8th Jan 2008 - the International Day of Protest against the destruction at Tara

 

 

8th jan - it DID happen and it was wonderful  - not vast in numbers but in spirit - Laoise was on the front page of the Irish News - more details when I get time to update this  - and when I get back to earth enough to write properly -

 

 

- but this is the radio broadcast that went out on Good Morning Ulster 

- click to play   

  text of the poem that Roma read   - WB Yeats  , September 1913  http://www.bartleby.com/147/5.html

 

 

 

IRISH NEWS

9th Jan 2008
CAMPAIGNERS WALK ON GIANT'S RING IN PROTEST OVER TARA

By Margaret Canning

THE plaintive melody of Thomas Moore's The Harp That Once Through Tara's
Halls wafted in the bitterly cold air at a prehistoric site in south
Belfast yesterday. Around 15 protestors came to the Giant's Ring during
a day of protest across Ireland at part of the new M3 motorway between
Dublin and Cavan being built over the Hill of Tara, the seat of ancient
kings of Ireland. There were poetry readings, song
and harp recitals at noon as the protestors gathered round the dolmen in
the centre of the Giant's Ring. The campaigners said the Belfast site
was chosen because of its similarities to Lismullin, a woodhenge found
near the Hill of Tara.
Stephanie Sim, joined by her oneyear-old son Amharghin, condemned the
widespread building of new roads. "Is an ugly grey sprawl to replace the
forty shades of green? Is Ireland to become a soulless, oil-dependent
suburb?," she said.
SDLP assembly member Carmel Hanna, who joined the protest, called the
hill of Tara "the heart and soul of Ireland". "It is one of the most if
not the most historic sites we have," she said. "I sympathise with
commuters who face a long journey to Dublin and back but I believe the
government should invest more in sustainable forms of transport such as
railways by reopening the Navan to Dublin railway, or move out the
motorway by seven kilometres."
Laoise Kelly said she came because the Hill of Tara was "the home of
harps". She was joined by mother and daughter harpists Marie and Ursula
Burns. Marie Burns said she had played at the Giant's Ring at 8am
yesterday, accompanying actress Roma Tomelty as she recited WB Yeats's
September 1913 , a condemnation of materialism and the death of
`romantic Ireland'.

click on small pictures for larger versions
 
 

 

 

Stephanie's Blog  -   

 

 

 more pictures etc -  

 

 

Link to film http://www.in.tv/news296.php

 

Pictures from the film

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come."   --  Victor Hugo

 

     

 

 

"There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come."   --  Victor Hugo

 

     

 

 

 

Steer well clear of Tara, say MEPs

10 January 2008

THE Tara landscape is one of Ireland’s and Europe’s most precious historical archaeological sites, but it is now in the process of being destroyed to facilitate the construction of a motorway.


The European Commission has warned the Irish Government that its plans to build the M3 four-lane motorway through the archaeologically rich Tara-Skryne valley are illegal within European law. The commission is taking proceedings against the Government.

The Tara landscape has been placed on the World Monuments Fund of most endangered sites.


We are also aware of a joint letter signed internationally by more than 300 academics stating that the royal estate of Tara is not just a central part of Irish heritage, but is of significant importance on a world heritage scale.

We, the undersigned members of the European Parliament, are alarmed at the Irish Government’s destruction in July 2007 of the large early medieval settlement site at Baronstown in the Tara-Skryne valley. Most shockingly, this important archaeological site was demolished by motorway construction workers in the middle of the night.

We also wish to express our deep concern about the future of the Celtic temple at Lismullen — a site with national monument status which is also planned to be demolished by the Irish Government.

Urgent action is needed to urge the Irish Government to prevent the destruction of more of our common European heritage.

As was the case at Baronstown, and as is planned for Lismullen, thousands of years of our shared European culture can be wiped out in a few hours, and once gone, can never be replaced.

Given that the path of the planned M3 motorway is so rich in important archaeological monuments, we strongly urge the Irish Government to alter the current motorway route and to choose from the other available routes and viable options for the M3 motorway instead, thereby balancing progress with conservation.

It is of the utmost importance that steps be taken to prevent the destruction of any further ancient monuments which are part of our shared European heritage. We believe the Tara landscape should be preserved fully intact as the European cultural and heritage treasure that it so clearly is.

Signed by MEPs:
Kathy Sinnott, Mary Lou McDonald, Marian Harkin, Bairbre de Brún
Ireland
Nirj Deva, Roger Helmer, Sarah Ludford, Edward McMillan Scott, Den Dover, Timothy Kirkhope, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne
Britain
Bas Belder, Johannes Blokland
Netherlands
Carlos José, Iturgaiz Angulo
Spain
Witold Tomczak
Poland
Marios Matsakis
Cyprus
Raymond Langendries
Belgium
Margrete Aukenn, Jens Peter, Bonde, Mogens NJ Cambre
Denmark
Hiltrud Breyer, Helmuth Markov, Feleknas Uca, Sahra Wagenknecht
Germany
Miroslav Mikolasik
Sweden
Maria Carlshamre
Slovakia

http://www.irishexaminer.com/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-qqqg=opinion-qqqm=opinion-qqqa=general-qqqid=52218-qqqx=1.asp

 

 

 

DUBLIN


Protests at M3 construction on Lismullin site

Irish Times
9 January 2007

Olivia Kelly

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.

