The Hill of Tara-Endangered

Tara listed with 100 endangered world heritage sites
On 7th June, 2008, the World Monuments Fund (WMF), based in New York, announced that the Hill of Tara has been included in the World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites. >>>more

Life inside the protest camp
Irish Times report from the Rath Lugh vigil campsite
Click here to read the full article.

MAJOR DISCOVERY at TARA:
Massive Henge Discovery at Tara!
Click here to read report.

News Updates and Article

Protester wins reprieve on work at M3 site

Heaney hits out over 'tar on Tara'

Expert Claims Road Authority Ignored Advice On Tara

EU to take action over handling of Tara route for M3

Diggers close to the new national monument of Lismullin

EU officials urge halt to Tara motorway work

Burial ground razed by M3 workers, claim protesters

Ancient "Royal Temple" Discovered in Path of Ireland Highway

Minister should change direction

Massive Henge Discovery at Tara!

An Taisce appeals Tara motorway order

Delays in enacting EU directives

An Taisce in court bid to halt new motorway

St Patrick's Day shame for Dublin government

Contracts for construction of M3 signed

Greens in Govt.- would halt work on motorway

Tara 'sold to highest bidder'? by Joe Fenwick

Protester wins reprieve on work at M3 site
ADAM HARVEY in Rath Lugh, talks with Lisa Feeney
Irish Times
Monday, March 17, 2008

THE M3 protester who emerged from the tunnel at Rath Lugh, near Tara, at the weekend, says she had a "whale of time" underground and was pleased to have won a month-long moratorium on work at the site.

Work will not begin again at Rath Lugh until April 17th, said protester Lisa Feeney, giving M3 opponents enough time to mount further legal challenges to this contentious section of the road which they say is too close to important heritage sites.

"There is a Supreme Court challenge in three weeks, so that will give us enough time to prepare for that," said Ms Feeney.

She said last night that her 60 hours spent underground was a "whale of a time. It was quite comforting to be in the womb of Mother Earth, I could hear a lot of what was going on, the yells and cheers of the crowd".

But Ms Feeney believes that inappropriate pressure was placed on her via her father and uncle who were allowed on site to try and talk her out. "It was emotional manipulation," she said. "My uncle was told continually that I was going to die. I think it's a violation of my human rights."

Ms Feeney entered the tunnel dug into a hill in the path of the motorway at Rath Lugh at about 7am on Thursday and came out at about 9pm on Saturday, about 60 hours later.
Paddy O'Kearney, a friend of Ms Feeney who talked to her via two-way radio throughout her three-day protest, said: "The situation could have been dealt with in a much better way. There was immense psychological pressure on her from her father and uncle." Mr O'Kearney described the conduct of the motorway builders as "torture- worse than if they had pulled her fingernails out".

Mr O'Kearney said that construction officials told her family that their daughter's life was at risk. Ms Feeney left Rath Lugh after emerging from the tunnel and was yesterday resting with family, said Mr O'Kearney.

The site of Ms Feeney's protest was sealed off behind a chain-link fence and was yesterday being patrolled by security officers.

Protesters have vowed to stay at the site, said Derek Berrill, a spokesman for the Rath Lugh Direct Action Group.

The protest generated much media attention, and yesterday a steady
steam of visitors came to see what the fuss was about.

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Heaney hits out over 'tar on Tara'
Diarmaid Fleming
BBC News, 1 March, 2008

The construction of a motorway by the Irish Government through one of Ireland's most historic areas has been condemned in a BBC Radio Ulster documentary, Tar on Tara, by the country's foremost poet, Seamus Heaney, and other international experts .

The M3 motorway is well under construction through the lush green and historical countryside of County Meath.

Ireland's biggest ever road project stretches 61km and is expected to cost around 800m euros.

The motorway will take traffic north of Dublin, serving towns such as Kells and Navan in County Meath, and counties Cavan, Fermanagh and Donegal beyond.

Towns in Meath and Cavan are now home to thousands of people working in Dublin many unable to afford to live there due to high property prices in the Irish capital.

Numerous new housing estates have sprung up in towns and villages during Ireland's recent economic boom.

The speed of house-building has not been matched with investment in transport however, meaning that all commuters are forced to rely on road transport to get to Dublin. The area's only railway line is used for freight only.

Best jams

The existing N3 road hosts the country's worst traffic jams outside of Dublin, with trips between the city and Cavan 70 miles away taking well over two hours and sometimes even longer during rush-hour.

Cars, trucks and buses snake in long lines through towns like Dunshaughlin, choking them for hours in mornings and evenings.

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 road under construction will run through the Tara Skreen valley, an area which has been of historical and religious significance in Ireland for thousands of years, with archaeological finds dating back to 4000BC.

