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Tara/Belfast

7th July 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 TaraBelfastUpdate21

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 Tarawatch have gone to the UNESCO conference in Quebec

 - whole story and letters -   HERE

the petition to UNESCO has been handed in - see story above ....
 but if you havent signed it - please sign anyway !  .........  HERE

 

Anniversary of the Belfast Harp Festival in the old Northern Bank building - Waring Street - in 1792

11th , 12th , 13th , 14th of July

no events that I know of but more about the original festival and the harps  HERE


see also TBU_SacredSpaces_Pictures

 

 

 

 World Archaeological Congress meeting in Dublin ~

 

World Archaeological Congress to examine ethics of Tara/M3

 

 

 

The 6th World Archaeological Congress (WAC), Tara and the M3

The privatisation of Irish archaeology and corruption on the road schemes

featured image

WAC  - HERE

Indymedia story  HERE

Cultural Destruction

How the issue of a discussion at WAC 6 on Tara and the M3 arose
- and an update on the situation.

 

AMAZING report from Emma at the Congress -  HERE

 

 

 

Tara of the Heart

An Event is  being planned in Belfast for October 2nd at the Black Box , Hill Street , Belfast 

by Janet O'Hagan and others -

around ideas of Sacred Space

multimedia - there wil be music, poetry and art

 details and contact for anyone who would like to be involved

her number is 07754091232  ..her email is johbfast@yahoo.com

HERE     

 at  http://www.sacredspacesni.com/

 

 



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page of connections between places  

 

 

 Seamus Heaney  donates books to Tara campaign ..more HERE

 

 

Archeologist breaks ranks  and spills the beans ......
  •  in the Mail On Sunday - text and Editorial  HERE
      
  • and then in the Irish Times - text below


http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper /breaking/ 2008/0703/breaking75.htm  

Archeologists 'used to destroy heritage' - claim CHARLIE TAYLOR

Archaeologists working on excavations on the controversial M3 motorway feared they would be "sacked, blacklisted or bullied out of their profession" for not supporting the building of the chosen route, it was claimed today.

Speaking at a debate on the motorway near Tara at the sixth World Archaeological Congress (WAC-6) at UCD, Maggie Ronanye, a lecturer at the Department of Archaeology at NUI, Galway, said that pressure was put on site directors and field teams by archaeologists employed by the National Roads Authority (NRA).

"Lip service was paid to archaeology but archaeologists were used to destroy our heritage," said Ms Ronanye.

"From the point of view of archaeology, the route chosen by the NRA was the least desirable and other routes were not properly considered because they were not profitable for developers."

Ms Ronanye, who recently claimed that reports submitted to the NRA had been altered, said that the building of the motorway posed serious ethical questions for archaeologists worldwide. She said she would be asking congress to pass a resolution calling for the re-routing of the M3.

Ms Ronanye also said that the Minister for the Environment' s decision to support the nomination of the Hill of Tara as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) world heritage site, given the construction of the motorway, it could have serious implications for other sites worldwide and could be to the detriment of the local community.

A number of organisations including the National Roads Authority, campaign group, TaraWatch alongside the Department of the Environment' s chief archaeologist, Brian Duffy, spoke at the debate.

While many speakers expressed their opposition to the motorway, it was acknowledged that there had been benefits associated with it, including the discovery of a number of archaeological finds such as the Lismullen monument.

According to Mary Deevy, a senior archaeologist with the NRA, approximately €30 million has been spent on archaeology research related to the Hill of Tara since work began on the motorway.

Defending the chosen route, Ms Deevy said that the route preferred by archaeologists would have had a "massive impact on surrounding communities" with three times as many houses affected.

Discussing the archaeological impact from the building of the motorway, chief archaeologist, Brian Duffy said that it was impossible to consider building a major road anywhere in the country without it having an impact.
Also speaking,

Laura Grealish of TaraWatch, called on the congress to pass a resolution demanding a stop to work on the M3 in its present route."

It would send out a very strong message were the congress to do that," said Ms Grealish.

