M3 Motorway and the Hill of Tara
Updated - 10 March 2007
DONATIONS NEEDED FOR INDEPENDENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE M3 MOTORWAY
Please make a donation towards the cost of paying a professional archaeological consultancy company to generate a independent archaeological assessment of the M3 motorway at the Hill of Tara. The report is needed for various complaints, such as to the European Union, World Monuments Fund, Coillte and other bodies. TaraWatch has opened a PayPal account for the sole purpose of raising money to pay for an archaeological consultancy company to assess the 38 sites being excavated between Navan and Dunshaughlin. This report wil be used for complaints to This is an emergency situation, and time is of the essence. Please make a one time donation, of an amount of your choosing. If you do not have a PayPal account you can still use a credit or debit card, or simply send a cheque. Please pass the word, as this is our last realistic hope for saving Tara from the M3 motorway. We will contract with a company outside Ireland, like Oxford Archaeology, to do the work, as it is common knowledge that Irish-based firms will not do it, because of their dependence on the National Roads Authority for contracts. Oxford did the Kampsax Report on Carrickmines Castle and the M50 for the EU, which was a daming review of what happened there.
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There have been reports of some problems with the PayPal. If you would rather send a cheque, please mail your donation, payable to Tarawatch, to:
TaraWatch, Suite 108, The Capel Building, Mary's Abbey, Dublin 7, Ireland
TaraWatch, 11 Stuart Rd, Kempston, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK42 8HS, England.
We thank you so much for your support!
The Tarawatch team
info@tarawatch.org
SAINT PATRICK'S DAY POETRY ON TARA
TaraWatch is proud to announce an open invitation for all to join in the festivities of Saint Patrick's Day Poetry on Tara, a celebration of the richness of Ireland's history, artistry, and cultural heritage. The festivities begin at 5 pm, with a special mystery guest to open our celebration and an exciting line-up of events. Sponsored by the Tara Watch group, this event will bring together a vast array of poets, historians, storytellers, artists and traditional Celtic musicians to share in their gifts, as we celebrate Saint Patrick's Day historical connnection to the Hill of Tara.
--Children's Poetry Time: Poetry and story readings for children will begin at 5.00pm. Parents are encouraged to have their children bring along their own special poems to share. Children's author Rose Doyle will read from her works.
--Poets Showcase: Irish authors will give special readings of their own work, as well as readings of their favorite poems and myths from Irish history. Patrick Chapman is among the poets.
--The Peoples' Poetry: Event participants are encouraged to bring their own favorite Irish poems and myths to read and to enjoy until late in the evening, as the celebration continues.
--Celtic Musicians: Will provide musical entertainment and percussion accompaniment to poetic readings, as they add to the merriment. Come celebrate those bardic days of yore with poems, stories, and songs honoring Tara, Ireland, and its history.
This family event is open to the public, free of charge, and will raise national and international awareness in saving the entire Tara complex as an important cultural and historic site.
There is a strictly no alcohol policy. If you are a poet, storyteller, historian, or musician, and wish to participate in this event, please contact us.
Come one, come all, and join in the celebration, as we honor the artistry and history of cultural heritage and strive to preserve the Hill of Tara for generations to come.
Contact: Heather Adams, Events Planning Coordinator, TaraWatch
Siobhan Rice at 086-319-9833
European Court of Justice may have final say over heritage dispute
International and National News and Links
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The battle for Tara is not over yet, writes Frank McDonald, Environment Editor
The odds were stacked against anyone succeeding in a legal action against the M3. So it is not surprising that the High Court has found in favour of Minister for the Environment Dick Roche and his "directions" allowing this controversial motorway to snake past the Hill of Tara.
The 2004 National Monuments (Amendment) Act rewrote heritage protection legislation in such a drastic manner that the Minister was given sole discretion in deciding whether any archaeological site is a national monument and what to do with it - including authorising its demolition.
That was Martin Cullen's contribution to the statute books following the row over Carrickmines Castle in south Co Dublin, when archaeologists and conservationists were blamed for holding up completion of the M50. The Government was determined this wouldn't happen again. However, the Supreme Court has yet to rule on the final appeal in the Carrickmines case by Dominic Dunne and, in particular, on his challenge to the constitutionality of the 1994 legislation.
The court's tardiness - it recently deferred its decision for the fourth time - may have proved fatal for the Tara case.
Mr Justice Thomas Smyth referred to the appeal before the Supreme Court in his lengthy judgment yesterday. But its tone and content suggests that he would have ruled against plaintiff Vincent Salafia anyway, on other grounds - including his delay in taking the action in the first place.
Mr Justice Smyth had ruled that it was not necessary to call expert witnesses and have them cross-examined. This hampered the plaintiff because it meant that the court did not hear from, for example, Dr Pat Wallace, director of the National Museum of Ireland.
