Save Tara

dublin | history and heritage | opinion/analysis Monday August 20, 2007 11:52 by KP Kev the Poet aka Knowledge is Power the Hip-Hop Bard - THC Society, Team Body English

Save Tara - Chronicles of the Megalithic Shamans

The Irish Government is building a four-lane motorway only 1 km from the main site of The Hill of Tara however the whole land around the main hill is of archeological interest, historical interest and spiritual interest. In July 2007 bulldozers came in the middle of the night (possibly to avoid the protestors, speculation but I can't see any excuse for using bulldozers in the middle of the night) destroying an ancient burial ground at Baronstown in the Tara-Skryne valley. Independent archaeologists claimed this site was of national monument status! The site was entirely devastated.

Save Tara - Chronicles of the Megalithic Shamans
20th August 2007

So I missioned to Tara, a sacred site in the countryside just outside Dublin, with my staff Beo and a handful of crystals. Tara is a sacred hill which is home to several different ancient monuments older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Egypt. The site has alignments with various stars, is associated with countless myths and legends, has a holy well, and quite possibly the deepest heritage in the British Isles, rivalling Glastonbury. It's a pity that mainstream media focusses on Irelands 'political instability' rather than it's impressive history or the fact tht as a nation it's bloody wealthy!

The site was the centre of what we now refer to as the Celts (although most of the people that we refer to as Celts would not have used that term for the various disparate tribes with similar beliefs and practices.) It was believed that the King of Tara was the King of Ireland and legend has it that potential Kings would compete for the right. Legends are legends but what is certain is that there is a burial mound called the Hill of Hostages. I personally believe that the Hill of Hostages is a vision chamber like West Kennet Long-Barrow near Avebury and Newbury Grange, designed to give divine inspiration when the Sun is at specific angles to the Earth and increase intuition referred to by some as 'cosmic illumination.' But that's merely an opinion. The Hill of Tara is one of the oldest and largest sacred sites known to man. So they decided to build a bypass through it.

"Tara (Teamhair) in Co. Meath, Ireland, was the ancient inauguration site of the early Irish Kings. It is connected from earliest times across the Gabhra valley with its sister, the Hill of Skryne. It is through this same valley that the Irish Government now plans to build a motorway with a huge interchange at the foot of the Hill of Tara itself." From www.savetara.com

The Irish Government is building a four-lane motorway only 1 km from the main site of The Hill of Tara however the whole land around the main hill is of archeological interest, historical interest and spiritual interest. In July 2007 bulldozers came in the middle of the night (possibly to avoid the protestors, speculation but I can't see any excuse for using bulldozers in the middle of the night) destroying an ancient burial ground at Baronstown in the Tara-Skryne valley. Independent archaeologists claimed this site was of national monument status! The site was entirely devastated.

The bypass has been protested for years and years, there are several alternate routes, at least one of them is cheaper. However the road is going through a woodhenge (similar stonehenge, aligned to various star-systems that were of interest to the ancients but made out of wood rather than stone.) For some reason they thought they would go round the Opus Dei international headquarters which are also in the way. Why they didn't choose the cheaper route is unknown, perhaps they want to soak up the ley line energy, but only a hippy would say that. "I'm not a hippy or a homey, I'm an OMI - Open Minded Inutitive, don't you know me?"

The European Union has already stated that they believe the road to be illegal, however an official hearing is not until the end of this month (August 2007.) "EU officials have called on the Irish Government to halt work on part of the M3 motorway after concern was expressed about the impact on newly discovered ruins at the Hill of Tara" from www.tarawatch.com
There is alot of money involved in the road and money seems to be the only motivation. More tolls for a start.

There are protestors living on the site. Actually they're not protestors they're 'megalithic shamans' which according to the Irish constitution allows them to stay on the site (indefinitely?) They're tending the fire that has burned for the last 14 months. Of course some of these megalithic shamans also climb on top of the diggers that are tearing up sacred land and digging up dead kings and live trees. Some of these megalithic shamans are lying down in front of steamrollers. Some of these megalithic shamans are taking tourists for tours round the sacred site and sharing ancient wisdom. So I missioned to Tara.

I couldn't afford to go to Tara. But a close friend decided that I had to be there, so she financed it and I owe her. One love.

I didn't know how involved I would get. Being an Urban-Druid, Taoist and Christian I have a vested interest in saving sacred sites of the British Isles. However I am not a confrontational person, I prefer to be the change I want to see rather than try to change people. Also, luckily for the rest of humanity, I have had experiences which have pretty much permanently ingrained on my mind that my opinion is no more important than anybody elses and that we co-create a reality which is merely a matter of opinion. I do not like to enforce my opinion because I would prefer opinions not to be enforced. However the Irish government has already ignored the wishes of the people so the gauntlet had been thrown and someone had to pick it up. Even when you are aware that sides are immaterial, that duality is illusion and there is no 'them and us' you still have to choose what to do between now and when you die, and every now and again life seems to throw you a situation which puts you in opposition to another energy, another crew, or another ideology. Paradoxical, I know, but that's life - don't blame me talk to God. The ideology at hand this time seemed to be profit versus heritage. However life only seems to throw you these situations...