McDonald calls on Gormley to 'comply with European Commission'
08/01/2008 - 18:42:19

Sinn Féin MEP Mary Lou McDonald today called on Minister for the
Environment John Gormley to comply with European Commission demands
and order a new Environmental Impact Assessment on the M3 at Tara.

Ms McDonald joined several dozen demonstrators in today at the
TaraWatch demonstration at the Garden of Remembrance, unfurling an M3
mock up at the gates of the garden of Remembrance.

Gardaí locked the gates of the park permission was refused to hold
the demonstration inside.

Demonstrations are also taking place in Belfast, New York, Chicago
and San Francisco today, which marks the beginning of a series of
protests that will continue up until St Patrick's Day.

Ms McDonald also called on Gormley to explain why the Department of
the Environment had told the public that the Lismullin national
monument would be handed over by the NRA to SIAC construction today,
January 8, and then the NRA actually handed the site over on December
18.

"The Minister has flouted EU law since he came into office, by
refusing to conduct a dew Environmental Impact Assessment on Tara,"
said McDonald.

"The Green Party Minister for the Environment has completely adopted
the Fianna Fáil position and rejected demands by Environment
Commissioner, Stavros Dimas, to re-assess the damage being done to
heritage there."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steer well clear of Tara, say MEPs

10 January 2008

THE Tara landscape is one of Ireland’s and Europe’s most precious historical archaeological sites, but it is now in the process of being destroyed to facilitate the construction of a motorway.


The European Commission has warned the Irish Government that its plans to build the M3 four-lane motorway through the archaeologically rich Tara-Skryne valley are illegal within European law. The commission is taking proceedings against the Government.

The Tara landscape has been placed on the World Monuments Fund of most endangered sites.


We are also aware of a joint letter signed internationally by more than 300 academics stating that the royal estate of Tara is not just a central part of Irish heritage, but is of significant importance on a world heritage scale.

We, the undersigned members of the European Parliament, are alarmed at the Irish Government’s destruction in July 2007 of the large early medieval settlement site at Baronstown in the Tara-Skryne valley. Most shockingly, this important archaeological site was demolished by motorway construction workers in the middle of the night.

We also wish to express our deep concern about the future of the Celtic temple at Lismullen — a site with national monument status which is also planned to be demolished by the Irish Government.

Urgent action is needed to urge the Irish Government to prevent the destruction of more of our common European heritage.

As was the case at Baronstown, and as is planned for Lismullen, thousands of years of our shared European culture can be wiped out in a few hours, and once gone, can never be replaced.

Given that the path of the planned M3 motorway is so rich in important archaeological monuments, we strongly urge the Irish Government to alter the current motorway route and to choose from the other available routes and viable options for the M3 motorway instead, thereby balancing progress with conservation.

It is of the utmost importance that steps be taken to prevent the destruction of any further ancient monuments which are part of our shared European heritage. We believe the Tara landscape should be preserved fully intact as the European cultural and heritage treasure that it so clearly is.

Signed by MEPs:
Kathy Sinnott, Mary Lou McDonald, Marian Harkin, Bairbre de Brún
Ireland
Nirj Deva, Roger Helmer, Sarah Ludford, Edward McMillan Scott, Den Dover, Timothy Kirkhope, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne
Britain
Bas Belder, Johannes Blokland
Netherlands
Carlos José, Iturgaiz Angulo
Spain
Witold Tomczak
Poland
Marios Matsakis
Cyprus
Raymond Langendries
Belgium
Margrete Aukenn, Jens Peter, Bonde, Mogens NJ Cambre
Denmark
Hiltrud Breyer, Helmuth Markov, Feleknas Uca, Sahra Wagenknecht
Germany
Miroslav Mikolasik
Sweden
Maria Carlshamre
Slovakia

http://www.irishexaminer.com/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-qqqg=opinion-qqqm=opinion-qqqa=general-qqqid=52218-qqqx=1.asp

 

 

 

DUBLIN


Protests at M3 construction on Lismullin site

Irish Times
9 January 2007

Olivia Kelly

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.

McDonald calls on Gormley to 'comply with European Commission'
08/01/2008 - 18:42:19

Sinn Féin MEP Mary Lou McDonald today called on Minister for the
Environment John Gormley to comply with European Commission demands
and order a new Environmental Impact Assessment on the M3 at Tara.

Ms McDonald joined several dozen demonstrators in today at the
TaraWatch demonstration at the Garden of Remembrance, unfurling an M3
mock up at the gates of the garden of Remembrance.

Gardaí locked the gates of the park permission was refused to hold
the demonstration inside.

Demonstrations are also taking place in Belfast, New York, Chicago
and San Francisco today, which marks the beginning of a series of
protests that will continue up until St Patrick's Day.

Ms McDonald also called on Gormley to explain why the Department of
the Environment had told the public that the Lismullin national
monument would be handed over by the NRA to SIAC construction today,
January 8, and then the NRA actually handed the site over on December
18.

"The Minister has flouted EU law since he came into office, by
refusing to conduct a dew Environmental Impact Assessment on Tara,"
said McDonald.

"The Green Party Minister for the Environment has completely adopted
the Fianna Fáil position and rejected demands by Environment
Commissioner, Stavros Dimas, to re-assess the damage being done to
heritage there."