Dr Wallace made it clear to Mr Roche last April that he opposed routing the M3 through the Tara valley, arguing that it is an archaeological landscape that deserves to be protected. He was particularly critical of the Blundelstown interchange, just 1.2 kilometres north of the ancient capital of Ireland's kings.
It might also have been instructive to hear oral evidence from the Government's Chief Archaeologist, Brian Duffy, who backed the National Roads Authority and Meath County Council, even to the extent of suggesting that the M3 motorway itself would become part of Tara's legacy in the years to come.
His perverse view was strongly opposed in affidavits by three leading experts on Tara - Dr Edel Bhreathnach, Dr Conor Newman and Joe Fenwick - who argued that Tara must be seen as part of a much wider archaeological landscape which would be irreparably damaged by a motorway running right through it. Mr Roche could have decided that the NRA and Meath County Council would have to go back to the drawing boards and devise an alternative route. Instead, he chose to issue "directions" on how the 38 archaeological sites along the existing route should be treated.
The "directions" he issued on May 11th last were carefully crafted to suggest that the interests of Ireland's heritage were being looked after, thereby (hopefully) fire-proofing his decision against legal challenge. However, in the absence of a Supreme Court ruling on the Carrickmines appeal and the thorny issue of whether the 2004 National Monuments (Amendment) Act fulfils the onus on the State to protect our heritage, this confidence may be misplaced. The battle, in other words, is not yet over.
Even if the Supreme Court was to rule that the 2004 legislation is constitutional and subsequently rejected an appeal by Mr Salafia against yesterday's High Court judgment, the European Court of Justice may take a different view, on the basis that Tara is part of Europe's heritage too.
Write letters to lettersed@irish-times.ie
[Wednesday, 22 February, 2006] Litigation regarding
the Hill of Tara and the M3
motorway took place in the High Court in January, and judgment is expected from Justice Thomas Smyth on March 1, 2006. An application for leave had been granted by Justice Peart to judicially review the decision by Mr Dick Roche, TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, to issue directions under the National Monuments Act 2004 for excavation and demolition of over 10 archeological sites within the Hill of Tara archaeological complex.Gerard Hogan, SC; Frank Callanan, SC; and Colm
MacEochaidh, BL, represented Vincent Salafia in the action.
The 2003 EU Kampsax Report into Carrickmines Castle concluded that risk management required a contingency plan, rather than protracted litigation. The
Minister for the Environment, Meath County Council and the National Roads Authority should revisit the issue and examine a contingency engineering solution, in order to avoid another costly and expensive Carrickmines scenario. WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW:
A new national Irish opinion poll has found that the majority of people of Ireland are in favor of the M3 but oppose the route through the Tara / Skryne Valley. An engineering solution is available, which can avoid the Tara complex.
JOIN THE ACTIVIST EMAIL GROUP
Please join our email discussion group, for people dedicated to saving the Hill of Tara from the M3 motorway. We are hoping to act communally and actively to mobilise opposition to the plan, and support actions and events, using the Internet to it's maximum potential. Passing the word about what is happening at Tara is of critical importance. A High Court action just failed in stopping works, but the fight is not over yet.WRITE A LETTER TO THE NEWSPAPERS
It is critical that letters are sent to the Irish newspapers and papers around the world who have pubished on the issue, while the topic is hot again. The more letters they receive, the more they publish. So even if yours doesn't get in, you are helping somebody else get one in. When writing, be sure to respond to a quote, with the given date, in a recent article written in the publication.
The main papers are the The Irish Times, Irish Independent, Irish Examiner, Meath Chronicle, Sunday Times, Sunday Tribune, and Sunday Independent.
An archive of recent newspapers articles can be found at: /http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hilloftara/
The Irish Times "The Irish Times receives a great many letters each day and it is
possible to find space only for a small selection. When writing, bear
in mind that short letters are more likely to be published than long
ones and that letters ranging over several topics are unlikely to
appear.
It is generally best to make one point as concisely as possible,
without preamble. When referring to an article, report or previous
letter in The Irish Times, it is helpful to give the date of
publication, if possible.
All letters intended for publication should be clearly marked "Letters
to the Editor". They may be sent by post to:
The Irish Times, 10-16 D'Olier Street, Dublin 2;
by fax to: 01 675 8035;
by e-mail to: lettersed@irish-times.ie (preferably without
attachments).
Please do not send letters intended for publication to other Irish
Times e-mail addresses. All letters, including e-mails, should include
the writer's full name, postal address, and telephone numbers (day and
evening).
Letter-writers may receive a subsequent telephone call from The Irish
Times. This is part of our authentication procedure and does not amount
to a commitment to publish.
We regret that we cannot give prior notice of a letter's publication
date, acknowledge unpublished letters, or discuss the merits of
individual letters.
