Bertie Aherne: 'If you account for things like archaeology you will never do anything'

by The farce continues Fri Sep 30, 2005 15:14

This is how we are in this mess

by karen - humanity Fri Sep 30, 2005 15:44

for the head of this country to vioce such oppinions is shamefull. bertie should attend diplomacy school, lay off the pints and learn about his heritage. Selling or tarmacing the countries ancient sites is upsetting celts all over the world.

by Supportive Sat Oct 01, 2005 20:05

with Bertie and his buddies re Tara either

Rossport meets Taragate

by commerce not bones Sun Oct 02, 2005 03:37

as a freelance developer i say good on ya bertie!!..who cares about an ancient mound of dirt?...i could no sooner care about a dogshit on the street of dublin. which seems to be raking in the celtic tiger dollar.....there are too many of these piles of rubbish around the country which are waiting to be raped...sorry i mean developed...where these bearded scallops see history i see a future for ireland and for the enterprizing individuals such as myself...
If you want to point fingers at guilty parties; then point them not at bertie. but at the bord faltie....Ireland is a crack whore, and people with no history such as the yanks are gonna shoot up!....
It's time to retire your aran jumper, take the money and run....Galway will soon enough become Microsoftania.

by eeekkkkk Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:04

Chief archaeologist only has basic degree
Frank McDonald, Environment Editor

     
     
 
Brian Duffy, chief archaeologist of the Department of the Environment, was appointed to his post even though he has only a general BA degree in archaeology and no track record of archaeological excavations or publications, The Irish Times has established.

Mr Duffy got the job in July 2003, ahead of candidates with superior qualifications and professional experience - notably Dr Ann Lynch, who holds a PhD in archaeology and has led excavations at sensitive sites such as Poulnabrone in Co Clare and Tintern Abbey, Co Wexford.

The job specification for chief archaeologist requires, among other things, a person with "strong leadership qualities, management skills and sound judgment" who would motivate and manage a staff of 40 and provide "expert professional advice on archaeology as required".

Competition for the post was confined to senior archaeologists in the department's heritage section. None of the three eligible applicants was interviewed; they were merely invited to submit a form describing their work, previous experience and other relevant information.

These written applications were reviewed by Mary Moylan, assistant secretary at the department's planning division, and Michael Canny, assistant secretary, corporate services. Eight days later, they recommended that Mr Duffy should be appointed by Martin Cullen.

Prof John Waddell, head of the department of archaeology at NUI Galway, from where Mr Duffy graduated in 1971, said his appointment caused surprise because people were aware of his lack of qualifications and experience of excavation work.

"He has no post-graduate qualifications and, to the best of my knowledge, he has never written anything or published anything on mainstream archaeology, in contrast to most of his colleagues in the department, some of whom have PhDs and many of whom have master's degrees.

"He has never directed an archaeological excavation and has no experience in that area whatsoever, though he might have participated in one as a student 30 years ago. He also got his BA long before landscape archaeology became an important area of research."

Prof Waddell said Mr Duffy's "incomprehensible lack of knowledge of what constitutes an archaeological landscape" was evident in the advice he gave Minister for the Environment Dick Roche on the plan to route the M3 motorway through the Tara-Skryne valley in Co Meath. "In failing to address the question that the Tara landscape constitutes an archaeological area . . . the chief archaeologist, the department and the Minister failed in their duty of care in respect of the country's heritage," he said in an affidavit for the High Court case on the M3.

Mr Duffy's qualifications were also called into question during a recent Circuit Court case in which his predecessor, David Sweetman, successfully sued Associated Newspapers, publishers of Ireland on Sunday, for libel over an article on the Carrickmines case.

When his counsel, Garrett Cooney SC, noted that Mr Duffy was involved in Carrickmines and commented that he was "a well-known and well-qualified archaeologist", Mr Sweetman said: "Well, actually, Brian Duffy isn't well-known and, in my opinion, not well-qualified."

In the Tara case, Mr Duffy expressed the view that the M3 motorway "will be a monument of major significance in the future". And in dealing with the Woodstown Viking site in Waterford, he argued that it could be "preserved in situ" by rolling the N25 Waterford bypass over it.

But Dr Pat Wallace, director of the National Museum, insisted that the site was of such importance that it would have to be excavated. Without naming Mr Duffy, he challenged the view of those "who for some inexplicable reason seem to think it would be better covered over".

Two months after becoming chief archaeologist, Mr Duffy dismissed the view that Woodstown was a Viking longphort - which is what it turned out to be - as a "speculative notion of the site's nature, with absolutely no archaeological evidence to support it".

In response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act, the department refused to release any details of Mr Duffy's academic qualifications, his professional career, what archaeological excavations he has carried out and what publications he has to his credit, if any.

The department cited section 28 of the Freedom of Information Act, which covers the disclosure of personal information, saying it considered "on balance [ that] the public interest in protecting the privacy of the individual in this case outweighs the public interest in releasing the information".

Personnel officer Dave Fadden recently informed the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland that the process used to appoint Mr Duffy was "in line with the department's policy on filling internal positions at this level" and that the "most suitable candidate" had been selected.

In a statement, the department said Mr Duffy was a qualified archaeologist who has served in the National Monuments Service since 1976 "dealing with a wide range of archaeological issues including the Archaeological Survey of Ireland, conservation programmes at national monuments and all aspects of development-related archaeology".

Though the statement confirmed that the three candidates for the post had been "rated" based on written submissions, it said an arrangement has now been introduced that senior professional posts in the department "are filled on the basis of competitive interview".

by xs Mon Dec 05, 2005 12:42

There is another article in todays Irish Times about Bertie's preocupation with stately homes.

It seems only image matters to the government. It is a pity that the government are deploying 'yes men' in key positions so they can get easy out comes when it suits them