Some of the strongest light-workers I know travelled to Tara that week, 13 of us from Bristol, Glastonbury, Brighton, and London. Shortly after we arrived we were joined by the Welsh boys, good vibes and positive affirmations were coming from all directions. I was happy to attend, soak in the energy of the site and share my energy with the protestors. They were inspired. But the time came for me to decide whether or not to join the front line.

At the protest camp there was no obligation to go to the front line and physically stop or slow the diggers. There are at least two sites, the main site on the hill which is home to the 'megalithic shamans' tending the sacred fire (where there are long debates about whether or not they should be allowed alcohol on site, how they should coordinate protests and what they should spend the limited funds on) and there is a front-line base where they stop the diggers, build tree houses and drink alcohol.

Protesting was hilarious. Tara seemed to attract a particularly positive protesting crew, singing positive affirmations at the builders while. Often the protestors would reason with the workers and often informed the workers who were generally ignorant of the things they were digging up. There are definitely 'fluffy' ways of dealing with the Garda (the Irish equivalent of the police) and the site-workers. Some of the 'fairies' in tow came equipped with glitter-mushroom stickers and stars. It's hard for the Garda to get aggressive when beautiful twenty-somethings are sticking mushrooms to their uniforms. At first I felt uncomfortable being part of the crew stopping them from getting to work, however they were getting paid either way so I didn't feel too guilty. We were within our rights on the public road leading to the site. Things were different on the actual site though. On-site I think the legal situation is that once they tell you to move you are trespassing, and they - they being the security or site workers - can ask you to move but they can't force you to move. Legally you can't refuse, but you are allowed to say nothing and sit, lie or stand still until the Garda arrive. However once the Garda ask you to move it's up to you to see how long you can stay before you get arrested. I didn't see anybody get arrested. A few people had stood their ground past the arrest milestone before I arrived, one of them being an elderly local. Represent!

I felt better singing positive reggae songs to the fellow protestors and keeping morale up than getting in peoples way. but I got in the way. Oh and flashing the silver ohm surrounded by the Star of David and blessing the babylon filming me and the rest of our crew. The evil eye needs transmuting, no disputing, I love you too friend. The Garda were cool, they were relatively polite and reasonable. They have their orders and they want to keep their jobs but duality is an illusion and there is no 'them and us', chances are they don't want the road either...

Rumour has it that most of the jobs for graduate archeologists are sourced through roads going through places of archeological interest. A tad depressing and a far cry from Time Team or Indian Jones but that's still a rumour. Another rumour is that they have had to import archeologists to 'okay' the diggers because local archeologists won't have anything to do with the corruption involved. That's also a rumour but one that seemed to be true from what I saw. What is a fact is that we all saw a sign that said something along the lines of "This Is an Irish Heritage Site - desecration or vandalism of this site is an offence." On the other side of the fence were JCBs tearing the land to pieces. Luckily it was an Irish girl who said "that's sooo fockin' Irish." Hilarious, but even coming from a native it was a tad unfair!

On the plus side all the protestors and shaman alike are all dosed up on holy water from the local well. The light of mother-nature is shining from inside each and everyone of them. Watching the diggers dig was depressing, looking at the land they had already torn asunder was even harder to deal with. But I had a great week. I didn't expect to have that much fun. I didn't expect to feel that inspired, perhaps I needed to feel the depression to feel the inspiration. Despite the dark forces that led us to Tara we were all blessed just to be there, doubly blessed to be among such inspiring and love filled people, and thrice blessed to have the opportunity to honour our ancestors. "But, but, you're black! He is, you are!" Ask an Irishman about Montserrat, 'the Emerald Isle of the Carribean' where they still celebrate St Patrick's Day, Irish heritage spread far and wide...

But I was only there for days, there are people on site who have helped tend a sacred fire that hasn't gone out for 14 months. There are people who barely make it out of the camp, sleep in tents and tipis (yes, tipis) and have dedicated this period of their lives to Tara, as generations of warriors, shamans, Druids, priestesses and Kings have almost certainly done before them. In my opinion they would benefit from moral support, encouragement, money, seasoned protestors and super-foods. Especially maca and cacao for the increased energy however you'd probably have an interesting time experimenting with super-foods as mind-revealing as purple corn at a site as mind-revealingly sacred a Tara.

If you care. If you can. Visit the protest site.

Get involved or just show your support, bring some food, camp for a few days and some spend quality time with some megalithic shamans. Yeah, good luck 'Googling' that one.

In a bit, in a piece, inner peace.

For direct info from the protest site www.tarapixie.net
For further information: 086 1758557 (Send a text and we will call you back).

KP Kev the Poet aka Knowledge is Power the Hip-Hop Bard and junior geomancer.