The Tara complex is bounded by the Hill of Tara, seat of the ancient High Kings of Ireland, and a place of sacred worship in both pagan and Christian times.

"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" Seamus Heaney

Because the area represents such a long continuum of history - compared to other world famous monuments such as Stonehenge covering a shorter period of time - archaeologists say Tara is of extreme value in world terms.

Each generation has followed the next in their reverence for the area, allowing archaeological experts to tell the story of civilisation in Ireland, as well as historical and religious worship, through the messages in its landscape and the artefacts left in its soil.

Neither the National Roads Authority (NRA) nor the Irish minister for transport and local Meath TD Noel Dempsey were prepared to be interviewed for the documentary.

The NRA has said however, that the road was chosen after public consultation, and that its choice was influenced by a range of factors it has to consider, of which archaeology is only one.

Other factors such as the need to demolish homes, and to go through environmentally sensitive areas also had to be taken into account, the authority says.

But critics say that the area, because of its unique sacred and historical importance, should never have been contemplated as the route for the road in the first place.

'Ruthless'

Seamus Heaney in his first broadcast interview on the subject, told BBC Radio Ulster that the plan was a "ruthless desecration".

"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," he said.

"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."

The Nobel Laureate also said that under British rule in Ireland, Tara appeared to have more protection than in today's Irish Republic.

He said: "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 Arc 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."

Mr Heaney said that the Celtic Tiger was attacking the ancient symbol of Ireland, the harp.

"It will be a sort of signal that the priorities on these islands have changed, I mean the Tiger is now lashing its tail and smashing its way through the harp - the strings of the harp are being lashed by the tail of the tiger," he said.

Heaney said 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," he said.

"It's a word that conjures an aura - it conjures up what they call in Irish dúchas, a sense of belonging , a sense of patrimony, a sense of an ideal, an ideal of the spirit if you like, that belongs in the place and if anywhere in Ireland conjures that up - it's Tara - it's a mythical site of course.

"I mean the traces on Tara are in the grass, are in the earth - they aren't spectacular like temple ruins would be in the Parthenon in Greece but they are about origin, they're about beginning, they're about the mythological, spiritual source - a source and a guarantee of something old in the country and something that gives the country its distinctive spirit."

It was a government which decided that these monuments would be erased and cultural erasure is part of the game of war and buildings very often suffer from that
Dr Jonathan Foyle

Tara has been placed by the New York-headquartered World Monuments Fund (WMF) on its list of the world's 100 most endangered sites.

WMF UK chief executive Dr Jonathan Foyle was scathing of the Irish government's actions in routing the motorway through the valley, saying it ranked with the actions of the Taleban regime in Afghanistan.

"The World Monuments Fund watch list contains all sorts of endangered sites - this one actually reminds me of the Bamiyan Buddhas which were destroyed by the Taleban in 2001 against international uproar," said Dr Foyle.

"It was a government which decided that these monuments would be erased and cultural erasure is part of the game of war and buildings very often suffer from that.

"It's scarcely more creditable to say we will destroy a building which is of equal significance to the Bamiyan Buddhas - let's face it, this entire site is the equivalent of Stonehenge, Westminster Abbey for its royal associations, Canterbury for its Christian associations - all rolled into one."

Hundreds of academics, archaeologists and conservationist from around the world have written to the Irish government to register their opposition to the M3 route.

Twenty-seven members of the European Parliament have written to the government also, after a visit to the area by some resulted in a highly critical report of the project.

Legality

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.

These powers were granted after the government lost a battle in the Irish Supreme Court against archaeological campaigners over the destruction of another monument during the construction of part of the M50 motorway in Dublin.

A national monument at Lismullen close to Tara was discovered last year when an ancient "henge" or ceremonial temple was unearthed in the route of the M3 on 1 April, and then destroyed after its features were recorded.

While experts agreed the henge remnants could not be preserved once exposed, the European Commission is considering legal action over the European legality of Irish law relating to the powers the government has granted itself to destroy national monuments.

However, any action will not stop the road, well under construction by Irish and Spanish joint-venture SIAC Ferrovial, and expected to be completed within two years.

While Irish government politicians and supporters of the motorway such as business organisations frequently claim the road - and not the archaeologists - have the support of the majority of people, a recent opinion poll suggests the opposite. A national poll by Red C Research said that 62% opposed the route of the road, almost double the 32% in favour.

But whatever the views now, those who want to see the motorway come to Tara have won the day.

Future generations studying Tara will see the 21st century's major contribution to an area charting thousands of years of civilisation in Ireland was the new M3 motorway and its associated development.

