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weekly paste-up of some news and links arising from the campaign to Save the Tara Valley NOT comprehensive -please see other sites on the Links page - but hope it may be useful ~   xxx marcella   please refresh page when revisiting because      it  MAY HAVE CHANGED !

Jan 8th International Day of Protest    what happened -      details and picturesand links to interviews  -     Tara Petition  -     download as pdf -

North - at the Giants Ring - near Belfast click on picture for interview

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."

Navan rail line 100% certain, says Dempsey Ann Casey reports MINISTER for Transport Noel Dempsey yesterday (Tuesday) swept aside doubts expressed by Iarnrod Eireann on Monday about the viability of reopening the Navan-Dublin rail line and declared that he was "100 per cent" behind the project. "It will happen," Mr Dempsey told the Meath Chronicle, hours after the rail company briefed Meath County councillors that the next phase of the reopening of the line, costing €578, was "not financially viable" and "would require the full capital costs to be borne by the Government". He said that Iarnrod Eireann`s approach to the project had been "extremely conservative", and quoted the scoping study which had clearly stated that the project was a valuable one which would justify the use of public funds. The minister also said that the company had taken a very conservative view of projected population figures along the route using 2002 census figures. Eighty-five per cent of the forecast population increase would have to be realised in Navan, Dunshaughlin and Kilmessan before the project could proceed. "Not only did they use 2002 census figures, but they did not take into account the projected population growth in Trim, which is expected to go from 7,000 to 17,000 in 10 to 15 years, and similar growth in Kells," added Mr Dempsey  MORE               Update on this story - HERE