ONE OF the most respected educational and research institutes in the United States has listed the Hill of Tara among the 15 must-see endangered cultural treasures in the world.
The Tara complex in Co Meath, the ancient seat of the High Kings of Ireland, has been the subject of controversy because of the nearby construction of the M3 motorway.
The March edition of the magazine published by Washington’s Smithsonian Institution says “the clang of construction equipment can be heard at the Co Meath site nowadays. The Smithsonian features 14 other “precious historic and artistic sites” around the world which, it says, “can be visited today, but might be gone tomorrow”.
“Each testifies to our urge to build and create; each reminds us of how much we stand to lose,” says the Smithsonian.
Other sites listed include the reputed birthplace of Jesus Christ, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem; Chan Chan in Peru, the largest city in the Americas about 600 years ago; and the crumbling Route 66 across the US.
Campaigners say the M3 will cut through one of Ireland’s most important historical sites, but the National Roads Authority says the new motorway will be farther away from the hill than the existing route. The motorway is scheduled to be finished in the middle of next year.
Last month the Hill of Tara was listed among a number of locations which have been nominated for inclusion on a list of possible Unesco world heritage sites.
Vincent Salafia of TaraWatch, who is quoted in the Smithsonian article, said it “should send a clear message to both the Irish Government, and Unesco, that they cannot proceed with inscribing the Hill of Tara as a world heritage site, unless the M3 is rerouted.”
The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum complex and research organisation.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Showing posts with label Save Tara Skryne Valley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Save Tara Skryne Valley. Show all posts
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Campaigners urges M3 workers to strike
CAMPAIGNERS seeking to have a controversial motorway rerouted have called on construction workers involved in the project to go on strike. Tarawatch urged builders working on the M3 motorway project to take industrial action over the 10% pay cut proposed by the Construction Industry Federation (CIF). They said it was the flagship project for the CIF and that the move could also help focus attention on the ongoing conservation campaign.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Monday, 13 October 2008
TaraWatch asks auditor general to probe €16bn NRA overspend
ACTIVISTS will accuse the State’s roads building body today of a staggering €16 billion overspend — more than the spiralling national debt.
TaraWatch, the group fighting the building of the M3 motorway at the Hill of Tara, will also call for a halt on future road projects.
It said it will lodge its complaint against the National Roads Authority (NRA) with the State’s spending watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), accusing it of rampant overspending since 2000.
“The C&AG has primary responsibility for ensuring value for money in public spending,” TaraWatch spokesman Vincent Salafia said.
“It should not allow one penny to be spent until there has been cost-benefit analysis and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) on every single road plan.
“It is illegal and disgraceful for the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) to now negotiate more cost-plus, rather than fixed-price contracts, and a continuation of business as usual.
“The NRA didn’t even have an accountant in their office until 2004. They have gotten away with murder, as have the construction companies that hauled off truckloads of taxpayers’ money.”
He said TaraWatch wants the C&AG to freeze all public spending on NRA projects under the National Development Plan, until a cost-benefit analysis has been carried out.
The C&AG has expressed concerns about the spending controls on roads projects.
In 2002 the NRA was summoned before the Public Accounts Committee to explain a massive €6.6bn overrun. By 2004, the overrun had gone up to €10bn.
TaraWatch said an engineers report it commissioned, and submitted to the Department of Finance on Friday, shows how the M3 motorway will cost the taxpayer an extra €1.8bn, and will be responsible for €320 million in emissions penalties.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
TaraWatch, the group fighting the building of the M3 motorway at the Hill of Tara, will also call for a halt on future road projects.
It said it will lodge its complaint against the National Roads Authority (NRA) with the State’s spending watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), accusing it of rampant overspending since 2000.
“The C&AG has primary responsibility for ensuring value for money in public spending,” TaraWatch spokesman Vincent Salafia said.
“It should not allow one penny to be spent until there has been cost-benefit analysis and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) on every single road plan.
“It is illegal and disgraceful for the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) to now negotiate more cost-plus, rather than fixed-price contracts, and a continuation of business as usual.
“The NRA didn’t even have an accountant in their office until 2004. They have gotten away with murder, as have the construction companies that hauled off truckloads of taxpayers’ money.”
He said TaraWatch wants the C&AG to freeze all public spending on NRA projects under the National Development Plan, until a cost-benefit analysis has been carried out.
The C&AG has expressed concerns about the spending controls on roads projects.
In 2002 the NRA was summoned before the Public Accounts Committee to explain a massive €6.6bn overrun. By 2004, the overrun had gone up to €10bn.
TaraWatch said an engineers report it commissioned, and submitted to the Department of Finance on Friday, shows how the M3 motorway will cost the taxpayer an extra €1.8bn, and will be responsible for €320 million in emissions penalties.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Thursday, 10 April 2008
'Squeak' set to resume her Tara tunnel protest
A woman who spent three days in an underground tunnel in a failed bid to halt construction of a motorway has vowed to resume her subterranean protest.
Bicycle courier Lisa Feeney, also known as 'Squeak', was persuaded to leave the tunnel after coming to an agreement with the National Roads Authority (NRA).
However with construction work resumed on the M3 at Rath Lugh in Co Meath, the 26-year-old has threatened to take up her protest once more.
"There's a new plan and although I can't talk about it yet, I know it will definitely bring the spotlight back to Tara. Let's say the badgers have been at work which means more tunnels," she said.
Protesters are demanding that the path of the motorway be re-routed away from an esker at the historic fort at Rath Lugh, sited two miles from the Hill of Tara.
Last month Ms Feeney spent 60-hours holed up at the bottom of a tunnel dug.
Breda Heffernan
Irish Independent
Bicycle courier Lisa Feeney, also known as 'Squeak', was persuaded to leave the tunnel after coming to an agreement with the National Roads Authority (NRA).
However with construction work resumed on the M3 at Rath Lugh in Co Meath, the 26-year-old has threatened to take up her protest once more.
"There's a new plan and although I can't talk about it yet, I know it will definitely bring the spotlight back to Tara. Let's say the badgers have been at work which means more tunnels," she said.
Protesters are demanding that the path of the motorway be re-routed away from an esker at the historic fort at Rath Lugh, sited two miles from the Hill of Tara.
Last month Ms Feeney spent 60-hours holed up at the bottom of a tunnel dug.
Breda Heffernan
Irish Independent
Sunday, 23 March 2008
"I was tricked," says tunnel girl Squeak
ECO-WARRIOR Lisa Feeney has no intention of going back down the hole she lived in for several days while protesting against the M3 motorway.
However, the 26-year-old from Kerry said she will continue to fight against the construction of the motorway, which passes close to an ancient fort in Rath Lugh near the Hill of Tara in Co Meath.
Speaking to The Star yesterday the chirpy Psychology graduate said she is "furious" at the National Roads Authority for "breaking the deal" that resulted in her finally coming out of the 33ft deep tunnel. "I was tricked," she claimed yesterday.
But 'Squeak', as she is known to friends, said she will find time to leave the protest camp to play saxophone with her funk band Kellie Marie and the Unmentionables tomorrow night.
"I can't wait. They've missed me since I started protesting down here, so it will be really good," she said.
Deal
She had stayed in the chamber underground for several days threatening to pull a jack that would see the tunnel collapse on top of her if builders continued to work at the site or if anyone tried to force her out.
The NRA and gardai tried to persuade her to come out for her own safety - but it wasn't until her father and uncle took part in this plea that things changed.
So after an agreement was made that no work would take place there for 30 days and that protesters would not interfere with fences being erected, Lisa emerged from her hole.
Work
"They told my family that I was going to die," she said.
Lisa had gone back to her hometown in Kerry with her family but returned on Wednesday this week when she learned that building work had continued at the site.
"I was tricked," she claimed yesterday.
Now Lisa, her ex-boyfriend Paddy and the other protesters at the camp at Tara are trying to gain access to the building site where they hope to create a human shield against the diggers.
The NRA said that there are security guards and 50 gardai at the site on a 24 hour basis trying to keep the protesters at bay.
They say they are building obvious markings of where the road will be in a bid to alleviate protesters' concerns over its proximity to the national monument.
The NRA also confirmed that work had advanced on the M3 but only after their agreement with the protesters had been broken after work on fencing and at a haul road past the monument had been interfered with.
An NRA spokesman said they tried to deal with the protesters, but found they "did not keep to their word" and were "irrational".
Lisa says protesters are now pinning their hopes on a Supreme Court appeal next month against the High Courts refusal to grant an injunction stopping works at the site.
