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Minister Roche recently launched a study of important battle sites and vowed to amend the National Monuments Act to protect them, saying: "Battlefields ... can increase our knowledge and understanding of momentous events in Irish history." (Irish Times, 18 January 18.) Tara and the Gabhra Valley have been the background of many battles and "momentous events", not least the legendary Battle of Gabhra and Achall (Skreen) between the king of Tara, Cairpre Lifechair son of Cormac mac Airt, and the Fianna, commemorated in saga and verse.

The recent appeal by the president of the European Commission, Mr Barroso, to EU member states to avoid referendums on the proposed EU Constitution further reinforces the increasingly held view that this is simply an elite project, about which the opinions of electorates will not be countenanced. 

The campaign to keep the Local Gaelscoil Na Camoige in the village of Clondalkin was stepped up last Saturday when many local people involved in the school and parents, grandparents took a day out to ask local people to support their efforts in keeping the school within the village area. Parents targeted the three main shopping areas in the village and over 3600-odd people signed the petition, this was a fantastic response and even surprised the organisers. The campaigners will now be calling on people homes within the nest week and asking them for their support.

I have been seriously taken aback to hear people defending politicians in this day and age. One person called many of them 'decent and honourable' and all sorts of hopelessly inappropriate names. May I state four facts:

Thursday 15 February 11am, Buswells Hotel, Molesworth St. Speakers: Michael D Higgins TD, John Gormley TD, Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD, Tony Gregory TD, Richard Boyd Barrett (Irish Anti War Movement), Roger Cole (Peace and Neutrality Alliance), Brendan Butler (NGO Peace Alliance)

If you want an antidote to all the bad news in the media, pay a visit to the Fianna Fáil website. It will put your mind at ease to know that we have a caring, hard-working, government which delivers high quality services in a timely and efficient manner.

I want to correct some errors in JustineMcCarthy's article on me and the Reform Movement (Village, 11-17 January). Had Justine phoned me, I would have told her I am neither the chairman nor a spokesman for Reform. I wrote a letter to the Guardian newspaper in a private capacity. But my views are more than grounded in reality. Sinn Féin took over the Gaelic League in 1915 to de-anglicise the Irish.

What is progress? What are the criterion by which we measure the advancement of our country, the yardstick by which we measure improvement on all that has gone before? The materialistic character which is considered progress within the new Ireland has been much maligned in recent years but I think it incorrect to suggest this. Ireland as a nation has improved in real terms, not just economically and the citizens of the state are rightly entitled to reap the rewards of this progress.

Feeling a little left out? Why not join the consensus and come over to our side. Simply read this easy-to-follow advice.

I would like to take issue with two of your contributions in your edition of 18-24 January. One was Maggie Kennealy's television column and the other was Teresa Graham's letter to the editor. The point of most of Maggie Keneally's article was lost for me – describing an ad in detail and reaching the conclusion that some of the fellows on the rugby match panel were variously 'ugly' and 'quite handsome'. In fairness, she acknowledged having got lost herself. When she got to criticising the two female politicians on Questions and Answers, however, she was the soul of clarity.