Tar on Tara is broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster at 1430 GMT on Sunday 2 March.
Story from BBC NEWS:

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Expert Claims Road Authority Ignored Advice On Tara
By Paul Melia
The Irish Independent
27th. December 2007

AN EXPERT in charge of ensuring a national monument, discovered on the route of the controversial M3 motorway was properly excavated, has launched a blistering attack on the State and its agents.

Dr. Conor Newman, who stepped aside from the advisory committee on November 20th. last, accused the Government of ignoring expert advice about the significance of a 2,500-year-old monument found at Lismullin in Co. Meath.

And he said the road builders, the National Roads Authority, had "wrecked" the monument, which will be covered by a road in the coming weeks.

He said the NRA had ignored expert advice that anything discovered in the Tara Skryne Valley was associated with the Hill of Tara, widely acknowledged since early last century.

Earlier this year, a pagan ritual site was discovered along the route, and former environment minister Dick Roche ordered that the road be built over it following its excavation.

"I went up to give some advice on the monument. I wasn't going to play politics, but I felt I could stay on the committee to advise on the excavation", Dr. Newman said.

"When it got to the point where the excavation was nearing completion, I felt it was time to go".

"In spite of all the advice, they still forged ahead. We had a ridiculous situation of no willingness to adjust the road even slightly. The casualty has been the truth, and the objective assessment of the truth".

Environment Minister John Gormley said last night he was "sad" to hear of the decision, but it was something he "understood fully".

"I was conscious in asking him to serve on the committee that I was potentially putting him in an uncomfortable position because of his long-standing principled opposition to the road proposal", the minister said.

EU to take action over handling of Tara route for M3

The Irish Times
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Jamie Smyth, in Brussels

The European Commission is expected to begin legal action against the Government today over the manner in which it has proceeded to build the M3 motorway near the Hill of Tara.

The decision will provide a boost to campaigners who are trying to force Minister for the Environment John Gormley to consider re-routing the motorway.

The legal move is not expected to halt the construction of the road, but it will force the Government to defend its position at Europe's highest court, a process that could eventually lead to the imposition of fines if it loses the case.

Environment commissioner Stavros Dimas will tell his commissioner colleagues at a meeting in Brussels today that the National Monuments Act in the Republic does not offer enough protection for important archaeological sites.

He will also highlight alleged weaknesses in Irish law that split decision-making between Irish planning authorities and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for industrial projects.

He cites the Government's action at the Hill of Tara as a prime example of how it fails to conform to EU law. In a draft decision, which requires the approval of commissioners before taking effect, Mr Dimas refers Ireland to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over these shortcomings.

"The commission considers Ireland's approach to decisions involving the destruction or removal of historic structures and archaeological monuments to be in contravention of the directive," says an explanatory note on the decision seen by The Irish Times.

The relevant EU directive says there must be a proper assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment.

The commission believes a decision not to order a second environmental impact assessment when a potentially significant archaeological site was discovered at Lismullen, close to Tara, was "in contravention of the directive".

"Because the prehistoric site was only identified in 2008, its significance could not be taken into account in a 2003 assessment of the motorway project," says the commission's explanatory note.

Despite the EU executive's concerns, in June the Government ordered that the Lismullen site be excavated without a second environmental impact assessment. It said no delay was possible due to the fragile nature of the site.

But campaigners hoping the commission would intervene directly to force the Government to halt construction of the M3 may be disappointed. The draft commission decision refers only to weaknesses in Irish legislation and does not question the Government's choice of route for the M3. Neither does it seek any kind of court injunction that would force the Government to stop work on the motorway.

The Government has argued that the motorway is a vital piece of national infrastructure and choosing an alternative route for the M3 would cause delays and cost up to â‚¬200 million extra.

Campaigners have fought a vocal campaign against the motorway, which they claim will spoil the Hill of Tara for future generations.

The commission document claims that when decisions are being taken on proposed incinerators and other industrial projects, "Irish rules do not guarantee that interactions such as those between pollution-control measures and the landscape will be adequately assessed and taken into account.There are risks that outcomes required by the directive will not always be achieved," it concludes.

The commission decision to start legal action will force the Government to defend its position at the ECJ in Luxembourg.

If it loses the legal case and does not amend its laws to conform with the relevant EU directive, it could eventually face heavy fines.

Ireland currently faces 37 infringement proceedings for breaching environmental directives.

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Diggers close to the new national monument of Lismullin
Statement from the Campaign to Save Tara spokesperson,
Dr. Muireann Ni Bhrolchain
Wed Sep 12, 2007:

The Campaign to Save Tara has learned that there is an attempt at construction by the NRA (National Roads Authority) at Rath Lugh and Lismullin on the route of the M3.