Lisa said her parents sympathise with her cause after visiting the Tara site but are worried for her safety.
"Like all parents they worry, but they understand," she said.
Lisa "misses" her life back in Dublin where she's been living for over seven years since she began studying psychology at Trinity College.
It was while working as a bicycle courier that she earned the nickname 'Squeals'.
Other bikers christened her so because of the way she sounds on their radios.
Lisa said she looks forward to pursuing a career as a music therapist following a post graduate course.
Kevin Jenkinson
The Star
www.buckplaning.ie
However, the 26-year-old from Kerry said she will continue to fight against the construction of the motorway, which passes close to an ancient fort in Rath Lugh near the Hill of Tara in Co Meath.
Speaking to The Star yesterday the chirpy Psychology graduate said she is "furious" at the National Roads Authority for "breaking the deal" that resulted in her finally coming out of the 33ft deep tunnel. "I was tricked," she claimed yesterday.
But 'Squeak', as she is known to friends, said she will find time to leave the protest camp to play saxophone with her funk band Kellie Marie and the Unmentionables tomorrow night.
"I can't wait. They've missed me since I started protesting down here, so it will be really good," she said.
Deal
She had stayed in the chamber underground for several days threatening to pull a jack that would see the tunnel collapse on top of her if builders continued to work at the site or if anyone tried to force her out.
The NRA and gardai tried to persuade her to come out for her own safety - but it wasn't until her father and uncle took part in this plea that things changed.
So after an agreement was made that no work would take place there for 30 days and that protesters would not interfere with fences being erected, Lisa emerged from her hole.
Work
"They told my family that I was going to die," she said.
Lisa had gone back to her hometown in Kerry with her family but returned on Wednesday this week when she learned that building work had continued at the site.
"I was tricked," she claimed yesterday.
Now Lisa, her ex-boyfriend Paddy and the other protesters at the camp at Tara are trying to gain access to the building site where they hope to create a human shield against the diggers.
The NRA said that there are security guards and 50 gardai at the site on a 24 hour basis trying to keep the protesters at bay.
They say they are building obvious markings of where the road will be in a bid to alleviate protesters' concerns over its proximity to the national monument.
The NRA also confirmed that work had advanced on the M3 but only after their agreement with the protesters had been broken after work on fencing and at a haul road past the monument had been interfered with.
An NRA spokesman said they tried to deal with the protesters, but found they "did not keep to their word" and were "irrational".
Lisa says protesters are now pinning their hopes on a Supreme Court appeal next month against the High Courts refusal to grant an injunction stopping works at the site.
Lisa said her parents sympathise with her cause after visiting the Tara site but are worried for her safety.
"Like all parents they worry, but they understand," she said.
Lisa "misses" her life back in Dublin where she's been living for over seven years since she began studying psychology at Trinity College.
It was while working as a bicycle courier that she earned the nickname 'Squeals'.
Other bikers christened her so because of the way she sounds on their radios.
Lisa said she looks forward to pursuing a career as a music therapist following a post graduate course.
Kevin Jenkinson
The Star
www.buckplaning.ie
Tara protester is a hero
Sir -- I disagree with descriptions of Lisa Feeney's tunnel protest as "extremist" and "irresponsible". In my view, it is the politically ordained desecration of an area dotted with precious ancient ruins and historic sites that those words more aptly describe.
Lisa's brave stand against the bulldozing of part of Ireland's treasured and irreplaceable heritage reminds me of another woman whose protest was condemned by all the "proper authorities" and who endured the full force of the law for her efforts: Rosa Parks.
She sat in the "whites only" section of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, and refused to stand when supremacist bullies demanded she did. This gesture sparked a national civil rights campaign for Afro-Americans in the USA.
But success came only after Rosa was taken from that bus by police for her gentle act of defiance, arrested, finger printed, questioned like a suspect in a major crime probe and accused of breaching Montgomery's transportation laws. It was her courage that roused the conscience of a nation. Rosa Parks took a stand against injustice by sitting down.
Lisa Feeney seized the high moral ground on the Tara question . . . by squatting in a small underground chamber.
She has clearly embarrassed the Big Boys. They had hoped to be able to quietly get on with the business of ripping out the very heart of Ireland.
John Fitzgerald,
Kilkenny
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Lisa's brave stand against the bulldozing of part of Ireland's treasured and irreplaceable heritage reminds me of another woman whose protest was condemned by all the "proper authorities" and who endured the full force of the law for her efforts: Rosa Parks.
She sat in the "whites only" section of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, and refused to stand when supremacist bullies demanded she did. This gesture sparked a national civil rights campaign for Afro-Americans in the USA.
But success came only after Rosa was taken from that bus by police for her gentle act of defiance, arrested, finger printed, questioned like a suspect in a major crime probe and accused of breaching Montgomery's transportation laws. It was her courage that roused the conscience of a nation. Rosa Parks took a stand against injustice by sitting down.
Lisa Feeney seized the high moral ground on the Tara question . . . by squatting in a small underground chamber.
She has clearly embarrassed the Big Boys. They had hoped to be able to quietly get on with the business of ripping out the very heart of Ireland.
John Fitzgerald,
Kilkenny
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Friday, 21 March 2008
10-point plan:what was agreed
According to the NRA, it agreed the following with protester Lisa Feeney last Saturday.
• Crib walling to be constructed using preserved timber.
• Works to be supervised by an archaeologist and engineer.
• Landscaping: all exposed areas on Esker to be planted with semi-mature trees.
• Crib wall to be planted with semi-mature vegetation.
• Road alignment to be gauged to move as far south as possible.
• Spoil heap south east of Rath Lugh to be removed or planted with suitable vegetation.
• No additional lands to be purchased in the vicinity of Rath Lugh for road construction.
• A reduction in land available to contractor by up to 7m and a further reduction subject to realignment review.
• Low-noise surfacing to be used between Roestown and Ardsallagh (Skryne-Tara Valley).
• No work to take place on a marked-out space between Baronstown side of the site and Lismullin until April 17th.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
• Crib walling to be constructed using preserved timber.
• Works to be supervised by an archaeologist and engineer.
• Landscaping: all exposed areas on Esker to be planted with semi-mature trees.
• Crib wall to be planted with semi-mature vegetation.
• Road alignment to be gauged to move as far south as possible.
• Spoil heap south east of Rath Lugh to be removed or planted with suitable vegetation.
• No additional lands to be purchased in the vicinity of Rath Lugh for road construction.
• A reduction in land available to contractor by up to 7m and a further reduction subject to realignment review.
• Low-noise surfacing to be used between Roestown and Ardsallagh (Skryne-Tara Valley).
• No work to take place on a marked-out space between Baronstown side of the site and Lismullin until April 17th.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
NRA restarts work claiming M3 protesters broke truce
THE NATIONAL Roads Authority (NRA) has withdrawn its commitment to refrain from work on the M3 near Rath Lugh in Co Meath, after what it said was continual "violent protests", and damage to fencing and equipment.
Instead the NRA yesterday instructed contractor Eurolink to bring forward work on a "box cut" - an outline for a future road - within the construction zone at Rath Lugh.
The authority said the outline would demonstrate that the M3 would not encroach on the national monument or the protection zone around it.
Protesters reacted with dismay at the move, saying they had been trying to stop work on the Rath Lugh "esker" - a glacial ridge - since last September, on the grounds that it is an integral part of the 2,000-year-old fort.
Gardaí moved on to the site yesterday to allow workers to build a two-metre tall spiked steel fence to separate the construction site from a protest encampment.
At the same time, gardaí searched tents in the protest encampment.
By early afternoon excavators and trucks had removed the portion of the hillside that had stood in the motorway's path. The esker was the last obstacle in the path of the motorway through the Gabhra Valley, which runs close to the Hill of Tara.
Three protesters were arrested at the site yesterday, said Insp Pat Gannon from Navan Garda station. He said gardaí had searched the protesters' tents to look for weapons. None were found.
In a separate move yesterday, Minister for the Environment John Gormley visited the national monument and inspected maps and plans for the new road before declaring himself satisfied that the NRA proposals, if implemented as proposed, would result in the protection of the monument.
A spokesman for the NRA acknowledged that it had made a commitment on Saturday last to protester Lisa Feeney to have a one-month moratorium on construction work near Rath Lugh in order to persuade Ms Feeney to leave the tunnel she had occupied for more than 60 hours.
However, the authority said it understood that in return the protesters would not interfere with a "haulage road" and fence being constructed to allow the contractor to move plant and equipment past Rath Lugh.
