Hill of Tara / M3 Dail Protest Today

by anarchaeologist Fri Feb 04, 2005 08:35

The non-appearance of the Director of the National Museum, Pat Wallace and the Senior Archaeologist of the National Monuments Service, Brian Duffy at the Oireachtas sub-committee on the M3 further demonstrates the lenghts this government is going to push the road through Tara-Screen.

However, this particular exercise in gagging appears to have backfired. While Duffy fits the typical acquiescent civil servant mould and is quite unwilling to stick his head above the parapet, Wallace is made of sterner stuff entirely.

His decision to go public has ensured that his opinions on the matter have received much more coverage in the corporate meeja than they would had he appeared in person. How much coverage for example did the Heritage Council's measured submission get on RTE? Fuck all.

The attitude of the archaeological community to the whole thing has been quite interesting. There were 4 out of about 300? licensed archaeologists (i.e. those who actually direct archaeological excavations) spotted at the recent protest in Dublin, indicating something of a lack of interest in that particular community. Neither, for that matter, did there appear to be lots of diggers on the demo (those who actually do the work on sites, and presumably those along the proposed M3).

While most archaeologists of my acquaintance are rightly agin the government/NRA-preferred route, few are willing to discuss it openly or indeed go public in their opposition. Perhaps some of us see that roads schemes, such as the proposed M3, will keep us in work for many years to come, allowing us to keep our heads literally buried in the sand, while our landscape is being destroyed around us in hommage to the internal combustion engine.

Pat Wallace was there at Wood Quay, when most of today's archaeological community were still in their nappies. It's about time the country's archaeologists grew up and decided which particular side of the fence they're on.

by j Thu Feb 03, 2005 14:13

The pd's website has a poll on this. Its been stuck on 70% against rerouting since the day it came on-line. Not a movement.

by Tara Skryne Wed Feb 02, 2005 15:33

Tara campaigners brand Oireachtas committee 'sham'
http://irishexaminer.12hs.com/en_US/newsfeed/story.jhtml?s=54911615&r=1493&i=4571511&d=38143681

Campaigners have accused the Oireachtas transport committee of ignoring 2,000 submissions from the public opposing plans to build a motorway near the Hill of Tara in Co Meath.

The Save Tara-Skryne Valley group said it had delivered the letters to the committee following an advertisement seeking the views of the public.

by Duine Tue Feb 01, 2005 17:17

Ní ceart ár n-oidhreacht a dhíol ar mhaithe le tráchtáil. Is le lucht gustail tráchtáil ach is linne ar fad ár n-oidhreacht.
Tá sé in am dúinn "Breast an gadaí" a rá le lucht gustail

by redjade Tue Feb 01, 2005 17:08

see http://TaraSkryne.org for more details and info