This afternoon, diggers and lorries moved in at both ends of the new national monument and at Rath Lugh, a promentary fort and outpost of the Tara landscape. There are attempts being made to re-route the Gabhra River. Protesters have stopped the work by mounting the diggers. It is reported that the machines are within 50 metres of the national monument.

This is happening as the Petitions Committee is to meet tomorrow (13th September) and as the Government is due to respond to the EU’s reasoned opinion (final warning). The EU maintains that the Irish Government should have carried out another Environmental Impact Assessment when the new monument was discovered. This was not done.

The NRA and the Department of Transport are acting in advance of what may happen in Europe. Ireland cannot cherry pick the EU laws that they wish to adhere to. There is a history of such premature activity in the past as when trees were cut down in the dark in January. The monument at Baronstown was destroyed in the middle of the night in July just before documents released by Minister Gormley revealed that Dr Pat Wallace of the National Museum believed that it was as important as the monument at Lismullin.

Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin
http://www.savetara.com

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EU officials urge halt to Tara motorway work
Irish Examiner, breaking news
30 July 2007
EU officials have called on the Government to halt work on part of the M3 motorway after concern was expressed about the impact on newly discovered ruins at the Hill of Tara, it emerged today.

In a letter to Minister for the Environment John Gormley, chairman of the union’s petitions committee Marcin Libicki said that in light of the 2000-year old ruins found at Lismullin, work on that section of the project should be halted and a route review carried out. The committee received a number of protest letters about the motorway route from Irish environmentalists.

Earlier this month, MEP Kathy Sinnott claimed the construction work was illegal as under EU law, the project needed an Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA). While one was carried out in 2003 it was done on the basis that no national monument lay in the motorway’s path.

A spokesman for Mr Gormley said the minister’s concern was the proper excavation of the Lismullin ruins and he is seeking legal advice on the EIA. “Several members [of the committee] voiced concerns about recent developments related to the M3 project at Tara and Lismullin and the Skryne Valley,” Mr Libicki wrote. “Many members, including myself, share the view that in the light of the discovery of previously unrecorded, yet vitally important archaeology on the current route at Lismullin and nearby, urgent action is needed to halt existing works in this area and to review the routing of this section of the M3 motorway.”

The Lismullin site, thought to be more than 2000 years old, was discovered during work on the road project in April and was later given national monument status. In one of his final acts of office, former Minister for the Environment Dick Roche controversially signed an order of preservation by record for the site, meaning the prehistoric henge would be photographed, sketched and measured before being razed to make way for the motorway.

Following advice from the Attorney General, Mr Gormley said he had no power to review the order and state archaeologists claimed the ruins were too fragile to be preserved.

Mr Libicki said Europe’s common heritage must be protected. “I am very much aware of the fact that there are many complex factors to be taken account of in ordering a review but I trust the outcome will be a decision which complies with Ireland’s obligations under EU law and which respects and protects a most important feature of Europe’s common heritage,” he wrote.

A spokesman for Mr Gormley said an immediate reply was issued to the letter, in which he stressed his powerlessness to re-route the motorway, but reiterated his desire to properly excavate the fragile Lismullin ruins. He added construction work at the site had been suspended during excavation and that legal advice was being sought over the EIA requirements.

Meanwhile Ms Sinnott called on the Government to stop all work in the Tara vicinity immediately. “I urge Minister Gormley, who I know has a great personal concern for Ireland’s heritage to make that concern public and join me and the Petitions Committee in forcing the Government to suspend all works around Tara until the legal issues are resolved,” she said. “This Government must be prevented from destroying an important part of our heritage.”

Burial ground razed by M3 workers, claim protesters
5 July 2007

An ancient burial ground near the Hill of Tara in Co Meath was razed to the ground during overnight work on the controversial M3 motorway, environmentalists claimed today.

Protesters arrived at the archaeological ruins early yesterday morning to find the Baronstown monument, a massive Bronze Age settlement and burial ground, destroyed after machinery moved in. They claim earth movers stripped the site at around 4am on Wednesday.

The complex dates back 4,000 years and the Campaign to Save Tara group claimed it had been recommended for National Monument status by on-site archaeologists.

The protesters also said former Minister for the Environment Dick Roche rejected the application. "That they are destroying our heritage under cover of darkness says it all," said campaigner Dr Muireann Ni Bhrolchain. She reiterated calls for the Government to order construction work at Tara to stop until a new archaeological committee set up by Environment Minister John Gormley completes its work. Chaired by Hill of Tara expert Dr Conor Newman, an archaeology professor from NUI Galway, it is charged with overseeing excavation work at the newly discovered National Monument at Lismullen, a few miles from the Baronstown site. Dr Newman is an outspoken critic of the proposed M3 motorway route.

