This story was first published by Barry as a comment on this article: "A review of "Pushers Out: The inside story of Dublin’s anti-drugs movement"

I was going out with a girl from near Dolphins barn when Josie Dwyer was killed. I used to pass him quite frequently. He was always on the grass outside the flats or hanging around the railings on the bridge. A pathetic sight - he couldn't have weighed more than 7 or 8 stone.

Before he was killed if you walked through Fatima chances are you'd be approached maybe a couple of times and asked if you were looking gear. And it only takes a minute to walk through it. One guy even employed the Moore street selling technique of yelling "come get yer luvverly gear" while riding round on a mountain bike. The drugs thing was just out of control. The bird I went with attended many anti-drug vigils and marches and even favoured shooting the bigger dealers dead. Last I heard of her years ago she was addicted to smoking the stuff herself - just gave up . Beautiful girl too, an awful waste.

Im not surprised to be honest Josie Dwyer got thumped even though it was wrong, especially given the company he was in. People were at the end of their tether with the rate of adddiction. What made that era particularly bad and dangerous for youngsters was the emerging rave scene which itself lead to an explosion in drug use and culture even in the middle class areas. The working class areas got hit even worse.

Youngsters would go to raves and get introduced to the Es which they were assured were safe and non addictive. Sure didnt trendy types like that bollocks Anthony Wilson and others go on TV talking about how great they were. Trendy comedians joked on TV about taking them. The youngsters would be worried about going home off their faces on Es because their parents would see they were hyper. Mnay of their parents were violently anti drugs. The E dealers had a great solution to this - smoke a bit of gear and it'll wind you down before you go home. Nobody'd know any different.

Walk five minutes from O’Connell St, Dublin’s main thoroughfare, or five minutes from Christ Church Cathedral, an important tourist attraction, and you will find yourself in a very different world from that depicted in the tourist brochures.

Pushers Out tells the story of how people living in the North Inner City and the South Inner City (and later the suburbs, and some small towns) organised to save their communities from heroin. Not relying on the state to solve their problems, they started to organise themselves. One such working class organisation is Coalition of Communities Against Drugs (COCAD).

The campaigns began with meetings in local area called by residents concerned about the open dealing of heroin and all that came with that - hallways and greens were littered with dirty syringes, and those who overdosed lay where they fell.

"Whilst Tara relies on its rich literature and associations, those that are insistent on this route rely on our ignorance of this same rich literature and associations. Whilst there is an almost unique abundance of history and lore associated with Tara, our Government has neglected it whilst sites such as the Céide Fields and Brú na Boinne have flourished, been respectfully developed and protected. Hopefully Cú Chulainn may yet be saved from turning in his grave, literally, during the valley's excavation."

Despite widespread opposition from hundreds of academics worldwide, from the Director of The Irish National Museum and from those activists bringing upcoming legal challenges (which have experienced delays) to the routing of a new tolled motorway through the Tara-Skryne complex, the Irish Government is creating facts on the ground by pushing ahead with hasty and crude excavations of the many sites of archeological interest on the proposed route.

The Tara-Skryne Valley Group, the main activist group opposing the planned motorway have called on the government to halt their pre-emptive work and to stop wasting Irish taxpayers money on wanton destruction of a whole area which they believe should be protected as a National monument.

Meanwhile the mainstream media here looks away and has largely failed to let the people of the country, who according to a recent poll are absolutely against this motorway, know that digging at the Tara complex has already begun.

Campaigning against government sanctioned heritage destruction at the Tara complex will continue on Monday 15th August when concerned citizens are being invited to express their opposition to the proposed twice-tolled Motorway through the Gabhra (TaraSkryne) Valley. The event, dubbed 'Tara Day' by campaigners, marks the 162nd anniversary of Daniel O'Connells famous Repeal Association 'Monster Meeting'. Information will be available at the event on the 38 sites along the proposed route, including those presently being excavated and others that may be investigated in the future.

Some Activists who are involved in the campaign link the issue to peak oil, the countdown to $100 per barrel oil, and criticise the insanity of massive private investment in tolled motorways at the expense of public transport which is severely underfunded at the present time.

Others adopt a more pragmatic approach and ask straightforwardly why a 2 1/2 km shorter and uncontentious alternative route (see orange line on this map), which would cost less, avoid costs associated with hasty archeology and which would most likely not be subject to delay and public expense due to court challenges was not chosen. This question remains unanswered in any coherent way and has led to the increased voicing of suspicions that vested interests have driven the route selection for commercial gain.

Some activists also believe firmly that corrupt officials and property speculation are behind this almost unbelievable slicing up of one of the most ancient and key symbols of the Irish nation.

Full Indymedia Ireland Archive On This Issue
Map 1: Note Huge Bevy In Current Route Between Dunshaughlin And Navan
Map 2: Note More Direct And Cheaper To Build Alternative Route In Orange
Essay: The White Mare Of Tara
Crazy Cut MP3: Tara Tune From Coscan

Today (Weds 10th August) James Connolly's grandson made a renewed call for the house with 1916 associations to be saved from developers. During the Easter Rising, the house at 16 Moore Street was the location where Padraig Pearse, a wounded James Connolly and other leaders of the Rising spent their last two days of freedom. They had fought their way out of a blazing GPO, ran into a house in Moore Street and tried to smash their way through the walls of the terrace and escape.

Dublin City Council has already said the demolition of a house where the leaders of the 1916 Rising surrendered is crucial for the rejuvenation of the city centre. Earlier last year, the National Graves Association, An Taisce and Dublin's Lord Mayor have all called for the house, number 16 Moore Street, to be fully preserved but pressure is mounting.

As well as the grandson of James Connolly, leading conservationists and local representatives are calling for a Millennium Mall on the site to be amended and the building saved. It is now 88 years ago since the Easter rebellion, lead by one of Irelands most renowned revolutionary Marxist scholars reached number 16 Moore Street but could go no further.

In a twist to today’s call Dublin City Council has reportedly stood by their earlier position that while 1916 should be appropriately recognised, the building must go. It plans to demolish the house as part of a rejuvenation project which would allow Moore Street be connected to O'Connell Street. Now the fate of 16 Moore Street is not sealed just yet, as the Council still has not secured control of the site and further planning permission is required, but time is running out, fast.

Sunday August 14th Public Meeting On Future Of 16 Moore Street

Related Indymedia Ireland Material
Moore Street Archive
Previous James Connolly Related Feature

Is é Seosamh O’Ceallaigh acadúil, údar, staraí áitiúl is cainteoir dúchasach as Fhál Carrach i gContae Dún na nGall. Bhí mé ar chúrsa Gaeilge i Gort an Choirce ar feadh seachtain i Mí Meitheamh. Bhí Seomsamh ag múinteoireacht ar an gcúrsa, agus bhí seans agam caint leis faoi oidhreacht Éireannach agus an teanga Gaeilge.

Sliocht gearr ón agallamh:

Bhí meas i gcónaí ar an Gaeilge againn. Tá suim iontach agam sa teanga sa cultúr fosta, agus ansin bhí deis agam staidéar a dhéanamh air. Ansin fhuair mé PHD - rinne mé é ar stair áitiúl.

Tá níos mó i gceist ná stair áitiúl ach amháin just stair agus pointí agus dátaí. Bhí na daoine beo agus do múnlaigh an timpealleacht iad…do múnlaigh na sagairtí iad…do múnlaigh na tiarnaí talamh iad. Bhí sé sin iontach suimiúl - how they were shaped - múnlaigh - how they were moulded by the landlords and the people and the priests - tá sé iontach suimiúl agus na effects a bhí orthu.

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