EU delegation to visit Carrickmines site

national | miscellaneous | news report Friday March 21, 2003 15:47 by derossa - labour

European Parliament's Petitions Committee has agreed to a call from Proinsias De Rossa, Labour MEP for Dublin, that the Committee send a delegation to visit the Carrickmines archaeological site which is about to be destroyed by a new section of the M50 motorway

The Committee decided it wanted to view the site for itself and that it would also raise the issue with Minister Brennan when they meet him on the Taxi deregulation issue.

Proinsias De Rossa had submitted a request to the Petitions Committee for an urgent enquiry into the failure of the Irish Authorities to protect the Carrickmines castle archaeological site. In its initial response today the Commission pointed out that if the Irish Authorities are found to be in breach of EU laws that grant aid to the tune of Euro75m could be withdrawn. The commission is still examining the extensive documentation provided by the Irish Authorities and 'The Friends of the Irish Environment who have also lodged a complaint.

In his submission Proinsias De Rossa included a copy of a letter he had acquired under FOI which shows that the National Monuments Service had raised concerns in July 1997 about the inadequacy of the draft Environmental Impact Study, pointing out that 'We presume that full descriptions of archaeological sites will be included in the completed EIS documentation. Other statutory bodies and the public would need such information for evaluation'. The EIS was subsequently published without the full descriptions documents referred to in that letter. The letter interestingly goes on to say 'We would require to (sic) the details of the degree of the impact of motorway construction at this location and the proposed landscaping of the area around the upstanding remains. It seems likely that the chosen route will uncover the subsurface remains of the foundations of Carrickmines Castle. The removal of a medieval structure such as this can be a serious issue. What are the proposals for access and the protection of the remains?'

Dr. Sean Duffy, a medieval historian at TCD, and representing Friends of Medieval Dublin, travelled especially to Brussels for the Committee hearing and was also enabled to make a presentation to the Committee. He pointed out that it was clear that the original Environmental Impact Study had not been properly carried out; that it had failed to take into account important studies which had been available, such as that carried out by Patrick Healey in 1983; that it had even failed to consult the Ordnance Survey map of 1837 and had consequently totally ignored the extent and importance of the site.