned with the centenary stamp issued by An Post. To my astonishment the minister actually signed this letter.

Hamilton's discovery of quaternions is very important and is known by all scientists worldwide. Today, Nasa uses them in space exploration.

The exploration of culpable ignorance and arrogance in this so-called Department of Education and Science is overdue.

Micheal O Nuallain, Monkstown, Co Dublin.

Lone parents need support, not criticism From Karen Kiernan

ON BEHALF of our thousands of clients and members, One Family would like to express its surprise and disappointment at an article in last week's Sunday Tribune. In this article Brian Mooney, described as former president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, expresses a number of views on what are described as single parent families. He expresses unsubstantiated and very disturbing opinions that 'lone mothers' are emotionally abusing their teenage sons and causing their daughters to self-harm.

Would Mr Mooney's position not be better used to call for support for families facing parenting challenges and for proper research on the impact of changing family realities on children in Ireland?

We are also concerned that the Sunday Tribune would publish such views without allowing for any balancing views to be expressed. The result of such irresponsible journalism is to increase the stresses experienced by many lone parents who are doing their best and to perpetuate a negative and erroneous image of one-parent families in Ireland today.

We were disappointed that Mr Mooney went on to promulgate similar views in a piece on Today with Pat Kenny on Wednesday 29 August rather than to use this second interview to provide a more balanced view.

In over 35 years of working with one-parent families we have always found that parents strive above all else to do what is best for their children. Such families need support and respect not criticism and condemnation, a view one would expect to be endorsed by an experienced guidance counsellor.

Karen Kiernan Director One Family Cherish House 2 Lower Pembroke St Dublin 2.