It is our policy to represent as wide a range of views as possible
within the constraints of libel and taste. However, we do require
writers to put their names to their opinions. Therefore, we do not
publish letters using pseudonyms or other formulae to conceal the
writer's identity, such as "name and address with editor". Please note
also that we do not print copies of letters addressed to someone else."
lettersed@irish-times.ie
http://www.ireland.com (paid subscription, except front page)
The Irish Independent
The Irish Examiner The Meath Chronicle The Sunday Times - Ireland The Sunday Independent
You can phone your Letters to the Editor on freephone 1-800-733-733
Or, email directly to The Editor of the Irish Independent:
independent.letters@unison.independent.ie
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/ (free - registration required)
letters@examiner.ie
The Irish Examiner (print edition),
Academy Street, Cork
+353 21 4272722.
http://www.examiner.ie (free-registration optional)
ken@meath-chronicle.ie / brian@meath-chronicle.ie
http://www.unison.ie/meath_chronicle/
ireland@sunday-times.ie
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,2091,00.html
independent.letters@unison.independent.ie
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/index.php3?issue_id=13729
SIGN THE PETITION
Join hundreds of academics and thousands of people wordwide who are petitioning the Taoiseach of the Irish Government to stop the current archaeological excavations and reroute the M3 motorway away from the Hill of Tara archaeological complex, Ireland's premier national monument. Please sign the online petition
WRITE A LETTER TO A POLITICIAN
Write to to your local and national representatives, and to:
- Mr Bertie Ahern, Taoiseach, Department of the Taoiseach, Government Buildings, Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2. Ireland.
taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie
- Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, Department of the Envioronment, Heritage and Local Government, Customs House, Dublin 1. Ireland.
minister@environ.ie
- Sean Haughey, TD. Chariman, Environment Committee, Dáil Éireann, Dublin 1. Ireland.
Sean_haughey@oireachtas.irlgov.ie
DONATE
TaraWatch is an Irish charity collecting donations for the Tara legal fund, to donate to costs and exepenses associated with litigation. With three separate legal teams as Respondents the expenses are enormous. You can make a direct deposit to Account details available soon, please email donate@hilloftara.info
http://www.tarawatch.org
DISPLAY SAVE TARA LOGO/LINK
EVENTS
Please attend and/or organise events supporting the campaign and lawsuit. The next fundraising event will be a benefit dinner and auction being held on March 24th in Drimnagh Castle, Dublin.Contact TaraWatch for details. For information on other events, sign up to the email list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hilloftara/
SIGNUP FOR UPDATES
The Tara story is receiving substantial media attention both nationally and world wide. You can register to receive emails of news articles, events and other campaign related information at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/taralitigation/
FORWARD THIS ADDRESS
Please forward this message to anyone who you think would welcome the opportunity to assist.
CONTACT US
Letter to Editor. The Irish Times February 23rd, 2004
HILL OF TARA AND THE M3 MOTORWAY
An Bord Pleanála's recent approval of the Government's scheme to divide the Tara/Skryne valley with the M3 motorway spells out a massive national and international tragedy that must be averted.
This narrow valley is one of the most culturally and archaeologically significant places in the world. Many monuments predate the Egyptian pyramids. The chamber within Tara's Mound of the Hostages is perfectly aligned with the full moon of Lughnasa and the rising sun of Samhain and Imbolg.
The Hill of Tara has been a sanctuary for every generation since. It is precisely because it has remained intact, unlike many comparable Continental sites, that it holds a special key to understanding the continuous progression of European civilisation.
We are only just beginning to understand and appreciate how the Mound relates to the hundreds of other monuments in this archaeological complex, many of which will be destroyed if the valley is sliced in two.
Saint Patrick faces Skryne CastleThe Hill of Skryne, containing the 12th-century Skryne Castle, is also a national monument and an early religious and ritual centre. Both Tara and Skryne are part of the same cultural and natural landscape of The Boyne Valley and cannot be separated from the River Boyne, or from each other.
Let us be clear: excavation is destruction, not "preservation" in the true sense. Moreover, serious questions have now been raised in the Dáil as to the standard of "preservation by record", with over 1,500 excavation reports currently missing.
Every effort should be made to preserve national monuments in situ, according to stated Government policy, as well as the Council of Europe's Valetta Convention (The European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage), to which Ireland is a signatory.
The Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, signed by Ireland in Paris, in 1972, resolved to protect parts of the cultural or natural heritage that are of outstanding universal value and therefore need to be preserved as part of the world heritage of mankind as a whole.
Tara warrants UNESCO protection, if ever an Irish site did.
We call on the Government, particularly the Taoiseach, the Minister for Transport and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to review this decision and choose one of the many intelligent options that are still available. These include: improving the existing N3, as per the original advertised scheme; re-opening the Navan-Dublin railway line, which is widely supported in the locality; or simply moving the M3 away from this delicate archaeological landscape.
In the alternative, we ask our public servants to place these viable options before the Irish nation, openly and democratically, and let Irish taxpayers decide for themselves if their money should be spent destroying this singular element of Irish identity. -
Yours, etc.,
Tara litigation site: http://www.hilloftara.blogspot.com Newspaper articles re litigation: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/taralitigation/
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