Protesters have been urging Mr Gormley to review the documentation regarding the archaeological project in the Tara Valley. "We demand that the Government calls a moratorium on all construction work in the Gabhra Valley at least until the new committee convened by Minister John Gormley has submitted its deliberations and until the EU Petitions Committee who visited Tara also submit their report," Dr Ni Bhrolchain said.

Protester Michael Canny said the work on the Baronstown site was a disgrace. "If he had taken our advice perhaps another piece of our irreplaceable national heritage would not have been bulldozed," Mr Canny said. "No previous administration or directives can be blamed for this latest disgrace." Protesters also claimed daily stand-offs with construction workers at several sites near Tara are becoming increasingly tense.

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Ancient "Royal Temple" Discovered in Path of Ireland Highway
James Owen for National Geographic News
May 15, 2007

The discovery of a major prehistoric site where experts believe an open-air royal temple once stood has stalled construction of a controversial four-lane highway in Ireland.

A large circular enclosure estimated to be at least 2,000 years old was exposed at Lismullin in County Meath, by road-builders working on a 37-mile-long (60-kilometer-long) road northwest of Dublin (see map of Ireland).

The find is located just 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) from the Hill of Tara, once the seat of power of Ireland's Celtic kings, and likely represents a ritual site, according to government archaeologists attached to the road project.

The new road is intended to ease congestion along a busy commuter route to Dublin but is fiercely opposed by campaigners who say it threatens a treasure trove of ancient remains.

Work was halted last month after archaeologists with the National Roads Authority (NRA) reported a large timber monument 80 meters (262 feet) in diameter, with a 16-meter-round (52-foot-round) structure inside thought to have been a temple.

Artifacts unearthed at the site include a stone axe head, a pottery fragment, and an ornamental pin. An ancient buried dog was also excavated nearby.

Archaeologists say the monument probably formed part of an important ceremonial complex centred on the Hill of Tara, where remains date back to the Stone Age.

Archaeologist Joe Fenwick of the National University of Ireland, Galway, described the Hill of Tara as Ireland's equivalent of Stonehenge or Egypt's Pyramids.

"It's commonly recognized that this valley [where the new site was found] is part of Tara, which is the pre-eminent archaeological site of our nation," he said.

Hill of Tara

The monument's valley setting and the small number of artifacts recovered so far suggest the enclosure was a ritual site rather than a human settlement, the NRA team said.

"Its low-lying position means you have no view once you're inside the monument, so you wouldn't have seen anyone approaching," said Mary Deevy, NRA chief archaeologist.

"This would be unusual for a prehistoric settlement. They are usually found on hilltops."

National University's Fenwick agreed that the enclosure seems to have had a ceremonial link to Ireland's prehistoric royal sites.

"The thing that gives it away is this funnel-shaped approach from the east between the outer and inner enclosures," Fenwick said.

"This is a recurring feature at all the major royal sites where you have a circular temple."

Ceremonies and worship performed at these monuments may have been related to cosmology and royal inauguration, he said.

(Watch a related video: "Ireland's Mysterious Newgrange Tomb.)

The site has yet to be precisely dated, but most experts believe it was in use some time after 1000 B.C.

"No matter what date the monument turns out as, we'll be able to link it to some phase of activity on the Hill of Tara," NRA's Deevy said.

Will the Road Go On?

"The chosen motorway route, unfortunately, goes right through the heart of this landscape," Fenwick added.

NRA officials have declared the Lismullin site a national monument, but this does not ensure its protection.

Legislation introduced in 2004 allows for national monuments to be "destroyed" if the environment minister considers such action "in the public interest."

"A lot of people think that this is what's going to happen," Fenwick said.

The Irish government is currently considering its options. Reports suggest the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin is urging a complete archaeological investigation of the site.

Meanwhile, activists are questioning why the Lismullin monument wasn't detected earlier, before the route was given the go-ahead, and are calling for the road to be rerouted.

Vincent Salafia of the nonprofit historic preservation group TaraWatch said the ancient enclosure is "without doubt a national monument of world significance. It would be a sin to demolish it."

Fenwick, the National University archaeologist, said: "It's not enough to reroute just around this particular site. People would argue that the motorway should be rerouted out of [what was] the royal domain of Tara altogether."

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Minister should change direction
Irish Examiner - Letter to the Editor
16 May 2007
IT comes as little surprise that after the mechanical soil-stripping in advance of motorway construction, yet more archaeological monuments have come to light in the Gabhra Valley - among them the extensive archaeological complex at Lismullin.

Central to this complex is the large hengiform enclosure, the sole monument along the entire M3 corridor that the NRA (in consultation with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government) has felt compelled to declare a national monument.