The NRA said matters worsened last Tuesday when the contractor "sought to erect fencing on the project boundary line, which is outside the area covered by the national monument preservation order.
"In addition the contractor sought to commence the construction of the haul road that had been clarified with the tunnel protester on Saturday evening. In both areas violent protests ensued and the contractor ceased work due to safety concerns for his operatives and the protesters".
The NRA also said contractor's equipment had been daubed with excrement and urine, something which was later confirmed by the Garda press office, which added that such daubing had been going on for the last week.
However, Ms Feeney said yesterday she had no knowledge of violent demonstrations and said her fellow protesters were engaged in a peaceful protest. She said she had heard nothing about vehicles being interfered with in any way.
Ms Feeney also maintained that the creation of a fence was never agreed with the NRA. The only contact protesters had with the fence that she had been aware of was in relation to people crawling under it, she said.
Ms Feeney said she could not see why the NRA had reneged on its commitment to a moratorium on construction work "as I have kept my side of the bargain, I came out of the tunnel".
Dr Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin of the Save Tara Campaign also said she have not heard anything about such incidents, adding that she sincerely hoped they had not happened.
Paddy O'Kearney, a spokesman for the Rath Lugh Direct Action group, said it was very upset that its efforts had failed.
"There isn't anything we can do," he said, gesturing towards dozens of gardaí lining the newly-built fence.
Of the claims that protesters threw excrement, or damaged construction fencing, he said: "It's absolutely not true".
A few protesters tried to run on to the construction site yesterday afternoon but were held back by workers and gardaí.
Others stood in a circle as a robed "druid" conducted a memorial service for the esker.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Instead the NRA yesterday instructed contractor Eurolink to bring forward work on a "box cut" - an outline for a future road - within the construction zone at Rath Lugh.
The authority said the outline would demonstrate that the M3 would not encroach on the national monument or the protection zone around it.
Protesters reacted with dismay at the move, saying they had been trying to stop work on the Rath Lugh "esker" - a glacial ridge - since last September, on the grounds that it is an integral part of the 2,000-year-old fort.
Gardaí moved on to the site yesterday to allow workers to build a two-metre tall spiked steel fence to separate the construction site from a protest encampment.
At the same time, gardaí searched tents in the protest encampment.
By early afternoon excavators and trucks had removed the portion of the hillside that had stood in the motorway's path. The esker was the last obstacle in the path of the motorway through the Gabhra Valley, which runs close to the Hill of Tara.
Three protesters were arrested at the site yesterday, said Insp Pat Gannon from Navan Garda station. He said gardaí had searched the protesters' tents to look for weapons. None were found.
In a separate move yesterday, Minister for the Environment John Gormley visited the national monument and inspected maps and plans for the new road before declaring himself satisfied that the NRA proposals, if implemented as proposed, would result in the protection of the monument.
A spokesman for the NRA acknowledged that it had made a commitment on Saturday last to protester Lisa Feeney to have a one-month moratorium on construction work near Rath Lugh in order to persuade Ms Feeney to leave the tunnel she had occupied for more than 60 hours.
However, the authority said it understood that in return the protesters would not interfere with a "haulage road" and fence being constructed to allow the contractor to move plant and equipment past Rath Lugh.
The NRA said matters worsened last Tuesday when the contractor "sought to erect fencing on the project boundary line, which is outside the area covered by the national monument preservation order.
"In addition the contractor sought to commence the construction of the haul road that had been clarified with the tunnel protester on Saturday evening. In both areas violent protests ensued and the contractor ceased work due to safety concerns for his operatives and the protesters".
The NRA also said contractor's equipment had been daubed with excrement and urine, something which was later confirmed by the Garda press office, which added that such daubing had been going on for the last week.
However, Ms Feeney said yesterday she had no knowledge of violent demonstrations and said her fellow protesters were engaged in a peaceful protest. She said she had heard nothing about vehicles being interfered with in any way.
Ms Feeney also maintained that the creation of a fence was never agreed with the NRA. The only contact protesters had with the fence that she had been aware of was in relation to people crawling under it, she said.
Ms Feeney said she could not see why the NRA had reneged on its commitment to a moratorium on construction work "as I have kept my side of the bargain, I came out of the tunnel".
Dr Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin of the Save Tara Campaign also said she have not heard anything about such incidents, adding that she sincerely hoped they had not happened.
Paddy O'Kearney, a spokesman for the Rath Lugh Direct Action group, said it was very upset that its efforts had failed.
"There isn't anything we can do," he said, gesturing towards dozens of gardaí lining the newly-built fence.
Of the claims that protesters threw excrement, or damaged construction fencing, he said: "It's absolutely not true".
A few protesters tried to run on to the construction site yesterday afternoon but were held back by workers and gardaí.
Others stood in a circle as a robed "druid" conducted a memorial service for the esker.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
NRA restarts work claiming M3 protesters broke truce
THE NATIONAL Roads Authority (NRA) has withdrawn its commitment to refrain from work on the M3 near Rath Lugh in Co Meath, after what it said was continual "violent protests", and damage to fencing and equipment.
Instead the NRA yesterday instructed contractor Eurolink to bring forward work on a "box cut" - an outline for a future road - within the construction zone at Rath Lugh.
The authority said the outline would demonstrate that the M3 would not encroach on the national monument or the protection zone around it.
Protesters reacted with dismay at the move, saying they had been trying to stop work on the Rath Lugh "esker" - a glacial ridge - since last September, on the grounds that it is an integral part of the 2,000-year-old fort.
Gardaí moved on to the site yesterday to allow workers to build a two-metre tall spiked steel fence to separate the construction site from a protest encampment.
At the same time, gardaí searched tents in the protest encampment.
By early afternoon excavators and trucks had removed the portion of the hillside that had stood in the motorway's path. The esker was the last obstacle in the path of the motorway through the Gabhra Valley, which runs close to the Hill of Tara.
Three protesters were arrested at the site yesterday, said Insp Pat Gannon from Navan Garda station. He said gardaí had searched the protesters' tents to look for weapons. None were found.
In a separate move yesterday, Minister for the Environment John Gormley visited the national monument and inspected maps and plans for the new road before declaring himself satisfied that the NRA proposals, if implemented as proposed, would result in the protection of the monument.
A spokesman for the NRA acknowledged that it had made a commitment on Saturday last to protester Lisa Feeney to have a one-month moratorium on construction work near Rath Lugh in order to persuade Ms Feeney to leave the tunnel she had occupied for more than 60 hours.
However, the authority said it understood that in return the protesters would not interfere with a "haulage road" and fence being constructed to allow the contractor to move plant and equipment past Rath Lugh.
The NRA said matters worsened last Tuesday when the contractor "sought to erect fencing on the project boundary line, which is outside the area covered by the national monument preservation order.
"In addition the contractor sought to commence the construction of the haul road that had been clarified with the tunnel protester on Saturday evening. In both areas violent protests ensued and the contractor ceased work due to safety concerns for his operatives and the protesters".
The NRA also said contractor's equipment had been daubed with excrement and urine, something which was later confirmed by the Garda press office, which added that such daubing had been going on for the last week.
However, Ms Feeney said yesterday she had no knowledge of violent demonstrations and said her fellow protesters were engaged in a peaceful protest. She said she had heard nothing about vehicles being interfered with in any way.
Ms Feeney also maintained that the creation of a fence was never agreed with the NRA. The only contact protesters had with the fence that she had been aware of was in relation to people crawling under it, she said.
Ms Feeney said she could not see why the NRA had reneged on its commitment to a moratorium on construction work "as I have kept my side of the bargain, I came out of the tunnel".
Dr Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin of the Save Tara Campaign also said she have not heard anything about such incidents, adding that she sincerely hoped they had not happened.
Paddy O'Kearney, a spokesman for the Rath Lugh Direct Action group, said it was very upset that its efforts had failed.
"There isn't anything we can do," he said, gesturing towards dozens of gardaí lining the newly-built fence.
Of the claims that protesters threw excrement, or damaged construction fencing, he said: "It's absolutely not true".
A few protesters tried to run on to the construction site yesterday afternoon but were held back by workers and gardaí.
Others stood in a circle as a robed "druid" conducted a memorial service for the esker.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Instead the NRA yesterday instructed contractor Eurolink to bring forward work on a "box cut" - an outline for a future road - within the construction zone at Rath Lugh.
The authority said the outline would demonstrate that the M3 would not encroach on the national monument or the protection zone around it.
Protesters reacted with dismay at the move, saying they had been trying to stop work on the Rath Lugh "esker" - a glacial ridge - since last September, on the grounds that it is an integral part of the 2,000-year-old fort.
Gardaí moved on to the site yesterday to allow workers to build a two-metre tall spiked steel fence to separate the construction site from a protest encampment.
At the same time, gardaí searched tents in the protest encampment.
By early afternoon excavators and trucks had removed the portion of the hillside that had stood in the motorway's path. The esker was the last obstacle in the path of the motorway through the Gabhra Valley, which runs close to the Hill of Tara.
Three protesters were arrested at the site yesterday, said Insp Pat Gannon from Navan Garda station. He said gardaí had searched the protesters' tents to look for weapons. None were found.
In a separate move yesterday, Minister for the Environment John Gormley visited the national monument and inspected maps and plans for the new road before declaring himself satisfied that the NRA proposals, if implemented as proposed, would result in the protection of the monument.
A spokesman for the NRA acknowledged that it had made a commitment on Saturday last to protester Lisa Feeney to have a one-month moratorium on construction work near Rath Lugh in order to persuade Ms Feeney to leave the tunnel she had occupied for more than 60 hours.
However, the authority said it understood that in return the protesters would not interfere with a "haulage road" and fence being constructed to allow the contractor to move plant and equipment past Rath Lugh.
The NRA said matters worsened last Tuesday when the contractor "sought to erect fencing on the project boundary line, which is outside the area covered by the national monument preservation order.
"In addition the contractor sought to commence the construction of the haul road that had been clarified with the tunnel protester on Saturday evening. In both areas violent protests ensued and the contractor ceased work due to safety concerns for his operatives and the protesters".
The NRA also said contractor's equipment had been daubed with excrement and urine, something which was later confirmed by the Garda press office, which added that such daubing had been going on for the last week.
However, Ms Feeney said yesterday she had no knowledge of violent demonstrations and said her fellow protesters were engaged in a peaceful protest. She said she had heard nothing about vehicles being interfered with in any way.
Ms Feeney also maintained that the creation of a fence was never agreed with the NRA. The only contact protesters had with the fence that she had been aware of was in relation to people crawling under it, she said.
Ms Feeney said she could not see why the NRA had reneged on its commitment to a moratorium on construction work "as I have kept my side of the bargain, I came out of the tunnel".
Dr Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin of the Save Tara Campaign also said she have not heard anything about such incidents, adding that she sincerely hoped they had not happened.
Paddy O'Kearney, a spokesman for the Rath Lugh Direct Action group, said it was very upset that its efforts had failed.
"There isn't anything we can do," he said, gesturing towards dozens of gardaí lining the newly-built fence.
Of the claims that protesters threw excrement, or damaged construction fencing, he said: "It's absolutely not true".
A few protesters tried to run on to the construction site yesterday afternoon but were held back by workers and gardaí.
Others stood in a circle as a robed "druid" conducted a memorial service for the esker.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Tuesday, 11 March 2008
€30m bill for Tara digs as M3 battle heats up
Almost €30m has been spent so far on archaeology for the controversial M3 motorway near Tara where protesters have tunnelled in to hold up work.
This is one-tenth of the entire €300m earmarked for archaeology costs on the entire national motorway programme, the Irish Independent has learned.
The war of words continued yesterday between protesters, who have occupied tunnels they secretly made beside the Rath Lugh protected monument, and the National Roads Authority.
The Save Tara campaign group said yesterday that a young woman has vowed to seal herself into one of the tunnels to protect the hill, which is studded with ancient earthworks.
The hill is sitting on top of an esker, a collection of soil, sand and gravel. The group opposed to the motorway running near the Hill of Tara claimed that because of the fragile nature of the soil in Rath Lugh, any movement of heavy machinery in the vicinity of the Rath would collapse the tunnel, "with possible fatal consequences".
"Any eviction attempt . . is likely to end in failure, with possible catastrophic consequences.
"There are specialist tunnel rescue crews that need to be consulted before any attempt is made to end this protest," said the group.
The NRA says the new road, now costing more than €1bn, will be further away than the totally gridlocked old road and insisted it would not damage the Rath Lugh monument.
The authority has said the new motorway will be far safer than the existing road, which is 50pc more dangerous on average that other main roads.
An NRA statement yesterday said there was a preservation order on the monument at Rath Lugh and "at no point are we encroaching on the monument".
It said the contractor was putting in place a crib wall within the footprint of his work area to guarantee there will be no encroachment.
The NRA claimed that protesters were taking apart protective fencing and were digging on the site itself "causing impact on the area".
The authority said the motorway would be further away from the Hill of Tara than the existing N3 road.
The M3 motorway via Meath and Cavan has been delayed for years.
A spokesman for Environment Minister John Gormley said that an independent engineering report he commissioned after concerns were raised about possible damage to Rath Lugh had recommended a series of extra measures to protect the area.
These recommendations had been passed on to the NRA, said the spokesman for Mr Gormley.
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
This is one-tenth of the entire €300m earmarked for archaeology costs on the entire national motorway programme, the Irish Independent has learned.
The war of words continued yesterday between protesters, who have occupied tunnels they secretly made beside the Rath Lugh protected monument, and the National Roads Authority.
The Save Tara campaign group said yesterday that a young woman has vowed to seal herself into one of the tunnels to protect the hill, which is studded with ancient earthworks.
The hill is sitting on top of an esker, a collection of soil, sand and gravel. The group opposed to the motorway running near the Hill of Tara claimed that because of the fragile nature of the soil in Rath Lugh, any movement of heavy machinery in the vicinity of the Rath would collapse the tunnel, "with possible fatal consequences".
"Any eviction attempt . . is likely to end in failure, with possible catastrophic consequences.
"There are specialist tunnel rescue crews that need to be consulted before any attempt is made to end this protest," said the group.
The NRA says the new road, now costing more than €1bn, will be further away than the totally gridlocked old road and insisted it would not damage the Rath Lugh monument.
The authority has said the new motorway will be far safer than the existing road, which is 50pc more dangerous on average that other main roads.
An NRA statement yesterday said there was a preservation order on the monument at Rath Lugh and "at no point are we encroaching on the monument".
It said the contractor was putting in place a crib wall within the footprint of his work area to guarantee there will be no encroachment.
The NRA claimed that protesters were taking apart protective fencing and were digging on the site itself "causing impact on the area".
The authority said the motorway would be further away from the Hill of Tara than the existing N3 road.
The M3 motorway via Meath and Cavan has been delayed for years.
A spokesman for Environment Minister John Gormley said that an independent engineering report he commissioned after concerns were raised about possible damage to Rath Lugh had recommended a series of extra measures to protect the area.
These recommendations had been passed on to the NRA, said the spokesman for Mr Gormley.
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
M3 motorway protesters claim to have entered tunnel under road
CAMPAIGNERS AGAINST the M3 motorway claim they have stepped up their campaign by occupying a tunnel they say they have secretly dug under the proposed route that passes through the Tara Valley in Co Meath.
A group calling itself the Rath Lugh Direct Action Camp last night said protesters are already occupying the tunnel and were capable of sealing themselves in. They said that construction traffic passing over the tunnel would leave it vulnerable to collapse.
Derek Berrill, a spokesman for the group which is affiliated to the Save Tara campaign, said the passageway was located in front of the Rath Luth promontory fort in the Gabhra Valley.
"It has been occupied since March 6th. We have moved in because we are never too sure when they plan the next move against us," said Mr Berrill.
He said that work had commenced on the tunnel in secret in August 2007. He would not specify its exact size. "I can say the tunnel is big, although I am not in a position to give the diameter," said Mr Berrill.
"It goes directly down and then goes halfway under the route itself, crossing about halfway across [the width of the proposed] motorway."
The protesters say they intend to occupy the tunnel indefinitely to prevent construction traffic from passing overhead.
They say they also want to draw attention to what they say is continued erosion of the landscape from construction traffic.
Mr Berrill said they were "absolutely certain" that the tunnel itself would not cause damage.
Michael Egan of the National Roads Authority said there was no independent verification as yet that any tunnel had been built.
Entering a caveat that protesters have claimed actions in the past that did not materialise, Mr Egan said that if a tunnel had been dug then the contractor, and if necessary the Garda Síochána, would have to deal with the situation.
"They have no right to be on that property. They are trespassing above and below the ground," he said.
The Department of Environment said it had no reason to believe that any activity close to Rath Lugh was endangering or damaging the monument.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley's spokesman said that issues surrounding the construction of the road were matters for the Department of Transport and the authority.