"It wouldn't be legally binding but it would send out a powerful message. I think it would make Ireland the embarrassment of the global archaeological community."

www.politics.ie debate HERE

 

Egypt - Tara  connections - the story of Scotia -

Also HERE

 

 

 

 

 

There are some amazing images of the Tara Lidar scan at:

http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/archaeology/bru_na_boinne/LiDar.pdf

( LiDAR - Light Detection And Ranging )

Jonathan

 

 

New Tara blog from John Farrelly  - maps etc   
he documents other sites that are in danger of destruction - not someone I would agree with on all things - at all ! - but he knws the valley better than anyone and drew the only known map of Rath Lugh , HERE

http://thetaracircle.blogspot.com/    HERE

" Here is a copy of the first Map of Tara, drawn up by G. Petrie in 1836. As a guide he used the existing monuments and the Poems of the Meterical Dindschenchas. Notice how many monuments have already vanished, particularly those just outside the borders of the present site."

click on map for larger version

           about George Petrie -   HERE

- although of course it is argued that the Othorstat is a map of the Hill - see

http://www.knowth.com/tara-orthostat.htm

see also TBU_Maps

 

 

 

 

 

the Tara Foundation

Mission Statement

The Tara Foundation comprises a group of people with a common interest in protecting Ireland’s unique cultural heritage and natural resources. The purpose of our website, magazine and blog is to inform the public about these issues. Though our research, we present a wide range of information which is often not readily available to the public, in order to give an insight into pertinent matters in Ireland and overseas. We present articles on many topics, including infrastructure, planning, resources, the Irish constitution, propaganda and human rights.

back issues - very interesting reading - HERE

their new website is at    http://www.tara-foundation.org

 

 

Letter to Minister John Gormley re/ Change of Circumstance  HERE

 

Tara and TransitionTowns   HERE

 

Tara and the National Development Plan HERE

 

 

 Tara Support in Belfast 


any thoughts - plans- ideas etc .....? 
please get in touch  - or just go ahead and organise something - there IS no Central Campaign ...its just random people ; )
all the best - Anita  
contacts for Vigil
- Vigil phone 086-1758557
Rath Lugh camp phone: 086 1537 146
another number: 086-3600478
to ring from North or UK
or anywhere else ( ? ) - replace first zero with 00353
me  ....  anitagreg@gmail.com
http://www.tarataratara.net 
02890802842        
 mob - 07944969373
 
 

 

 MISC

Btw those "supposed" oil reserves are currently nothing more than hype i.e.based on "potential" figures which they often come to on the basis of probabilities or guesswork.

These supposed "oil" reserves are deemed very unlikely by a respected oil geologist, Colin Campbell.
Also 80% of the oil rigs available in the world are held up by Petrobras for the supposed "giant" oil reserves off Brazil. Therefore the cost of rigs has shot up.  Tadgh
http://www.energybulletin.net/node/30571

 " Ireland on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown "

by Graham Strouts

A story in the Irish Independent last week "Ireland on the verge of an oil and gas bonanza" referred to claims by the Petroleum Affairs Division of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, that "there is at least 10 billion barrels of oil lying off the west coast Ireland - which has a current value of ₮450bn (₮50 a barrel)... ...Added to gas supplies, energy exports have the potential to transform Ireland into a new Middle East. "

    more HERE

 

Opera in the park ~    and it doesn't get better that this !

Opera in the Gardens - The Marriage of Figaro

Figaro

 

Date: Wednesday 16 July 2008
Venue: Botanic Gardens
Time: 7pm - 10.45pm (gates open from 5pm)
Admission: Free

http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/events/nextevent.asp

 

 

Subject: Message from the Ambulance Service

 ICE

We all carry our mobile phones with names and numbers stored in its memory. If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call.

Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this 'ICE' (In Case of Emergency) Campaign.
The concept of 'ICE' is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations.

As mobile phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name 'ICE' ( In Case Of Emergency).

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents there were always mobile phones with patients but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognised name for this purpose. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have stored as 'ICE'.

Please forward this.

It won't take too many 'forwards'> before everybody will know about this.
It really could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest.
For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc.
N.B. Please note and forward to any family/friends, work mates for their own info also.

 

one of the worlds first EVER tidemills - built at Nendrum in co Down 

               ...how far have we come since then .....?

Tide mill

From Wikipedia,

A tide mill is a specialist type of water mill driven by tidal rise and fall.

A dam with a sluice is created across a suitable tidal inlet, or a section of river estuary is made into a reservoir. As the tide comes in, it enters the mill pond through a one way gate, and this gate closes automatically when the tide begins to fall. When the tide is low enough, the stored water can be released to turn a water wheel.

Tidal mill at Olhão, Portugal

Tidal mill at Olhão, Portugal

Tide mills are usually situated in river estuaries, away from the effects of waves but close enough to the sea to have a reasonable tidal range. These mills have existed since the Middle Ages, and some may go back to the Roman period.

Possibly the earliest tide mill was located in London at the Thames, dating back to Roman times.[1] The earliest excavated tide mill, dating from 787, is the Nendrum Monastery mill on an island in Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland.[1] Its millstones are 830mm in diameter and the horizontal wheel is estimated to have developed 7/8HP at its peak. Remains of an earlier mill dated at 619 were also found.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tide_mill