But what brought about this Pauline conversion on the road to Dublin for the NRA/Environment Department, and why this particular monument and not the others in the Gabhra Valley, each of which is an integral part of Tara and its royal demesne (ferann ríg).

Far from a momentary flash of enlightenment, one must suspect that the truth lies in the fact that the extraordinary significance of this monument simply could not be dismissed, downgraded or denied. In this instance, the direct parallels to the hengiform monument at Lismullin are to be found on each the other major prehistoric royal sites of Navan Fort, Co Armagh, Knockaulin, Co Kildare and Rathcroghan, Co Roscommon.

If incontrovertible proof were required to demonstrate beyond any doubt that this short section of the M3 is impacting directly on Tara, then surely this is it.

Environment Minister Dick Roche is faced with a stark choice - to move the M3 away from the Gabhra Valley thus avoiding Tara’s core archaeological landscape or to exercise his discretionary powers under the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 2004 and grant the NRA his permission to ‘destroy’ this national monument — a monument that even the NRA and his own Department have conceded is an integral part of Tara.

Having set the precedent of moving a road to accommodate the Viking-age national monument at Woodstown, Co Waterford, perhaps the minister will again find the courage and conviction to do the same for Tara.

Joe Fenwick
Archaeology Department
NUI Galway

Massive Henge Discovery at Tara!
Wednesday, 2 May, 2007

Click here for the full story.

An Taisce appeals Tara motorway order
Irish Times
Friday, April 27, 2007

An Taisce has brought an appeal to the Supreme Court against the High Court's refusal to permit it to challenge the legality of the development of the M3 Clonee to Kells motorway near the Hill of Tara, Co Meath.

The High Court refused leave earlier this month to bring the action, which could have major implications not just for the M3 but other proposed road schemes.

John Rogers SC, for An Taisce, yesterday told the Chief Justice, Mr Justice John Murray, that an appeal was being brought against that refusal. He would also be seeking an early hearing of that appeal, which he estimated would take two hours.

The Chief Justice said the Supreme Court would fix a date for hearing at a later stage and suggested that counsel consider whether submissions should be filed.

In its action, An Taisce contends the National Roads Authority unlawfully approved on March 13th last its own tolling scheme for the motorway and now proposed to enter into a public-private partnership to that effect without having met necessary statutory requirements under the Roads Act 1993.

The proposed tolling scheme was prepared despite the express opposition of Meath County Council which must, under law, be consulted about any such plan, it also claims. In promoting and pursuing the construction of the M3 motorway scheme in the absence of the necessary approved plan, the Minister for Transport, it is contended, has also acted unlawfully, unreasonably and in excess of his powers.

If An Taisce succeeds in its Supreme Court appeal and gets leave to bring the challenge, it will have significant implications, not just for the M3 but for other road schemes as it is claimed the NRA has breached its statutory duty under section 18 of the Roads Act to prepare and adopt, once every five years, a draft plan for the construction and maintenance of national roads.

Among the reliefs sought in the proposed action is an order that the NRA cannot take any steps for the implementation of a tolling scheme intended to finance the M3 until the draft plan has been prepared and adopted under section 18.

In an affidavit, Ian Lumley, national heritage officer with An Taisce, said that of all the developments currently contemplated, the M3 Clonee to Kells motorway was "probably the most significant in terms of its likely adverse effects".

The motorway was likely to have a significant adverse impact on a great range of different environmental issues, in particular the national monument on the Hill of Tara and the Tara/Skryne valley, which is of international and worldwide importance, the River Boyne, expressly designated as being of European importance, and a series of landscapes classified as high amenity.

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Delays in enacting EU directives
by Miriam Donohoe
Irish Times Tuesday, April 10, 2007

More than one-third of the 96 EU directives waiting to be transposed into Irish law are overdue for implementation, new figures reveal.

The Government departments with the worst record for implementation of directives are Transport, Environment and Finance.

Each of these departments has seven directives overdue.

Details of the state of play of EU directives awaiting transposition across all Government departments were given to Fine Gael TD Bernard Allen in a recent series of written Dáil replies to questions.

In the Department of Transport, one directive relating to "occurrence reporting in civil aviation" is almost two years late.

Another directive, on the safety of third-country aircraft using community airports, was due on April 30th, while a directive on the training of drivers of certain road vehicles was due on September 10th,
2006.

According to the department, "every effort is being made" to have the directives implemented at the earliest possible date.

Meanwhile, a directive relating to the emission of gaseous pollutants from internal combustion engines, due in August 2004, has still not been implemented by the Department of the Environment.

A directive on the emissions limit of "volatile organic compounds" in the use of organic paints and varnishes is overdue since last October, while a directive on the sulphur content of marine fuels due last August has still not been implemented.

