Archaeologists 'used to destroy heritage', conference told

ARCHAEOLOGISTS working on excavations for the controversial M3 motorway feared they would be “sacked, blacklisted or bullied out of their profession” for not supporting the building of the chosen route, it was claimed yesterday.

Speaking at a debate on the motorway near Tara at the sixth World Archaeological Congress at UCD, Maggie Ronayne, a lecturer in the department of archaeology at NUI, Galway, said pressure was put on site directors and field teams by archaeologists employed by the National Roads Authority (NRA).

“Lip service was paid to archaeology, but archaeologists were used to destroy our heritage,” said Ms Ronayne.

“From the point of view of archaeology, the route chosen by the NRA was the least desirable, and other routes were not properly considered because they were not profitable for developers.”

Ms Ronayne, who recently claimed that reports submitted to the NRA had been altered, said the building of the motorway posed serious ethical questions for archaeologists worldwide. She would be asking congress to pass a resolution calling for the rerouting of the M3.

She said the Minister for the Environment’s decision to support the nomination of the Hill of Tara as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) world heritage site, given the construction of the motorway, could have serious implications for other world sites.

A number of organisations, including the NRA, the campaign group TaraWatch, and the Department of the Environment’s chief archaeologist, Brian Duffy, spoke at the debate.

While many speakers expressed their opposition to the motorway, it was acknowledged that there had been benefits associated with it.

These included the discovery of a number of archaeological finds such as the Lismullin monument.

According to Mary Deevy, a senior archaeologist with the NRA, some €30 million had been spent on archaeology research related to the Hill of Tara since work began on the motorway.

Mr Duffy said it was impossible to consider building a major road anywhere in the country without it having an impact.

Laura Grealish of TaraWatch called on the congress to pass a resolution demanding a stop to work on the M3 in its present route.

“It wouldn’t be legally binding but it would send out a powerful message. I think it would make Ireland the embarrassment of the global archaeological community.”

The Irish Times

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