CITY OF CHICAGO

RESOLUTION

SAVE TARA VALLEY

28 March 2008

A resolution of the Mayor of Chicago and the City Council of Chicago, Illinois USA, beseeching the Government of Ireland, and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, to reconsider and reverse past decisions and halt the destruction of Ireland’s most sacred and ancient monuments at t­­he Valley of Tara by construction of M3 motorway; in favor of existing alternate routes that will preserve for posterity the Tara Valley, a landscape of immeasurable cultural and historical importance revered by millions throughout the world today and by countless generations of Irish people both in Chicago and around the world.

Whereas, Tara is over 5000 years old; older than Newgrange; older than Stonehenge; and older than Egypt’s Pyramids; and contains some of the oldest surviving buildings on earth, and was the seat of the Irish High Kings where 142 kings once reigned,

Whereas, the irreversible destruction of 44 National Monuments along the proposed M3 motorway has been compared to the destruction of the 1000 year old giant Buddha’s at Afghanistan in the hands of the Taliban,

Whereas, Ireland must, by order of the EU, reduce its CO2 emissions by one-fifth and ensure that 16% of all energy comes from renewable resources by 2020,

Whereas, the EU introduced new Legislation for the Protection of the Archaeological record acknowledging that archaeological heritage is a non-renewable resource that must be conserved for future generations, which the Government of Ireland ratified in 1997,

Whereas, the EU Commission has called on the Irish Government to halt work on M3 motorway over concern about the impact on archaeological sites along the route of the M3, and has warned the Government that Ireland is in serious breach of EU law after recent discoveries along the route of the M3,

Whereas, the Archaeological Institute of America listed the 2,000 year-old Lismullen National Monument, discovered in the path of the M3 motorway, as one of the 10 most important archaeological discoveries of 2007,

Whereas, in 2007 Tara was named one of the world’s 100 most endangered heritage sites, by the New York-based World Monument Fund, and has been submitted to be named a UNESCO World Heritage site,

Whereas, 350 archaeologists, professors and academics world wide, submitted a letter of petition to the European Union, voicing their concerns about the historical significance of Tara, with a plea to halt the M3, and instead upgrade the N3 and rebuild the existing rail line. These professional opinions are part of the case before EU Commission for breach of EU Environmental law,

Whereas, Ireland’s National Monuments Act (1930-1994) historically protected the archaeological sites in Ireland, but in 2004, was rewritten to permit the destruction of any monument the Minister of Environment deemed expedient, thereby putting the fate of Ireland’s Heritage into the hands of a few Ministers,

Whereas, a civil lawsuit in the Ireland’s High Court, is challenging the M3 motorway, being built over historic sites. Plaintiff is seeking an injunction and a declaration that the National Monuments Act 2004 is in breach of EU law,

Whereas, The most recent Irish Post Poll of Thursday, February 14, 2008, resulted in 89.93% being apposed to the building of the M3 through the Tara Valley,

Whereas, The M3 route through the Tara Valley, has been proven to be the most destructive and environmentally unfriendly, as well as the costliest of the two options, and that the M3 needlessly destroys over 44 National Monuments,

Whereas, the alternative to the M3, a mass transit scheme to upgrade the existing N3 motorway by adding a single reversible lane, combined with the refurbishing of the existing rail line for commuter transportation, would accomplish the same ends,

Whereas, MINISTER for Transport declared that he was “100 per cent” behind reopening the Navan-Dublin rail line, which would eliminate the need for the Northern section of the M3, which is the contentious section through the Tara valley,

Whereas, the heritage of Ireland belongs not only to Ireland, and the world in general, but to the Irish Diaspora all over the world, who outnumber the population of Ireland by a factor of 20, and inasmuch as Chicago is home to a large population of Irish decent, who wish to see the sacred lands of Tara Valley kept out of danger,

Whereas, Seamus Heaney, Ireland’s Nobel Poet Laureate stated that “the ancient Hill of Tara was safer under British rule than the present Irish government, describing the construction of a toll road near the site as a betrayal of ‘Ireland’s dead generations”.

Whereas, George Eogan (Ph.D., Trinity College, Dublin) is a leading expert in the archaeology of Ireland, Professor Emeritus of Archaeology, University College, Dublin, was asked what he thought of the M3 TOLL ROAD, he replied “Well I can only use one word, I am horrified… and, it is too terrible for words… part of it has now been completely and absolutely destroyed… what is happening here is one of the greatest shameful acts of cultural vandalism that took place in any part of Europe.”

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor and the City Council of the City of Chicago recognize the irreversibility of the destruction of the ancient monuments of the Tara Valley, and the necessity to preserve and protect the natural and man made treasures of ancient civilizations for the benefit of all of mankind, and,

Further Resolved, the effects of global warming and the need to plan for a future with less dependency on oil products for transportation needs, the City of Chicago being an example of the viability of rail and bus lines for mass transportation, and,

Further Resolved, that this Assembly cherishes historical heritage; expresses its opposition to the proposed route of the M3 Motorway in the Boyne Valley, which will despoil the historic site of Tara and other national monuments in this area; and calls on the Irish Government to revisit the available alternatives offered by the N3 roadway, as a 3 lane reverse-peak-traffic flow system in coordination with the restoration of the Dublin-Navan rail link for commuters, which will preserve for posterity the monuments of Ireland’s oldest civilization and some of the oldest buildings on earth, and thus win acceptance among all interested parties. We also urge that the National Monuments Act (1930 1994) be restored to its original intention, that is, the protection under law of Ireland’s Heritage and National Monuments for all of mankind.

Submitted this _____28_____Day of __March_________, 2008

Sponsored By___________________________________________

32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack