Leading Academics to Protest M3 at Free Weekly Lecture Series

dublin | history and heritage | press release Tuesday October 24, 2006 10:47 by admin - TaraWatch info at tarawatch dot org

Series to begin this Saturday 28th October

TaraWatch is pleased to announce that the Tara Lecture Series at the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (RSAI) will commence on Saturday 28th October.

All lecturers are opposed to the current route of the M3

The proceedings of the lecture series will be collected into a published volume, which will be co-edited by the Irish Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Professor Paul Muldoon of Priceton University, whose anti-M3 poem was published in the Irish Times earlier this year (below).

Lectures will be held weekly in the Helen Roe Lecture Theatre of RSAI, 63 Merrion Square, Dublin 2 at 12.00pm every Saturday. Admission is free.

28th October: “The kingship of Tara—Pagan and Christian: The International context”
- Mr Charles Doherty, School of Early Irish History and Archives, University College Dublin.
Abstract: "The importance of Tara is not just local or national — it is international. The type of kingship that is associated with Tara is found in many societies throughout the world. Thus a study of Tara has an important contribution to make to world studies on kingship. The kingship of Tara is exceptionally ancient and early Irish sources contain archaic elements that throw much light upon this subject. This lecture will place Tara within the context of kingship as found in archaic societies in other parts of the world. The impact of Christianity upon this pagan institution will be examined. The archaeological evidence will be discussed in the light of the documentary sources."

4th November: “The Four Masters conception of the High Kingship and use of Tara as a semi-legendary prop of nationalism”
- Dr Joseph Flavin, Dept. of Old and Modern Irish, University College Cork.

11th November: “Tara and the rebellion of 1641
- Dr. Tadhg Ó hAnnracháin, School of History and Archives, University College Dublin.

* Other lecturers will include:

- Dr. Liam Leonard, Geography Department, NUI Galway author of the recently published Green Nation: the Irish Environmental Movement from Carnsore Point to the Rossport 5

- Dáithí Ó hÓgáin, Folklore Department, University College Dublin

RSAI was founded in 1849 in Kilkenny ‘to preserve, examine and illustrate all ancient monuments and memorials of the arts, manners and customs of the past, as connected with the antiquities, language, literature and history of Ireland.’ They were very active around the early 1900's in stopping the British Israelites from digging up the Hill of Tara in search of the Ark of the Covenant

For more information please see http://www.rsai.ie / http://www.tarawatch.org

Contact Vincent Salafia 087-132-3365 info@tarawatch.org

==

TARA OF THE KINGS

by Professor Paul Muldoon, Princeton University
(The Irish Times on Saturday Sat Jun 24, 2006)

WE MET AT THE SUMMER SOLSTICE
WHEN EVERYTHING STOOD STILL
HER SLOPING AWAY LIKE ISEULT
LEFT ME OVER THE HILL

I RAISED THE CHAMBER IN THE MOUND
THE OAK-FRINGED SACRED SPRING
THAT FEEDS THE STREAMS THAT RUN AROUND
TARA OF THE KINGS

SHE WAS THROUGH WITH CARBON DATING
STAKEHOLDERS WITH NO HAIR
SHE WAS THROUGH WITH MONSTER MEETINGS
IN FLATS OFF PARNELL SQUARE
SHE WAS THROUGH WITH CROWNED AND UNCROWNED
YEW TREES WITH COUNTLESS RINGS
THE DITCH THAT USED TO RUN AROUND
TARA OF THE KINGS

COULD WE WHO ENDURED THE PENAL
AND EDWARD POYNING’S LAWS
(NEVER MIND THE BEEF TRIBUNAL)
NOW SOMEHOW BE IN AWE
OF A ROAD RUNNING THROUGH THE GROUND
ON WHICH STOOD OUR ALTHING
AND NOT ENSURE IT RUN AROUND
TARA OF THE KINGS?

WE KNOW THE STONE OF DESTINY
WAS SET UP IN THIS SOIL
NOW THE SOLDIERS OF DESTINY
ARE SET TO BANK THE SPOILS
AND LEST THEY WISH TO BE RENOWNED
FOR RAPE AND RAVISHING
THEY’LL NOT GIVE US THE RUNAROUND
ON TARA OF THE KINGS

WE’RE FATED TO BE REMEMBERED
AS SPOILERS OF THE DEAD
AND THOUGH WE SEEM QUITE UNHAMPERED
BY HONOUR OR BY DREAD
YET WE ARE DREAD- AND HONOUR-BOUND
TO OUR UNBORN OFFSPRING
TO ENSURE THE M3 RUN AROUND
TARA OF THE KINGS