The spokesman said that Mr Gormley yesterday signed a permanent protection order for the Rath Lugh promontory fort - until now it has been protected by a temporary order. This order, he said, was a coincidence unrelated to yesterday's development.
He added that the department was unaware as to the existence of a tunnel.
HARRY McGee
Irish Times
A group calling itself the Rath Lugh Direct Action Camp last night said protesters are already occupying the tunnel and were capable of sealing themselves in. They said that construction traffic passing over the tunnel would leave it vulnerable to collapse.
Derek Berrill, a spokesman for the group which is affiliated to the Save Tara campaign, said the passageway was located in front of the Rath Luth promontory fort in the Gabhra Valley.
"It has been occupied since March 6th. We have moved in because we are never too sure when they plan the next move against us," said Mr Berrill.
He said that work had commenced on the tunnel in secret in August 2007. He would not specify its exact size. "I can say the tunnel is big, although I am not in a position to give the diameter," said Mr Berrill.
"It goes directly down and then goes halfway under the route itself, crossing about halfway across [the width of the proposed] motorway."
The protesters say they intend to occupy the tunnel indefinitely to prevent construction traffic from passing overhead.
They say they also want to draw attention to what they say is continued erosion of the landscape from construction traffic.
Mr Berrill said they were "absolutely certain" that the tunnel itself would not cause damage.
Michael Egan of the National Roads Authority said there was no independent verification as yet that any tunnel had been built.
Entering a caveat that protesters have claimed actions in the past that did not materialise, Mr Egan said that if a tunnel had been dug then the contractor, and if necessary the Garda Síochána, would have to deal with the situation.
"They have no right to be on that property. They are trespassing above and below the ground," he said.
The Department of Environment said it had no reason to believe that any activity close to Rath Lugh was endangering or damaging the monument.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley's spokesman said that issues surrounding the construction of the road were matters for the Department of Transport and the authority.
The spokesman said that Mr Gormley yesterday signed a permanent protection order for the Rath Lugh promontory fort - until now it has been protected by a temporary order. This order, he said, was a coincidence unrelated to yesterday's development.
He added that the department was unaware as to the existence of a tunnel.
HARRY McGee
Irish Times
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
Heaney vents his poetic outrage at sacrilege of Tara
Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney has joined international experts to vehemently condemn plans by the Irish government to build a motorway through one of Ireland's most historically important areas. In his first broadcast interview on the controversy surrounding the M3 motorway that is already well under construction through the Tara Skreen valley, the Co Londonderry born poet condemned a "ruthless desecration" .
He told a BBC Radio Ulster documentary, Tar on Tara: "I think it literally desecrates an area - I mean the word means to de-sacralise and for centuries the Tara landscape and the Tara sites have been regarded as part of the sacred ground. "I was just thinking actually the Proclamation of the Irish Republic in 1916 summoned people in the name of the dead generations and called the nation, called the people in the name of the dead generations. If ever there was a place that deserved to be preserved in the name of the dead generations from pre-historic times up to historic times up to completely recently, it was Tara."
He went on to point out that under British rule in Ireland, Tara, seat of the ancient High Kings of Ireland, and a place of sacred worship in both pagan and Christian times, appeared to have more protection than in today's Irish Republic. "I was reading around recently and I discovered that WB Yeats and George Moore, two writers at the turn of the century and Arthur Griffith, wrote a letter to the Irish Times sometime at the beginning of the last century because a society called the British Israelites had thought that the Ark of the Covenant was buried in Tara, and they had started to dig on Tara Hill. And they wrote this letter and they talked about the desecration of a consecrated landscape. So I thought to myself if a few holes in the ground made by amateur archaeologists was a desecration, what is happening to that whole countryside being ripped up is certainly a much more ruthless piece of work."
And he added that Tara was unique to him as an Irishman: "Tara means something equivalent to me to what Delphi means to the Greeks or maybe Stonehenge to an English person or Nara in Japan, which is one of the most famous sites in the world. It's a word that conjures an aura - it conjures up what they call in Irish dúchas, a sense of belonging."
Ireland's biggest ever road project stretches 61km and is expected to cost around 800m euros. It is aimed at easing congestion north of Dublin where new housing developments have sprung up for the thousands of people working in the city. The government decided a motorway was needed, with a new route away from the existing N3 road, instead bringing it through an area which is described by archaeologists internationally as the most important in Ireland and of world significance.
The European Commission is considering legal action against the Irish government which granted itself the powers in 2004 to destroy features or areas of archaeological importance classified as national monuments if in the national interest. However, any action will not stop the road, well under construction, and expected to be completed within two years.
Belfast Telegraph
www.buckplanning.ie
He told a BBC Radio Ulster documentary, Tar on Tara: "I think it literally desecrates an area - I mean the word means to de-sacralise and for centuries the Tara landscape and the Tara sites have been regarded as part of the sacred ground. "I was just thinking actually the Proclamation of the Irish Republic in 1916 summoned people in the name of the dead generations and called the nation, called the people in the name of the dead generations. If ever there was a place that deserved to be preserved in the name of the dead generations from pre-historic times up to historic times up to completely recently, it was Tara."
He went on to point out that under British rule in Ireland, Tara, seat of the ancient High Kings of Ireland, and a place of sacred worship in both pagan and Christian times, appeared to have more protection than in today's Irish Republic. "I was reading around recently and I discovered that WB Yeats and George Moore, two writers at the turn of the century and Arthur Griffith, wrote a letter to the Irish Times sometime at the beginning of the last century because a society called the British Israelites had thought that the Ark of the Covenant was buried in Tara, and they had started to dig on Tara Hill. And they wrote this letter and they talked about the desecration of a consecrated landscape. So I thought to myself if a few holes in the ground made by amateur archaeologists was a desecration, what is happening to that whole countryside being ripped up is certainly a much more ruthless piece of work."
And he added that Tara was unique to him as an Irishman: "Tara means something equivalent to me to what Delphi means to the Greeks or maybe Stonehenge to an English person or Nara in Japan, which is one of the most famous sites in the world. It's a word that conjures an aura - it conjures up what they call in Irish dúchas, a sense of belonging."
Ireland's biggest ever road project stretches 61km and is expected to cost around 800m euros. It is aimed at easing congestion north of Dublin where new housing developments have sprung up for the thousands of people working in the city. The government decided a motorway was needed, with a new route away from the existing N3 road, instead bringing it through an area which is described by archaeologists internationally as the most important in Ireland and of world significance.
The European Commission is considering legal action against the Irish government which granted itself the powers in 2004 to destroy features or areas of archaeological importance classified as national monuments if in the national interest. However, any action will not stop the road, well under construction, and expected to be completed within two years.
Belfast Telegraph
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
High Court action seeks to protect site near Tara
A HIGH COURT action was launched yesterday aimed at protecting the Lismullin national monument near Tara.
The action is being taken by Gordon Lucas, who is seeking to enforce EU directives on national monuments. He is seeking an injunction and a declaration that the National Monuments Act 2004 is in breach of EU law.
Lismullin was declared one of the top 10 most important archaeological discoveries in 2007 by Archaeology magazine, published by the Archaeological Institute of America. The Hill of Tara has also been placed on the 2008 list of 100 most endangered sites by the World Monuments Fund.
Last year, archaeologists working on the route of the motorway stumbled on a vast Iron Age ceremonial enclosure, or henge, surrounded by two walls.
The 2,000-year-old site is about 2km from the Hill of Tara. The discovery of the henge, measuring about 260ft in diameter, confirmed the long-held belief that the area contains a rich complex of monuments.
The extent of archaeological remains on the Hill of Tara — burial mounds, religious enclosures, stone structures, and rock art dating from the third millennium BC to the 12th century AD — makes it Ireland’s most spiritually and archaeologically significant site.
Lismullin and other sites that stand in the way of the new motorway are now approved for destruction. Although archaeologists are rallying support worldwide for the protection of the Hill of Tara, the iconic site remains in great peril, according to the lobbying group Tara Watch.
The European Commission has initiated legal action against the Government over the M3, charging Ireland with failing to protect its own heritage.
A Red C opinion poll has found that almost two-thirds (62%) of Irish adults agree that the current format set down for the M3 is wrong, and that alternatives should be found to protect the heritage sites.
More than half (58%) support a proposed heritage park solution, while 31% agree they would prefer to keep the M3 running through the valley as already agreed.
