Pledge Your Vote for Tara

national | environment | press release Tuesday April 24, 2007 13:42 by Campaign to Save Tara

Happening now.

Launch Of Campaign to Save Tara and Political Strategy campaign calls on
Electorate to 'Pledge Their Votes for Tara'.

An Bord Pleanala gave permission for the four lane , twice-tolled M3 Through
The Gabhra (TaraSkyrne) Valley in 2003 and since then there has been a huge
campaign to have that section of the road re-routed.

The Campaign to save Tara is an alliance of voluntary groups involved in this lobbying.
The Campaign was officially launched on Tuesday the 24th of April 2007 at an event in the
Cultivate Centre, Temple Bar beginning at 1pm. The campaign also announced their
electoral strategy and approach to the upcoming general election.

The electoral strategy was outlined by Michael Canney who said that they are asking
for a re-route of the section of the M3 that runs through the Gabhra Valley. He said
"We are asking people to consider each candidates and party's position on the
route at the ballot box. We will encourage people to vote for the candidates who provide
written commitments that they will support a review of the route, if they are elected to
government."

Dr Muireann Ni Bhrolochain, senior lecturer in the School of Celtic Studies,
National University of Ireland in Maynooth and long term campaigner on the
issue, said 'The Tara issue is the line in the sand. If the Gabhra Valley
is not safe- nowhere in Ireland is safe from future development in the spurious name
of progress. It is physically distressing to see huge sites being excavated in such haste".

She quoted Duncan Stewart's evaluation of the proposed road, 'The M3
is the worst example of unsustainable development- this artery will
encourage more sprawl and development in Meath. The developers
will be the only ones to benefit and it will delay, if not prevent the re-opening of
the more desirable railway line'

Professor Daithi O Hogain of the Dept of Folklore, National University of Ireland, Dublin
spoke of his long standing concerns regarding the project and said " Tara is the focal centre
of Irish Heritage and culture- there is an extraordinary rich complex of myth
and symbolism associated with the site"

The bardic poet from Cork, Diarmuid O Dalaigh, summed up the significance
of the Tara Valley for the majority of people in Ireland with a recitation of
his poem 'Tara'

[ends]

email : info@savetara.com