Tara/ Belfast Update 05
first thing
there will be an All -Ireland Green Party
conference on Saturday - tommorow
at the Wellington Park Hotel , Belfast
I think we have to picket that - Silently or
whatever -but we have to be there
it is difficult as I am sure that we all
support green policies
and wish any party that promotes them well
but John Gormley IS the Minister in charge of
protecting Environment and Heritage in the South
- which - in the case of Tara and the Gabhra
Valley - he is not doing
and if this is an All Ireland conference - then
this is our business too - and we CANT let this go without drawing attention to
it
this is link to the article about the
woodhenge at Lismullin - by the Government archaeologist even !
The Elusive Iron Age:
a rare and exciting site type is uncovered
at Lismullin, Co. Meath
declared a National Monument
declared one of the 10 most important archaeological
discoveries worldwide
and - currently being bulldozed
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- and however much it " isnt his fault " - "
out of his hands " - part of a deal to get into "power" etc - he is STILL the
Minister in charge of Heritage
and the woodhenge at Lismullin - described above
- IS being destroyed at the moment
This valley - so rich in both Myth and History
from EVERY age - famous over the world but not even officially a World Heritage
Site
...why ......why .......why .......NOT
?
So much yet to be learned from it - and so
beautiful - peaceful and quiet
destroyed to go under a motorway to carry traffic
into an already traffic-choked city
- planning increasing car-dependency
And there the railway is STILL lying derelict
Tara is not just ONE issue that can be set aside
and traded off - for a new design of lightbulb or something
- Tara is centrally relevant to ALL " green "
issues
... the Past - the Present and the
Future
and what is gone is destroyed forever ...and what
is going , WILL be gone
so - we will picket the Green Party Conference at
the Wellington Park Hotel tommorow - please join us if you can
especially for when they go in - at 9 am
and when they go and come back after lunch - from 1 pm
perhaps -
second thing
the Day of Solidarity at the Causeway and at Dun
Sobhairce / Dunseverick
is not postponed - but slightly
Janet O' Hagan who many of us will know - or know
of - will do a ceremony to open up the old Spirit Paths
to Tara in one direction - and to Iona and the
Isles in the other
just sure she is the right person to do this
but she isnt free until the Ist March - my
fault for not planning but there it is -
so there will still be a minibus going up to the
Coast - leaving at 11am from the Writers Square opposite St Annes cathedral
but it will be more in the way of checking out
the lay of the land around the Causeway Coast - seing how it feels and seeing if
it is possible to walk between the Causeway and Dunseverick etc etc
and it will still be twelve quid as we have to
pay Eddie for petrol and for driving us
- should still be a good day there though
and we will take some banners - music - walk -
and whatever
but not a big ceremony
We may light candles to comemorate the graves -
both Pagan and Christian that this motorway is being built over in the Gabhra
Valley - 30 at Ardsallagh including children - 2 at Lismullin - 62 at
Collierstown in two layers of burials - first a battlefield and then a Chistian
burial ground built over it etc etc etc etc
- and something to do with Tara - it will be
clearer when we are there
will be a good place to be though - Tara things
always are
anyway
tommorow - Saturday outside the Green Party
Conference at the Wellington Park Hotel , Malone Road
Sunday at 11 am - the Writers Square opposite St
Annes Cathedral - twelve quid - kids less - ring me if you want to be sure of a
place
or if you have a car with spaces - ring me too -
and we will meet up at the coast - bring woolly clothes - maybe a flask - and
wear boots !
; )
anita
tel 02890 802842
mob 07944969373
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oh - new court case
and some comments from the SaveTara discussion -
assuming that everyone involved now realises this is a planning disaster and is
looking for a way out ....
Having gotten up to speed on the National Monument
Act's 2004 Amendment, I
believe that our time can best be spent working on
and
publicizing/promoting through leaflets, fliers and demonstrations,
one of
4 projects:
1. On the ground resistance action- essential to
slowing the process to give the other actions time to succeed.
2. The
Meath MASTER Plan, which very importantly still involves a big money road
contract for SIAC, and so shouldn't be considered a total loss by them
3.
The High Court action, seeking to point out the illegality of the
2004 am.
4. Pushing a new Amendment to the National Monument Act and
continuing to vilify the 2004 amendment
By vilifying the 2004
amendment, we raise publicity, and give all of the people formerly considered
enemies (Taoiseach, Ministers, Senators/TDs etc) a chance to save face. In
other words, 'its not our fault, it's this foolish amendment we stumbled
into'.
Also, by getting a new Amendment to the floor, it will give the
state the opportunity to save a great deal of time/money on the court case by
just taking out the illegal language in the new amendment.
If the act
were amended (by eliminating sup. sec. 14A&B) to return the minister for
heritage his power of granting consent, he could deny his consent for the
path through the valley (citing rath lugh & lismullin),
recommending (and
essentially forcing them to) a 2 + 1 scheme.
However if we wait on the
court case, even if it succeeds, it will undoubtedly take an inordinate
amount of time to get the act changed,
which is why I feel it is essential
that we begin the legislative process now- Most of the work on any bill
occurs long before it ever reaches
the floor.
Thoughts?
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and the usual -
if you dont want to be getting these updates - email me
and I will take you off the list
else - could you help by networking this onwards to other
people who might be interested ?
- if people dont see why this is important - thats up to
them - but it would be sad if they did - and they didnt know how to be involved
regards
Anita