One of the five directives overdue in the Department of Health relates to labelling of cosmetic products. It was due on January 1st.

All Government departments report every month to the Interdepartmental Committee on European Affairs, chaired by Minister of State Noel Treacy, on the status of outstanding directives.

EU DIRECTIVES:
State of play in various departments

Environment:
Ten directives to be implemented. Seven are overdue, including one on the emission of gaseous and particulate pollutants from engines in non-road mobile machinery, and another on the sulphur content of marine fuels.

Transport:
There are 17 directives to be implemented and 34 directives which have been partially implemented. Of the 17 directives to be implemented, seven are overdue including one training drivers of certain road vehicles.

Finance:
There are 12 directives to be implemented. Seven are overdue, most relating to the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU.

Health:
Nine directives to be implemented. Five are overdue. Two relate to the sale of herbal medicinal products, two to labelling of cosmetic products and the fifth to emission of gaseous and particulate pollutants from engines resulting from the accession of Bulgaria and Romania.

Communications:
Ten directives to be implemented. Three are overdue. The department didn't specify which directives these are.

Enterprise:
There are 16 directives to be implemented. Three are overdue. They include one on harmonisation of measuring instruments and another on the involvement of employees in a European Co-operative Society.

Agriculture:
There are 13 directives to be implemented. Three have been overdue since the end of March including one on the use of ova and embryos in pure-bred breeding animals.

Education:
One directive to be implemented and it is not overdue.

Justice:
Eight directives to be implemented. None are overdue.
The Departments of Defence, Community and Rural Affairs, Social Affairs, Arts, Foreign Affairs, and Taoiseach have no directives outstanding.

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An Taisce in court bid to halt new motorway
© The Irish Independent, 31st .March 2007

A court challenge to the legality of the new M3 motorway near the Hill of Tara is to be brought by An Taisce. The heritage organisation will seek permission from the High Court next week to bring an action challenging the development of the M3 Clonee to Kells motorway.

The case could have major implications for not just the M3 but other proposed road schemes.

It is claimed the National Roads Authority unlawfully approved on March 13th. its own tolling scheme for the motorway. It allegedly plans to enter into a public-private partnership without having met necessary statutory requirements under the Roads Act 1993.

Tolling

The proposed tolling scheme was prepared despite the opposition of Meath County Council members who must, under law, be consulted about any such plan, it is claimed.

In pursuing the construction of the M3 motorway scheme in the absence of the necessary approved plan, the Transport Minister had allegedly also acted in excess of his powers. In an affidavit, Ian Lumley, national heritage officer with An Taisce, said that, of all the developments currently contemplated, the M3 Clonee to Kells motorway was "probably the most significant in terms of its likely adverse effects".

The motorway was likely to adversely impact on a great range of different environmental issues. These included the national monument on the Hill of Tara and the Tara/Skyrne valley, which was of worldwide importance.

Other affected areas could include the River Boyne and landscapes classified as high amenity and therefore of national importance.

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St Patrick's Day shame for Dublin government
Irish Republican News
http://republican-news.org/subs

Part of the ancient Irish capital of Tara dating from the seventh century has been dismantled this week to make way for the controversial M3 motorway.

Campaigners spoke of the irony of the development in advance of celebrations over the St Patrick's Day weekend.

The saint is directly associated with the area through various legends, such as the lighting of a Pascal fire on the hill of Slane nearby.

Vincent Salafia of the TaraWatch group said Roestown should have been listed as a national monument, and accused the NRA of having "rushed in and demolished the site" before it had a chance of receiving protected status.

"This is the St Patrick's Day gift that the Irish Government has given to Irish people around the world," he said. "While the Government Ministers are swanning around the globe preaching the gospel of climate change, at home they are advancing one of the most environmentally and culturally damaging projects ever conceived."

The buildings at Roestown, on one of the largest historical sites discovered along the proposed route, were logged and then dismantled by a team from the National Roads Authority (NRA) in advance of work on the road.

Dating back 1,300 years, they are the first stone archaeological features to be taken down as part of the motorway project.

Vehement protests and legal actions have so far failed to dissuade the Dublin government from building the new highway through the renowned Tara-Skyrme valley site.

Historians and archaeologists attached to the 'Save Tara' campaign said the buildings, just north of Dunshaughlin, were likely part of a royal site and therefore directly linked to the Hill of Tara.

Celtic scholar Dr Muireann Ni Bhrolchain said the discovery of artefacts, including gaming board, indicated a "very high class site, probably inhabited by a king". Under Celtic laws the use of such gaming boards was confined to royalty.

She said Roestown was one of four major ancient sites discovered along the route and backs up claims by a number of experts that the area of royal Tara was much larger than the hill itself and extended along the Tara Skryne Valley, through the proposed route of the motorway.

