For years now, we have been reading about plans for the Leinster Orbital Route (LOR) or Dublin Outer Orbital Route (DOOR). Earlier this year, the NRA published a Feasibility Report from 2007, which shows route of the LOR passing along the side of the Hill of Tara. Notably, the route goes about 1km north of the Blundelstown Interchange, between the N3 and M3 motorway. However, last week Meath County Councillors were told to freeze planning on a 2km corridor on either side of the route. So, it is possible the route will pass directly through the Blundelstown Interchange, the Hill of Tara complex and the proposed UNESCO World Heritage Site. In fact, it appears that this was the plan all along, and that the route has been chosen before the public consultation even begins. read full story / add a comment

The Green Party has lost it's mandate to represent the people of Ireland, and in particular, the environmental movement in Ireland. The latest scandal involves Gormley's own promises as Minister, to strengthen legal protections for national monuments and landscapes. In 2007 he promised new legislation the following year. Then it was promised for 2009, and formally described as The National Monuments (Amendment) Act 2009. Last week we informed by the Taniste that the bill will now not be published until 2010, at least. This is a core Green Party issue, and there is simply no excuse for the delay, which is costing Ireland's heritage dearly because of the high destruction rate continuing under the Green watch. TaraWatch is calling on all environmental groups to protest at the Green Party Special Convention on Saturday 10 October at 9.00am. read full story / add a comment

The Irish Times reported on Friday, August 28 2009 that a 9,000 year old fishing trap was found in the Hill of Tara landscape at Clowanstown, near Dunsany, during excavations by the National Roads Authority (NRA), along the path of the M3 motorway. Settlement remains of agricultural, industrial and ritual nature were discovered amongst five man-made mounds, beside an ancient lake. Stone axes, jewellery and even a tiny wooden canoe were unearthed. The finds show once again that the Tara landscape masks an underground world of Irish pre-history, which should have been either left alone, or excavated as part of a proper research study, rather than as part of an archaeological salvage operation. read full story / add a comment

The Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, is currently conducting two separate public consultations, allegedly to protect Tara. There is the proposed Tara Skryne Landscape Conservation Area and the proposed Tara UNESCO World Heritage Site. But the Minister has not produced one single map showing the proposed areas, and has refused to answer Parliamentary Questions on the issue. read full story / add a comment

A delegation of approximately 30 TaraWatch members met with Opposition TDs and Senators at the Kildare Street gates of the Dail on Wednesday, at 1.00 pm. read full story / add a comment

TaraWatch will hold a demonstration outside Dail Eireann on Kildare St tomorrow at 1.00pm, and demand that the Government halt work on the M3 within the Hill of Tara landscape and proposed UNESCO World Heritage Site, due to the lawsuit being argued by the European Commission in the European Court of Justice against Ireland this week. read full story / add a comment

TaraWatch is urging the Department of the Environment to partner with the Northern Ireland Government and submit a Transboundary Nomination for all 'Royal Irish Sites', rather than just those sites in the South, currently being proposed. read full story / add a comment

TaraWatch wrote today to the UK universities pension fund, Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), who are institutional investors in Cintra, the subsidiary of Ferrovial, who are building the M3 motorway, to inform them of the ethical investment issues involved with the Hill of Tara and to ask for stakeholder engagement. read full story / add a comment

TaraWatch is calling on the public to make submissions to an advisory group that has been set up by the Irish Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, to review the Tentative List of potential UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ireland. The deadline is 30 January, 2009. read full story / add a comment

FERROVIAL, who are building the M3 motorway through the Tara archaeological complex and SHELL, who are building the gas pipeline in Mayo are just two of the companies attending a conference on Stakeholder Engagement, within the realm of Corporate Social Responsibility in Barcelona this Monday and Tuesday, 13th and 14th of October We need people to help us engage in the conference, by sending activists and emailing participants. http://www.ethicalcorp.com/stakeholder/agenda.asp
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Members of TaraWatch and other groups will sell pieces of coal , dressed as 'fat- cats', tomorrow outside the Green party offices on Suffolk Street at noon tomorrow. The coal will signify the Green's preference for creating new taxes, to penalise carbon use, instead of seeking cuts in spending on carbon producing infrastructure like tolled motorways, in the upcoming Budget, like their own policy documents call for.

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The Sixth World Archaeological Congress (WAC-6) was recently held in University College Dublin. During the Congress, there was a special session hosted by the WAC Standing Committee on Ethics, which entailed presentations by various stakeholders in the Hill of Tara / M3 motorway issue. Addidionally, Tara was raised at the Plenary Session, at the conclusion of the congress, and a resolutions regarding Tara's World Heritage value was passed. Now, WAC wants to further investigate the issue, and has appointed an executive member to compile a report. read full story / add a comment

Mr Francesco Bandarin, Director of the World Heritage Centre of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, (UNESCO) proposed yesterday that a workshop on the Hill of Tara cultural landscape would take place. He made the proposal in discussions with TaraWatch at the closing of the 32nd Session of the World Heritage Committee, in Quebec, last week read full story / add a comment

TaraWatch received notification on Thursday 5th June, from the World Archaeological Congress (WAC), Committee on Ethics, that it has been recognised as stakeholders in the ongoing Hill of Tara / M3 issue for purposes of a round table session at the upcoming Sixth World Archaeological Congress, (WAC-6) to be held at University College Dublin, from the 29th June to 4th July, which will be debating the ethics of the M3 / Hill of Tara issue. read full story / add a comment

TaraWatch will launch a public petition today at a demonstration outside the AGM of the Irish branch of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), calling on ICOMOS and UNESCO to designate Tara a World Heritage site, but to insist that the M3 is rerouted first. read full story / add a comment

Following on from the success of the facebook Causes application, which already has over 2,500 members, TaraWatch is utilising the Causes application which has now been installed on myspace, to further the campaign to save the Hill of Tara archaeological complex from the M3 motorway. read full story / add a comment

The Hill of Tara/ M3 motorway and the Shell refinery were raised at the Seventh Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues by Margaret Connolly of Retrieve Foundation on April 19 2008. read full story / add a comment

Now that a the date of 30 April has been fixed for Bertie Ahern's speech to the US Congress, mobilisation of Save Tara demonstrators in the US will begin in earnest. TaraWatch is planning a large demonstration in Washington, and an intense media campaign to mark the event. We need your help. read full story / add a comment

Campaigners are called on to lobby and help build an alliance that can assure this motion will succeed. read full story / add a comment

An Oral Parliamentary Question, regarding Garda 'Operation Bedrock' - which now appears to be an ongoing investigation into Tara campaigners, has been submitted to the Minister for Justice, Brian Lenihan. If the Minister chooses to answer, it will take place on Thursday afternoon. If not, a written answer will come early next week. read full story / add a comment