Vincent Salafia of protest group TaraWatch said: “This is a parallel case to the case being taken against Ireland by the European Commission, which states the Irish government is in breach of EU law. Work should cease immediately within the Tara archaeological complex, until this matter is resolved.
“It is ironic that the Irish government is pushing its citizens to adopt the Lisbon Treaty, while they flatly refuse to obey current EU law with regards to protection of the environment and the national monument at Lismullin,” said Mr Salafia.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
The action is being taken by Gordon Lucas, who is seeking to enforce EU directives on national monuments. He is seeking an injunction and a declaration that the National Monuments Act 2004 is in breach of EU law.
Lismullin was declared one of the top 10 most important archaeological discoveries in 2007 by Archaeology magazine, published by the Archaeological Institute of America. The Hill of Tara has also been placed on the 2008 list of 100 most endangered sites by the World Monuments Fund.
Last year, archaeologists working on the route of the motorway stumbled on a vast Iron Age ceremonial enclosure, or henge, surrounded by two walls.
The 2,000-year-old site is about 2km from the Hill of Tara. The discovery of the henge, measuring about 260ft in diameter, confirmed the long-held belief that the area contains a rich complex of monuments.
The extent of archaeological remains on the Hill of Tara — burial mounds, religious enclosures, stone structures, and rock art dating from the third millennium BC to the 12th century AD — makes it Ireland’s most spiritually and archaeologically significant site.
Lismullin and other sites that stand in the way of the new motorway are now approved for destruction. Although archaeologists are rallying support worldwide for the protection of the Hill of Tara, the iconic site remains in great peril, according to the lobbying group Tara Watch.
The European Commission has initiated legal action against the Government over the M3, charging Ireland with failing to protect its own heritage.
A Red C opinion poll has found that almost two-thirds (62%) of Irish adults agree that the current format set down for the M3 is wrong, and that alternatives should be found to protect the heritage sites.
More than half (58%) support a proposed heritage park solution, while 31% agree they would prefer to keep the M3 running through the valley as already agreed.
Vincent Salafia of protest group TaraWatch said: “This is a parallel case to the case being taken against Ireland by the European Commission, which states the Irish government is in breach of EU law. Work should cease immediately within the Tara archaeological complex, until this matter is resolved.
“It is ironic that the Irish government is pushing its citizens to adopt the Lisbon Treaty, while they flatly refuse to obey current EU law with regards to protection of the environment and the national monument at Lismullin,” said Mr Salafia.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
High Court action seeks to protect site near Tara
A HIGH COURT action was launched yesterday aimed at protecting the Lismullin national monument near Tara.
The action is being taken by Gordon Lucas, who is seeking to enforce EU directives on national monuments. He is seeking an injunction and a declaration that the National Monuments Act 2004 is in breach of EU law.
Lismullin was declared one of the top 10 most important archaeological discoveries in 2007 by Archaeology magazine, published by the Archaeological Institute of America. The Hill of Tara has also been placed on the 2008 list of 100 most endangered sites by the World Monuments Fund.
Last year, archaeologists working on the route of the motorway stumbled on a vast Iron Age ceremonial enclosure, or henge, surrounded by two walls.
The 2,000-year-old site is about 2km from the Hill of Tara. The discovery of the henge, measuring about 260ft in diameter, confirmed the long-held belief that the area contains a rich complex of monuments.
The extent of archaeological remains on the Hill of Tara — burial mounds, religious enclosures, stone structures, and rock art dating from the third millennium BC to the 12th century AD — makes it Ireland’s most spiritually and archaeologically significant site.
Lismullin and other sites that stand in the way of the new motorway are now approved for destruction. Although archaeologists are rallying support worldwide for the protection of the Hill of Tara, the iconic site remains in great peril, according to the lobbying group Tara Watch.
The European Commission has initiated legal action against the Government over the M3, charging Ireland with failing to protect its own heritage.
A Red C opinion poll has found that almost two-thirds (62%) of Irish adults agree that the current format set down for the M3 is wrong, and that alternatives should be found to protect the heritage sites.
More than half (58%) support a proposed heritage park solution, while 31% agree they would prefer to keep the M3 running through the valley as already agreed.
Vincent Salafia of protest group TaraWatch said: “This is a parallel case to the case being taken against Ireland by the European Commission, which states the Irish government is in breach of EU law. Work should cease immediately within the Tara archaeological complex, until this matter is resolved.
“It is ironic that the Irish government is pushing its citizens to adopt the Lisbon Treaty, while they flatly refuse to obey current EU law with regards to protection of the environment and the national monument at Lismullin,” said Mr Salafia.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
The action is being taken by Gordon Lucas, who is seeking to enforce EU directives on national monuments. He is seeking an injunction and a declaration that the National Monuments Act 2004 is in breach of EU law.
Lismullin was declared one of the top 10 most important archaeological discoveries in 2007 by Archaeology magazine, published by the Archaeological Institute of America. The Hill of Tara has also been placed on the 2008 list of 100 most endangered sites by the World Monuments Fund.
Last year, archaeologists working on the route of the motorway stumbled on a vast Iron Age ceremonial enclosure, or henge, surrounded by two walls.
The 2,000-year-old site is about 2km from the Hill of Tara. The discovery of the henge, measuring about 260ft in diameter, confirmed the long-held belief that the area contains a rich complex of monuments.
The extent of archaeological remains on the Hill of Tara — burial mounds, religious enclosures, stone structures, and rock art dating from the third millennium BC to the 12th century AD — makes it Ireland’s most spiritually and archaeologically significant site.
Lismullin and other sites that stand in the way of the new motorway are now approved for destruction. Although archaeologists are rallying support worldwide for the protection of the Hill of Tara, the iconic site remains in great peril, according to the lobbying group Tara Watch.
The European Commission has initiated legal action against the Government over the M3, charging Ireland with failing to protect its own heritage.
A Red C opinion poll has found that almost two-thirds (62%) of Irish adults agree that the current format set down for the M3 is wrong, and that alternatives should be found to protect the heritage sites.
More than half (58%) support a proposed heritage park solution, while 31% agree they would prefer to keep the M3 running through the valley as already agreed.
Vincent Salafia of protest group TaraWatch said: “This is a parallel case to the case being taken against Ireland by the European Commission, which states the Irish government is in breach of EU law. Work should cease immediately within the Tara archaeological complex, until this matter is resolved.
“It is ironic that the Irish government is pushing its citizens to adopt the Lisbon Treaty, while they flatly refuse to obey current EU law with regards to protection of the environment and the national monument at Lismullin,” said Mr Salafia.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
Protests at M3 construction on Lismullin site
Protest meetings were held in Dublin and outside Irish consulates in the US yesterday against last month's handover of the national monument site at Lismullin, Co Meath, to the company building the M3 motorway.
TaraWatch, the group campaigning against the construction of the M3 motorway close to the Hill of Tara, has said that the Department of the Environment had not been due to hand over the site to Siac until yesterday but had moved the date forward to December 18th. Significant damage had been done to the site since, the group said.
Campaign spokesman Vincent Salafia yesterday called on Minister for the Environment John Gormley to explain why the handover took place early and with no prior notice.
The group also called on Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to intervene and halt the work at Lismullin.
A rally was held yesterday outside the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin. Demonstrations also took place at Stormont, as well as at Irish consulate offices in New York, Chicago and San Francisco and at the Lismullin site. Further protests will be held, TaraWatch has said.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
TaraWatch, the group campaigning against the construction of the M3 motorway close to the Hill of Tara, has said that the Department of the Environment had not been due to hand over the site to Siac until yesterday but had moved the date forward to December 18th. Significant damage had been done to the site since, the group said.
Campaign spokesman Vincent Salafia yesterday called on Minister for the Environment John Gormley to explain why the handover took place early and with no prior notice.
The group also called on Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to intervene and halt the work at Lismullin.
A rally was held yesterday outside the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin. Demonstrations also took place at Stormont, as well as at Irish consulate offices in New York, Chicago and San Francisco and at the Lismullin site. Further protests will be held, TaraWatch has said.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Tuesday, 1 January 2008
Tara site named in top 10 archaeological discoveries
Campaigners for the preservation of the Tara-Skryne Valley were celebrating yesterday when the Lismullen national monument was named as one of the 10 most important archaeological discoveries of 2007.
The 2,000-year-old henge, discovered in March, has been a major obstacle in the completion of the M3 motorway around the area of the Hill of Tara.
'Archaeology Magazine', the Archaeological Institute of America's highly regarded publication, listed the find.
The Tara-Skryne Valley was also listed in the top 100 most endangered sites by the World Monuments Fund.