"What the archaeologists working for the NRA have uncovered are the living places and the burial places of the people associated with Tara," she said.

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Contracts for construction of M3 signed
Tim O'Brien
Irish Times
Thursday, March 8, 2007

Contracts for the construction of one of the State's most expensive motorway sections yet, the controversial M3 motorway in Co Meath, have been signed by Siac Ferrovial and the National Roads Authority. The cost of the road, including land, is €900 million.

Siac Ferrovial, an Irish-Spanish consortium trading as Eurolink, has already commenced preparatory works and has moved machinery on to a site compound at Dunshaughlin. Construction of the 60km of motorway and 50km of ancillary roads is now expected to get under way in earnest. A spokesman for Minister for the Environment Dick Roche said there were no outstanding issues in relation to archaeology to delay the start of the project.

At €900 million, the road is more expensive than all schemes so far except the upgrade of the M50 where the addition of a third lane and upgrade of the junctions is expected to cost €1 billion. In comparison, Dublin Port Tunnel cost some €750 million - although the contractor is seeking additional payments - and the Shannon Tunnel in Limerick has a projected cost of about €570 million. The South Eastern Motorway, the most expensive section of the M50, cost about €500 million.

Opponents of the M3 have not ruled out another legal challenge and in the last month transport researcher Brian Guckian has lodged complaints against Ireland with the European Commission and the European Parliament over four Irish motorway projects, including the M3. He told The Irish Times yesterday his complaint related to defects in the environmental impact assessments of the M3, the proposed M7/M8
motorway in the midlands, the Monkstown Ring Road in south Dublin and two schemes on the N6/M6 between Athlone and Galway.

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Greens in Govt.- would halt work on motorway
The Meath Chronicle, 3rd. March 2007

THE weekend's Green Party Ard-Fheis passed a motion calling for work on the M3 motorway to halt immediately, following a motion proposed by Seán Ó Buachalla, the party's Meath East general election candidate.

The motion read: "We believe that this road is unacceptable from a sustainable planning, environmental, and archaeological perspective. We believe that, at the very least, this motorway should be immediately halted and that in its place the rebuilding of the rail-link from Dublin to Navan and improvements in bus services should be prioritised over the development of new roads that may be planned".

Dr. Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin of Save Tara has welcomed the motion, saying that with the Green Party likely to hold the balance of power after the general election, Tara's future looks somewhat more positive.

Meanwhile, transport researcher Brian Guckian has forwarded a complaint on breaches of the EU Directive on Environmental Impact Assessment regarding the M3 to the European Commission. Mr. Guckian has previously lodged a petition on the same issues with the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament, who have ruled it admissible and are currently investigating the matter.
Mr. Guckian reiterated that the central issue was the failure to adequately and correctly study alternative routes during the planning process for the M3 scheme, which is a central requirement of the EU Directive on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). He said that alternatives had been interpreted in an extremely limited and inadequate fashion, by simply examining alternative routes for the proposed road.

An Bord Pleanála had granted permission for the scheme in spite of this central failure in the planning process, he said, but the legal process in Ireland was arranged so that concerned citizens could not feasibly challenge the law in these matters due to the very high costs involved, which in itself was another breach of the EU Directive, which required that citizens must have access to justice in planning matters at reasonable cost.

Letter to the Meath Chronicle
by JOE FENWICK,
Department of Archaeology,
National University of Ireland, Galway

Meath Chronicle, Saturday January 27th 2007

Tara 'sold to highest bidder'?

Dear sir - It is rather depressing that only now, somewhat late in the day, Meath County Council has become united in its opposition to the M3 twice-tolled motorway. For motorists obliged to use this motorway for commuting purposes the daily toll will amount to e5.20 (or e26.00 a week). But the multiple tolls are only part of the price we, as Irish citizens, will be obliged to pay.

Tara is internationally recognised as a symbol of our nationhood. It is a cultural icon and part of our world heritage. Yet this motorway, and interchange at the very foot of the hill, is destined to gouge its way through Tara's Gabhra Valley and irrevocably undermine the physical integrity of this landscape forever. A rash of secondary development that will inevitably come in its wake will compound the damage still further.

It appears that Tara has been sold to the highest bidder, a business consortium that will stand to reap a substantial profit at our inestimable loss. To add insult to injury, each time we pass through the M3's toll-plaza barriers, we will do so in the knowledge that part of our money will be used to offset the costs of this cultural desecration.

The real toll will be more than monetary; it will be at the expense of our self-respect as a people and dignity as a nation.

Yours,
JOE FENWICK,
Department of Archaeology,
NUI, Galway