Thursday 24th jan 08 Breakfast on the henge

international | history and heritage | news report

Thursday January 24, 2008 21:12

by tarapiXie

0861537146

We had decided to have our breakfast on the henge this morning. As I drove towards the N3 a low loader carrying a digger was driving towards Lismullen. Approx 10 protestors arrived in Lismullen, some from the road and some from Rath Lugh. Security were present during the entire time we were there. 2 protestors were assaulted within a few minutes of arriving. I tried to block the fuel coming out of the Lismullen carpark but Mark Cleary kept pushing me out of the way and the fuel tractor got away. Steve from Kildare, one of the security men assaulted another protestor, he was pulled from the fence and thrown onto the ground head first, and hurt his neck.

Heng or whats left of it!

The Gardai arrived and asked us to leave. We explained we have every right to protest peacefully on a public road. The Garda seemed surprised that we challenged him and backed down quickly after trying to intimidate us. The protestors coming from Rath Lugh managed to get on site and try to stop the digger. The Gardai entered the site and took names and addresses. The digger was being used for soil sampling. We held banners and one protestor played "The Foggy Dew" as the work was going on. Some protestors managed to get on site when the Gardai left to take footage of the work being carried out.

We decided to scout out the entire valley. In Ardsallagh we found a lot of construction work being carried out beside the River Boyne. 4 or 5 protestors stopped a digger and dozer by sitting on the machines. One digger driver refused to stop working, breaking all Health & Safety regulations, not to mention endangering the lives of the protestors. The Gardai arrived again, taking our names and addresses. When speaking to one Garda, he admitted that the proposed M3 is not suitable and a railway would be a better solution. We had to leave the site when instructed, we would have been arrested if we stayed.

The rest of the valley is as follows:

In Cooksland there is a bridge practically finishsed. The construction work here is more advanced than anywhere else.

Roestown: The dumpers are parked up because of the heavy rain and have not worked since before Christmas. They have to run their engines from 7am until 12 noon, they can go home then without having done any work. They are only being paid 6 hours a day, most of the drivers aren't in a union so they cannot challenge this.

Trevet: known as the Red Bog is completely flooded. Only workers and their vehicles were present on site, along with the ESB laying lines. Collierstown: This morning there was an unmarked Garda car with a uniformed Garda. The Garda was talking to one of the construction workers on the public road. He had his black book and pen in hand, looking at the cement road surface which is rupped apart from the heavy machinery crossing. Meath County Council spend their entire road maintenance budget for the county for the next 7 years on the downpayment for the Public Private Partnership contract for the proposed M3. Unless locals start making complaints about the state of the existing roads and their deterioration because of the extra heavy machinery, not one pot hole is going to be filled in. 4 workers were on site on the flyorver bridge being built which is advancing quickly.

Baronstown: 2 men on site working on the flyover bridge which is more advanced than the bridge at Colliersown.

Soldier Hill/Blundelstown: 4 dump trucks were parked up at the entrance, not working because of the site flooded from recent heavy rain. Approx 7 diggers and a few dozers were working both along the N3 and towards Dowdstown. 3 huge blue pillars, possibly bridge supports have been erected.

Dowdstown: This site has been quiet for the last few months, but the work from Soldier Hill is coming closer and closer to Dowdstown.

Ardsallagh: see above.

Kennastown compound: The bridge here is quite advanced but there was not much machinery working here today.