Members of Tarawatch say this announcement caps off "what has been a very successful year for the Tara campaign".
Vernon Mount, the 18th-century villa in Cork, also made the top 100 most endangered sites list. The World Monument Fund again puts down planning issues as the main problem in this site, claiming a stalemate between owners and the Cork County Development Plan is causing deterioration.
The owners, a motocross club, say the lands around the house need to be rezoned to fund the work needed to renovate it.
Colin Bartley
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
The 2,000-year-old henge, discovered in March, has been a major obstacle in the completion of the M3 motorway around the area of the Hill of Tara.
'Archaeology Magazine', the Archaeological Institute of America's highly regarded publication, listed the find.
The Tara-Skryne Valley was also listed in the top 100 most endangered sites by the World Monuments Fund.
Members of Tarawatch say this announcement caps off "what has been a very successful year for the Tara campaign".
Vernon Mount, the 18th-century villa in Cork, also made the top 100 most endangered sites list. The World Monument Fund again puts down planning issues as the main problem in this site, claiming a stalemate between owners and the Cork County Development Plan is causing deterioration.
The owners, a motocross club, say the lands around the house need to be rezoned to fund the work needed to renovate it.
Colin Bartley
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Friday, 5 October 2007
EU decision due soon on challenge to Tara motorway
The European Commission is expected to decide this month whether to take legal action against the Government over plans to build a motorway near Tara.
A senior commission official told the European Parliament's petitions committee yesterday the commission was analysing the Government's response to its concerns about the construction of the M3. He said the commission had expressed concern for some time to the Government that the National Monuments Act did not adequately protect sites of archaeological significance in the Republic.
The commission wants the Government to amend the Act and undertake a second environmental impact assessment at an archaeological site at Lismullin, close to Tara. But the Government insists that under Irish legislation it only has to undertake one assessment.
"The commission should be able to make a decision on legal action later this month," Liam Cashman, an official with the EU's environment directorate, told MEPs in Brussels, who were discussing a report on their fact-finding mission to Ireland.
This report called for a substantial review of the environmental impact of the M3 on the Hill of Tara and for less intrusive alternative routes to be designated.
"The delegation is, however, perplexed by the choice of the route and by the damage done to the integrity of the many sites in the Tara area and the Gabhra Valley which have been vividly drawn to our attention by our petitioners," says the 20-page report, which will be sent to the commission and the Government. Mr Cashman said he considered the report to be "very valuable" and "balanced".
If the commission started legal action, the Government would be forced to defend its position at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg. If it lost the case and refused to amend national law to conform with EU laws, it could face heavy fines
Labour MEP Proinsias de Rossa said he had been informed by the commission that the National Monuments Act was in breach of EU law. He said it was under this Act that the Department of the Environment had sanctioned the demolition of an archaeological site at Lismullin.
Independent MEP Kathy Sinnott also criticised the Government for "ploughing ahead" with the M3 motorway despite the concerns of petitioners. But she welcomed the role that the petitions committee had played in bringing attention to the important issue of Tara.
The committee has no formal power to force governments to take action but focuses attention on issues affecting individual citizens. It can also ask the commission to investigate matters, a process that can lead to formal cases being brought to the ECJ.
Yesterday the committee closed one Irish petition related to eligibility to a state aid scheme granting educational assistance to farmers from disadvantaged areas.
John O'Malley had challenged a condition of the scheme, that farmers must live within 70km of an educational establishment. Following the petitions committee inquiry, the Government changed the criteria.
Jamie Smyth
© 2007 The Irish Times
A senior commission official told the European Parliament's petitions committee yesterday the commission was analysing the Government's response to its concerns about the construction of the M3. He said the commission had expressed concern for some time to the Government that the National Monuments Act did not adequately protect sites of archaeological significance in the Republic.
The commission wants the Government to amend the Act and undertake a second environmental impact assessment at an archaeological site at Lismullin, close to Tara. But the Government insists that under Irish legislation it only has to undertake one assessment.
"The commission should be able to make a decision on legal action later this month," Liam Cashman, an official with the EU's environment directorate, told MEPs in Brussels, who were discussing a report on their fact-finding mission to Ireland.
This report called for a substantial review of the environmental impact of the M3 on the Hill of Tara and for less intrusive alternative routes to be designated.
"The delegation is, however, perplexed by the choice of the route and by the damage done to the integrity of the many sites in the Tara area and the Gabhra Valley which have been vividly drawn to our attention by our petitioners," says the 20-page report, which will be sent to the commission and the Government. Mr Cashman said he considered the report to be "very valuable" and "balanced".
If the commission started legal action, the Government would be forced to defend its position at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg. If it lost the case and refused to amend national law to conform with EU laws, it could face heavy fines
Labour MEP Proinsias de Rossa said he had been informed by the commission that the National Monuments Act was in breach of EU law. He said it was under this Act that the Department of the Environment had sanctioned the demolition of an archaeological site at Lismullin.
Independent MEP Kathy Sinnott also criticised the Government for "ploughing ahead" with the M3 motorway despite the concerns of petitioners. But she welcomed the role that the petitions committee had played in bringing attention to the important issue of Tara.
The committee has no formal power to force governments to take action but focuses attention on issues affecting individual citizens. It can also ask the commission to investigate matters, a process that can lead to formal cases being brought to the ECJ.
Yesterday the committee closed one Irish petition related to eligibility to a state aid scheme granting educational assistance to farmers from disadvantaged areas.
John O'Malley had challenged a condition of the scheme, that farmers must live within 70km of an educational establishment. Following the petitions committee inquiry, the Government changed the criteria.
Jamie Smyth
© 2007 The Irish Times
Gormley makes order to protect fort near Tara
Minister for the Environment John Gormley has used his powers under the National Monuments Acts to make a temporary preservation order for Rath Lugh, a prehistoric promontory fort associated with Tara alongside the route of the M3 motorway.
Opponents of the controversial road scheme had claimed last January that the tree-covered site - a designated monument - was being "directly impacted" by preliminary levelling works carried out by the motorway contractors, SIAC-Ferrovial.
"They were cutting further and further into it," according to Dr Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin, of the Campaign to Save Tara. "Originally, the NRA [ National Roads Authority] said the road was going to be 100 metres away from it, now it's 20 metres."
The Minister asked NUI Galway archaeologist and Tara expert Dr Conor Newman to examine the site and it was on his recommendation that the preservation order was made "to be absolutely sure that the monument is protected", Mr Gormley said.
In making the temporary order, which could become permanent, he said he was "acting in the best interests of heritage and also erring on the side of caution. It was not a 'U-turn', as some have claimed, but consistent with my approach since taking office."
Vincent Salafia, of Tara Watch, said yesterday the order to protect Rath Lugh "indicates a major shift in policy by the Minister, who has claimed that no sites are being improperly interfered with, and that he has not power to act" in relation to the M3.
According to the NRA, Rath Lugh is not being impacted by the motorway, which "skirts the base of the elevated promontory on which Rath Lugh is located, approximately 20 metres below, and will not interfere with the site itself or the view of this site from Tara".
Dr Ní Bhrolcháin noted that Rath Lugh is owned by Coillte Teoranta, the State forestry company. "It was up to them to intervene at the planning stage, but they didn't. At that stage, however, the motorway was to be constructed 100 metres away from the site."
Welcoming the Minister's action, she said it showed that the claims made by those opposed to the route were correct.
Frank McDonald
© 2007 The Irish Times
Opponents of the controversial road scheme had claimed last January that the tree-covered site - a designated monument - was being "directly impacted" by preliminary levelling works carried out by the motorway contractors, SIAC-Ferrovial.
"They were cutting further and further into it," according to Dr Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin, of the Campaign to Save Tara. "Originally, the NRA [ National Roads Authority] said the road was going to be 100 metres away from it, now it's 20 metres."
The Minister asked NUI Galway archaeologist and Tara expert Dr Conor Newman to examine the site and it was on his recommendation that the preservation order was made "to be absolutely sure that the monument is protected", Mr Gormley said.
In making the temporary order, which could become permanent, he said he was "acting in the best interests of heritage and also erring on the side of caution. It was not a 'U-turn', as some have claimed, but consistent with my approach since taking office."
Vincent Salafia, of Tara Watch, said yesterday the order to protect Rath Lugh "indicates a major shift in policy by the Minister, who has claimed that no sites are being improperly interfered with, and that he has not power to act" in relation to the M3.
