Prostests Continue at Tara

The High Kings ruled Ireland from Tara. This sacred mountain was used for rituals, inaugurations and celebrations while its people lived at the foot of the hill. From the top of the hill, the four provinces of Ireland can be seen, Meath being the fifth province. All roads led to Tara. It is the central point of many myths and much folklore; Tara is mentioned in stories about the Fianna, the Battle of Gabhra, the Coming of Lugh, Cú Chulainn, Queen Maeve, the Dagda - Father God of the Tuatha De Danann and many more. Irish Christianity began on the Hill of Tara, and Daniel O’Connell held his monster rallies there.

Once more, Tara is being affected by history, an illegal motorway is being built through the valley and destroying national monuments, the Gabhra river, beautiful scenery, cultural identity and a spiritual home for many. A campaign has been launched so we can try and stop the destruction and find a real solution to the traffic problems for the people of County Meath and Ireland.

Non Violent Direct Action or N.V.D.A. consists of banner protests, blockading, occupying tree houses, tripods and general mayhem! For the past six months a small number of activists have been holding off to the best of their ability a 13 km stretch of the planned route between Roestown and Ardsallagh. After the 18th July (The Battle of Soldier’s Hill) when seven people were arrested and four sent to Cloverhill Prison for a week, the Gardai started arresting people on the route of construction. One of those arrested was our very own Dr Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin from the Celtic Studies Department. There was a two-month period when the Gardai weren’t arresting anyone and we were able to stop the construction from 7am to 7pm leading up to the 18th July. Since then, five more people have been arrested so our strategy at the moment when digger diving is to leave the construction site when the Gardai ask.

There are two camps here at Tara, the first being the Tara Solidarity Vigil on the Hill of Tara, which has had a vigil flame burning on the hill since the Summer Solstice 2006. The Direct Action camp is on the other side of the valley, in the woods of Rath Lugh. This national monument consists of a monitory hill fort and its outer bank is only 13m from the route of the motorway. There is also a bigger “C” shaped enclosure, connected to the east by outer banks and ditches. It is the Eastern Defence Fort of Tara. The Lismullen woodhenge is north west of Rath Lugh and is 80m in diameter, the same as Rath Lugh both being broadly contemporary. Close to Lismullen there is also a souterrain and crematory burial grounds. The whole area outside the route has a large number of monuments, which shows that the landscape is connected.

Baronstown, which...was bulldozed at 4 in the morning...[consisted of] two ring forts; one Bronze Age, the other Iron Age.

To the south is Baronstown, which consisted, before it was bulldozed at 4 in the morning, of two ring forts; one Bronze Age, the other Iron Age. They were both ritual sites with huge amounts of animal bones. Further south is Roestown, which was a complex of souterains before it was bulldozed. In one souterain a Ficheall board, an Irish board game played by royalty, was found. Then starting north of the route was the archaeological sites of Ardsallagh. There were Christian and Pagan graves, enclosures and Bronze Age houses. Then across the River Boyne is Dowdstown, a big archaeological site leading all the way south to Blundelstown, locally known as Soldier’s Hill after the 1798 rebellion, with two archaeological sites. Crossing the existing N3 is one more site. The whole area is under threat, becoming a 53 acre floodlit interchange, only 1km north from the top of the Hill of Tara.

Very little archaeological study has been done for an area that large and the land is being dug up at the moment. If you go further south you come to Lismullen, again little archaeological work has been done, only one site. Most of the archaeological sites were between Skryne and Roestown, but still there were gaps between them. Very little geophysical surveying work was done, hence the “woodhenge’s” late discovery. Now the European Union is raising concerns about why a new Environmental Impact Assessment wasn’t done. At the moment there are three court cases pending against the Irish Government and the construction companies, one by the European Union, the next by Mick Canney in the public interest on behalf of the people in the Irish court system, and the last arises as a result of The Battle of Soldier Hill.

There are plenty of alternatives to this proposed M3. For example the Meath Multi Way consists of a 2+1 system and an upgrade to the existing bus service. A train line already exists from Dublin to Navan, it just needs trains on it. A route to the west outside the Discovery Programme’s Archaeological zone of protection bypasses Navan, Dunshauglin and Kells.

Recently Stuart Townsend (Queen of the Damned) and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Bent It Like Beckham, The Tudors) organised an event on the hill. You may have seen the aerial photos of the body art, humans in the shape of a harp and “Save the Tara Valley”. Also quite recently the Minister for the Environment has placed a temporary preservation order on Rath Lugh.

Needless to say, we do need a lot of help here at Tara. People are needed to protest as the construction progresses. The Navan and Cavan buses pass Tara, get out at Tara Cross. If a group of people were interested we can organise a bus to come from NUI Maynooth to Tara. Everyone can do something for Tara, whether it’s digger diving, writing letters or handing out fliers and banner protests. Do you want your grandchildren to read about you in their history books? Act now; help defend Tara before it’s too late.

Beir bua & solas
www.savetara.com
www.tarapixie.net
086 1758 557 - Tara Solidarity Vigil
086 1537 146 - Rath Lugh Camp