NRA vs. IRL Debate - Hill of Tara / M3 toll road

meath | eu | press release

Friday March 12, 2004 17:52

by Vincent Salafia - Save Tara Skryne Valley Group

salafiam at tcd dot ie

087-132-3365

Come on down to the Tara Symposium this Saturday at Dalgan Park Co Meath

‘Experts Press Conference to Call for EU Minister for Heritage and All Party Parliamentary Archaeology Group after Debate with NRA Archaeologists at Hill of Tara / M3 toll road Symposium Saturday’

"The curs will never take Tara"

A debate on the Hill of Tara / M3 toll road and will hear experts calling for an EU Minister for Heritage, as well as an all-party parliamentary archaeology group in Ireland. Experts will also be re-iterating their call to prevent the excavation of this important valley.

International academics will be debating the excavations planned for the M3 toll road - expected to cost more than €20 million - with Mary Deevy – NRA Project Archaeologist for the Meath County Council N2 and N3 projects this Saturday at the Colomban College, Dalgan Park, County Meath from 2:00 – 5:00 pm.

An all-party parliamentary archaeology group in Ireland is critical now according to experts across the board. It is necessary in light of recent conflicts over excavations. An expert panel of archaeologists, historians, planners and conservationists would offer submissions. The group would then monitor pending changes to legislation such as upcoming National Monuments and Critical Infrastructure Bills as well as codes of practice. Please see a model: http://www.sal.org.uk/appag/

Save Tara Skryne Valley Group has been gathering momentum locally in the last weeks – with John Bruton TD for Meath adding his support.

President of the Ancient Order of Hibernians National Board, Ned McGinley, in the United States, is outraged and has written to the Taoiseach condemning the M3 plan which will destroy “the cradle of Irish civilization”.

Ms Julitta Clancy of Meath Archaeological and Historical society said:

“There is an urgent need for an independent agency to monitor to monitor the current crisis in archaeology.”

“Heritage – especially The Hill of Tara - belongs to us all, and should not be a ‘political football’”.

Mr Vincent Salafia – of Carrickminders - PRO for Save Tara Skryne Valley Group said:

“We don’t want another Carrickmines. Doesn't UNESCO taking an interest in this tell the Government something? I am very afraid of what might happen if this goes ahead"

Dr. Muireann ni Bhrolchain – Celtic scholar at NUI Maynooth said:

“Does Bertie want to remembered as the Butcher of the Boyne?”

ENDS

PROGRAMME:

Everyone is invited to a morning tour of the Hill of Tara. Please meet outside Tara church at 11.30am. Bring packed lunch or purchase locally.

There will be a special lunch for the media - with the speakers - in Dalgan Park from 12.45-1.45.

The Symposium will on the impact that the proposed M3 will have on the Tara Skryne Valley.

The talks will take place from 2.00 pm. – 5.30 p.m. and those in attendance are invited to visit the Hill of Tara in the morning between 11.30 and 12.30 where there will be guides to explain where the road will be and its visual impact on the area. Admission is €10 with a €5 concession for students with a student card.

This event is intended as an information opportunity for the general public and for specialists alike and to this end there are three different sessions with a coffee break at 4.00 p.m.

The speakers in the first session, between 2.00 and 2.45 p.m., will be Professor Alfred Smyth who is now Dean of Humanities in the University of Canterbury but originally a native of Tara. The second speaker will be Dr Edel Bhreathnach who worked on Tara as part of the Discovery Programme, a government sponsored programme to explore Tara from the archaeological, historical and literary points of view. Both speakers are experts in their field and will explain the historical and cultural importance of the Tara/Skryne area. Dr Bhreathnach is currently doing research in the Ó Cléirigh Institute of Irish History, National University of Ireland, Dublin.

The second session will feature the two archaeologists who also worked on the Discovery Programme and who now work in University College, Galway – Dr Conor Newman who made a submission at the Oral Hearing and his colleague Dr Joe Fenwick. The session will also include Mary Deevy who is the Meath County Council project archaeologist.

These will be the pivotal talks as they will include a presentation by Dr Fenwick of the geophysical surveys and the evidence for the sites on the proposed route.

The Plenary session will be an open forum where the public may ask questions of the various speakers. It is expected that there will a large number of other academics present with an interest in archaeology, history and literature.

The sessions will be chaired by Dr Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin, National University of Ireland, Maynooth,
Note: For those wishing to take part in the visit to the Hill of Tara please meet outside Tara church at 11.30am. Bring packed lunch or purchase locally.

ENDS

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

11.30am-12.30

Optional pre-seminar visit to Hill of Tara - with tour by Dr Afred Smyth - Canterbury University

2.00pm Introductions and welcome

2.05 - 2.45pm: Session I: Historical and cultural perspectives

Chaired by Dr Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin (NUI, Maynooth)

Speakers:
- Prof. Alfred Smyth (Dean of Humanities, Canterbury Univ)
- Dr. Edel Bhreathnach (Ó Cléirigh Institute for Irish History, UCD)

2.50 - 4.00pm Session II: Archaeological perspectives.

Speakers:
- Dr. Conor Newman, (Dept. of Archaeology, NUI, Galway)
- Mary Deevy (Meath Co. Council Project Archaeologist)
- Joe Fenwick (Dept. of Archaeology, NUI Galway)

4.00-4.15pm Tea/Coffee break

4.15-5.30pm Session III: Plenary discussion. Chaired by Prof. Vincent Comerford (Dept. of History, NUI Maynooth)

Entrance charge 10.00 euro. Students and Senior Citizens: 5.00

BOOKING (advisable):

Mrs. Ann O'Reilly, Hon. Treasurer, M.A.H.S., Rathfeigh, Tara, Co. Meath
(tel. 041-9825135).