According to the NRA, Rath Lugh is not being impacted by the motorway, which "skirts the base of the elevated promontory on which Rath Lugh is located, approximately 20 metres below, and will not interfere with the site itself or the view of this site from Tara".
Dr Ní Bhrolcháin noted that Rath Lugh is owned by Coillte Teoranta, the State forestry company. "It was up to them to intervene at the planning stage, but they didn't. At that stage, however, the motorway was to be constructed 100 metres away from the site."
Welcoming the Minister's action, she said it showed that the claims made by those opposed to the route were correct.
Frank McDonald
© 2007 The Irish Times
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
Activists unveil Tara plan
A new independent masterplan for Co Meath which drops the controversial section of the M3 motorway near the Hill of Tara, but includes a world heritage park, was launched last night. The masterplan, which derives its name from Model Archaeological and Sustainable Economic Region (Master) was put forward by environmental engineer Tadhg Crowleyand transport consultant Brian Guckian.
The plan aims to help Meath become a model in sustainable practices in the development of energy, housing, tourism, heritage, transport and business, over a five- to seven-year period. Included in the recommendations are "a compromise transport solution" that preserves the Gabhra Valley through which the M3 motorway is being built. The compromise solution would see current traffic spread across an upgrade of the existing road, as well as the use of more coaches and a reopened Navan rail link. Modifications to the M3 would drop the controversial section close to the Hill of Tara. Instead, the M3 motorway would run to Dunshaughlin, where traffic would route onto an upgraded existing road which comprises a "two plus one" lane road. This three-lane road has an alternating centre lane. The aim is to solve the problem of the proximity of the motorway to the Hill of Tara, while obviating the need to re-route the motorway. The re-opened rail link would be designed to serve key growing towns, including Ashbourne, Ratoath, Dunshaughlin, Navan and Kells. The plan also envisages the creation of a Unesco world heritage park, showcasing Meath's "unique and world-renowned heritage attractions", while implementing best practices in sustainable tourism. The park would stretch from Dunshaughlin to Navan and from Trim to the Battle of the Boyne site at Oldbridge. Meath County Council said its own development plan, which supports the M3, remains unchanged. The independent plan is available at www.sacredireland org/meathmaster/index.html
Tim O'Brien
© 2007 The Irish Times
The plan aims to help Meath become a model in sustainable practices in the development of energy, housing, tourism, heritage, transport and business, over a five- to seven-year period. Included in the recommendations are "a compromise transport solution" that preserves the Gabhra Valley through which the M3 motorway is being built. The compromise solution would see current traffic spread across an upgrade of the existing road, as well as the use of more coaches and a reopened Navan rail link. Modifications to the M3 would drop the controversial section close to the Hill of Tara. Instead, the M3 motorway would run to Dunshaughlin, where traffic would route onto an upgraded existing road which comprises a "two plus one" lane road. This three-lane road has an alternating centre lane. The aim is to solve the problem of the proximity of the motorway to the Hill of Tara, while obviating the need to re-route the motorway. The re-opened rail link would be designed to serve key growing towns, including Ashbourne, Ratoath, Dunshaughlin, Navan and Kells. The plan also envisages the creation of a Unesco world heritage park, showcasing Meath's "unique and world-renowned heritage attractions", while implementing best practices in sustainable tourism. The park would stretch from Dunshaughlin to Navan and from Trim to the Battle of the Boyne site at Oldbridge. Meath County Council said its own development plan, which supports the M3, remains unchanged. The independent plan is available at www.sacredireland org/meathmaster/index.html
Tim O'Brien
© 2007 The Irish Times
Stars pull strings to try to protect historic Tara
IT'S a long way from Tinseltown to the Hill of Tara but Hollywood star Stuart Townsend was one of the first to make the journey when he heard his ancestral homeland was under threat.
His famous girlfriend Charlize Theron was too busy filming to travel, but that did not stop him sacrificing his time to help protect the site of the druids.
The heartthrob from Howth aligned his body with thousands of others yesterday to make up a string in the world's first human harp on the famous Meath mound.
Over 3,000 people posed for an unprecedented aerial shot at the ancient site in protest at plans to site the M3 motorway nearby.
Townsend had a guiding hand in the proceedings and even brought in a pal to snap the spectacular formation from a helicopter, but laughed at suggestions that he is becoming the Bono of the environmental world.
It was a thrilling, if bizarre, moment for more than a few fans to find themselves side by side with Charlize Theron's boyfriend to form the shape of the traditional instrument.
They were in for another A-list surprise when the not unpleasant shape of actor and Hugo Boss 'face' Jonathan Rhys Meyers also appeared on the sacred ground. The actor, who has more recently been travelling through time to the era of the Tudors for a TV series, was able to put the authoritarian skills he developed as Henry VIII to good use as he roused the Tara campaigners.
Addressing the crowd, he said it was not just the motorway that was horrible, but the subsequent development it would bring.
The actor, who was born in Cork and brought up in Dublin, said he appreciated the untouched landscape that remained in Ireland far more since he moved to the US.
He said he would like his grandchildren to be able to feel the same way.
Harps or no harps, Townsend also showed that acting was not the only string in his bow.
He is exhausted after directing a film about another, very different, protest at the World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference of 1999.
The actor will finally getting a complete break next week when he heads down the country for a holiday.
"I haven't been home for a while and want to see some friends," he said. "Charlize is working. She wants to be here, but is overworked.
"I am exhausted from the filming process. I went to the Toronto Film Festival and was involved with marketing the movie."
He revealed that -- despite rumours -- himself and Charlize have not tied the knot.
"We didn't get married," he said. "Every week someone says we are or that we're splitting up.
"We're married in our hearts and have been together for seven years and have dogs, live in a house, and plan to have children. We don't need the Church or the state."
Despite his opposition to the motorway, he was compassionate about the predicament faced by the new Green Environment Minister and invited John Gormley to meet him to discuss an alternative plan for Tara.
"I'm sure he's a good guy and will try to do his best but in a way his hands are tied behind his back," he said. "His party does not have many seats and that probably curtails his power.
"Politics is politics and who knows what pressure John Gormley's under. I really hope he considers the Tarawatch plan and there is a breakthrough."
Irish Independent
His famous girlfriend Charlize Theron was too busy filming to travel, but that did not stop him sacrificing his time to help protect the site of the druids.
The heartthrob from Howth aligned his body with thousands of others yesterday to make up a string in the world's first human harp on the famous Meath mound.
Over 3,000 people posed for an unprecedented aerial shot at the ancient site in protest at plans to site the M3 motorway nearby.
Townsend had a guiding hand in the proceedings and even brought in a pal to snap the spectacular formation from a helicopter, but laughed at suggestions that he is becoming the Bono of the environmental world.
It was a thrilling, if bizarre, moment for more than a few fans to find themselves side by side with Charlize Theron's boyfriend to form the shape of the traditional instrument.
They were in for another A-list surprise when the not unpleasant shape of actor and Hugo Boss 'face' Jonathan Rhys Meyers also appeared on the sacred ground. The actor, who has more recently been travelling through time to the era of the Tudors for a TV series, was able to put the authoritarian skills he developed as Henry VIII to good use as he roused the Tara campaigners.
Addressing the crowd, he said it was not just the motorway that was horrible, but the subsequent development it would bring.
The actor, who was born in Cork and brought up in Dublin, said he appreciated the untouched landscape that remained in Ireland far more since he moved to the US.
He said he would like his grandchildren to be able to feel the same way.
Harps or no harps, Townsend also showed that acting was not the only string in his bow.
He is exhausted after directing a film about another, very different, protest at the World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference of 1999.
The actor will finally getting a complete break next week when he heads down the country for a holiday.
"I haven't been home for a while and want to see some friends," he said. "Charlize is working. She wants to be here, but is overworked.
"I am exhausted from the filming process. I went to the Toronto Film Festival and was involved with marketing the movie."
He revealed that -- despite rumours -- himself and Charlize have not tied the knot.
"We didn't get married," he said. "Every week someone says we are or that we're splitting up.
"We're married in our hearts and have been together for seven years and have dogs, live in a house, and plan to have children. We don't need the Church or the state."
Despite his opposition to the motorway, he was compassionate about the predicament faced by the new Green Environment Minister and invited John Gormley to meet him to discuss an alternative plan for Tara.
"I'm sure he's a good guy and will try to do his best but in a way his hands are tied behind his back," he said. "His party does not have many seats and that probably curtails his power.
"Politics is politics and who knows what pressure John Gormley's under. I really hope he considers the Tarawatch plan and there is a breakthrough."
Irish Independent
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