Tara protester held after bid to halt builders' work on prehistoric site

A PROTESTER was arrested near the national monument on the route of the M3 yesterday as a campaign to halt construction of the controversial motorway stepped up a gear.

A man was arrested at Collierstown but later released after caution after he and a group of campaigners attempted to stop construction crews from entering the site.

Eurolink, the company building the M3, asked protesters not to interfere with building workers or equipment due to health and safety concerns.

"Our contractors are working to a very tight schedule and it is essential that they be allowed to carry out the work for which we have legal permission, without interruption from protesters who are not protesting lawfully," Enda Tyrrell from Eurolink said.

"We are very concerned that protesters are endangering themselves and our workers by trespassing on our site. Illegal protests cannot be allowed to continue, in the interest of all involved."

The TaraWatch campaign called on Environment Minister John Gormley to place a preservation order on the entire Tara/Skryne Valley because the area was under threat of immediate destruction.

Advice

Spokesman Vincent Salafia said legal advice suggested the entire Tara complex was a national monument and there was "nothing" in the National Monuments Act which would prevent Mr Gormley from placing a preservation order on the valley.

"We are asking Minister Gormley to do the same thing that Minister Roche did to 16 Moore Street - declare the entire site a national monument."

Mr Gormley's tenure as minister got off to a shaky start after it emerged that his predecessor, Dick Roche, had ordered that the M3 be built over the national monument found last month.

Yesterday, Mr Gormley said he was powerless to change the order, but the Labour Party claimed it was within his power to do so under the Interpretation Act 2005.

"The minister has the power to make an order under the act but he also has the power to revoke it," environment spokesman Eamon Gilmore said.

"We're asking him to seek legal advice from the attorney general. What needs to happen is the new minister needs to get on top of this. This is no ordinary site, it's a huge issue involving the country's heritage. This is a big one, and he has to act quickly."

The Campaign to Save Tara plans to "lock down" the Lismullin site over the coming weeks, and has vowed not to allow construction workers or archaeologists near the monument.

Paul Melia
Irish Independent