LINKS:

Save Tara Skryne Valley - Home Page http://www.taraskryne.org

Save Tara Skryne Valley - Discussion Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/taraskreen/

Environmental Impact Statement EIS - http://www.meath.ie/Roads/M3_EIS/volume2/introduction.htm

Maps: http://www.taraskryne.org/mapindex.html

Discovery Programme: http://www.discoveryprogramme.ie/Research_Area/Content/TAR_SUR/TAR_SUR.htm

ICOMOS Heritage at Risk! Report: http://www.international.icomos.org/risk/2002/index.html

PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION AT http://www.taraskyne.org

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Tara Heritage Preservation Group: Invitation to Seminar on Citizen Empowerment

by Tara SOS

Mon Sep 26, 2005 16:12

Tara Heritage Preservation Group
St. Columban's, Dalgan Park, Navan, Co. Meath.
Telephone (046) 9021525

10th September, 2005.

The Tara Heritage Preservation Group would like to invite you to St.
Columban's,
Dalgan Park, Navan for a seminar entitled ''Empowering the Citizen. Do you
feel you have a voice?''

Our guest speaker is Martin Kay, researcher at the University of Limerick,
an expert on PPPs and the sociological implications of the planning process.

Among those invited are: The Taoiseach, Environment and Transport
Ministers, National and local politicians, the Irish Planning Institute, An
Bord Pleanala, Meath County Council, the NRA, An Taisce, The Heritage
Council, Tasc, national and local media. Also invited are representatives
from civic interest and campaigning groups who are involved with the
Planning Process. The seminar will also be open to the public.

Please join us from 1.30 to 5.00pm on Saturday 8th of October for what we
hope will be a thought provoking afternoon of learning and discussion.

For your information I attach a copy of our flyer and contact details.

If you think this may be of interest to others please feel free to
distribute .

Yours sincerely,

Pat Raleigh of THPG

RSVP to taraheritage@iolfree.ie
or to the above address.

Empowering the Citizen.
Do you feel you have a voice?

Are there adequate levels of accountability and stewardship in the planning
process?
Do you feel powerless, voiceless, disenfranchised? Join us in a
constructive and informative session with Martin Kay, researcher at the
University of Limerick, an expert on PPPs and the sociological implications
of the planning process. Learn how our system affects every man, woman and
child.

The seminar will be in two parts:
I 1.30-3.00pm Presentation by Martin Kay
3.00-3.30pm tea/coffee
II 3.30-5.00pm Discussion group on issues raised in part I

Information: Martin Dier 086 3375837 taraheritage@iolfree.ie A key extract
from a presentation by Martin Kay given at a seminar in Dalgan Park on June
11th 2005:

''Ireland has a serious infrastructure deficit and yet also a preoccupation
with remaining competitive.''

The simple sentence above masks a profoundly serious threat to democracy in
our nation.
This is because it rests upon absolute certainty at the heart of public
decision-making that anything done by way of infrastructure procurement has
lawful authority if undertaken in the name of 'competitiveness'.

The immediate consequences are that:
* things which are in the way of new projects fall easy victim to the
urgency of getting those projects underway as quickly as possible
* power attaches itself to those charged with delivering new projects as
quickly as possible
* those charged with delivery are only contractually accountable for project
delivery
* they are not accountable for the power which now surrounds them
* those, who try to point out that destroying things in the way of new
projects will diminish the heritage, are transformed from being normal to
being abnormal

The name for this effect is 'discourse'. It is a discourse of power in
which unaccountable people progressively dominate those to whom
accountability is due.
This is both a moral domination and a legal one: accusations of being
'extremist'
go hand in hand with excavation or compulsory purchase orders.

One of the side effects of discourse is that it controls what can be said
and by whom.
This is why unaccountable people begin to strengthen the grip of power as
well as their
own grip on it. In this way, discourse creates a regime which appears
to promote the
'truth' but doesn't. What looks like 'truth' could be called
propaganda or dogma.
But the real point is that discourse presents it as if it were the truth -
and very decent people, often working in the public sector of our country,
begin to believe what is said.

The medium by which the competitiveness imperative is being taken the
forward the most is
'public private partnership' or PPPs. There is nothing wrong with
PPPs. But there is
a lot wrong with the way we use PPPs in Ireland. The regime of 'truth'
created by
discourse presents PPPs as being legitimate and accountable, whereas
research suggests that they are not.

The discussion on 8 October will explore what legitimacy and accountability
mean.
And why the reaction of those who reject an infrastructure project can be
called stewardship. And also why stewardship is crucially important when
confronting unaccountable power.
Come and be empowered.

Tara Heritage Preservation Group is comprised of members of local groups and
residents, most of whom have been involved in the entire planning process
for the
M3 since 1999.
They represent St. Columban's Dalgan Park, Meath Archaelogical & Historical
Society, Bellinter Residents Association and local residents.

Committee:
Fr. Pat Raleigh, Julitta & John Clancy, Martin Dier, Kathryn Walley, Susan
Brennan, Reggie & Anne O'Reilly, Tommy Hamill, Claire Oakes, Jimmy Rafter,
Brenda Ferris & John Rooney

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NRA vs. IRL Debate - Hill of Tara / M3 toll road

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