Urgent protest: Tara

by C Murray Wed Aug 22, 2007 16:45

Would like also to add that the 25th August begins 'Heritage Week' .

At this time we have been without a statutory body charged with the protection and conservation
of both our natural and built Heritage since Feburary 2003, when Martin Cullen abolished
Duchas. I hope that the groups come out and support this and other protests that highlight the
lack of protections of our monuments and landscape .

http://www.tarapixie.tk
http://www.savetara.com
http://www.tarawatch.org

by Susan Isabella Sheehan-Repasky - Flicker Light Studio Wed Aug 22, 2007 17:35

Continued Destruction In The Tara Complex
Despite the impending investigation by the EU for illegal activity, the An Bord Pleanala has decided to go ahead with excavations and the construction of the M-3 Motorway in Lismullen.

by C Murray Wed Aug 22, 2007 19:23

Paul Cunningham gave an interesting piecemeal account of the issue on RTE News.

Two things :-

He stated that the issue has re-focussed the Tara conservation process
on John Gormley's office and the report emphasised possible EU intervention.
One of the hallmarks of the present tri-partite coalition has been their emphasis on
'buisness as usual' with an unbroken seam between the actions of sucessive heads
of Environment and Justice. Neither of the present incumbents has sought to separate themselves
from the highly questionable operations of their immeadiate predecessors.

Minister Gormley keeps re-iterating that he cannot intervene, despite a huge paper trail
and alternative aproach to the contrary. The destruction order or 'preservation by record'
was signed a full 24 hours before his taking office. Thats a cop-out. He sought his holidays
during the EU petition committee visits and letters and has not sought to investigate the
sucessive legislations which have stripped this country of all protections for heritage
since 2003. He has not gone on record regarding the introduction of the S.I.B, nor has
he invited to or spoken with the campaigners who have found themselves arrested and
criminalised. From here it looks like Minister Gormley has not alone accepted the corrupt
planning process which Martin cullen and Dick Roche instigated but refused to look at the
effect that fastrack planning has on rights of access to judicial process and community
structures.

1. There exists in Ireland no Statutory body to implement the NMA (as amended 2004)
nor to protect our natural and built heritage.[Duchas was abolished Feburary 23rd 2003]

2. 'The Planning and Construction guidelines' of the NRA, cf (Margaret Gowen module)
quite clearly states that a chosen road route will not be changed after EIS stage.

3.The now 54 projects which are under application through the SIB are legislated for
in a process weighted to the developer which envisages a re-structuring of the Irish court System
and a transposition of elements of Aarhus into Irish law.[ I will put in the
relevant link].

4.The previous Minister granted 38 separate licences of excavation to a series of
companies. The abolition of Duchas suceeded in splitting the work of Duchas between
the DOE and the OPW. There is evidence that the filing system for heritage and digs
is two years out of date.

With regard to Paul Cunningham's report then, the focus has never left The current
Minister for the Environment's inaction on Tara. Positive actions would be acceptable
but John seems intent on underscoring his new role by maintaining an unbroken
seam between himself and those who went before him. Re-instituting Duchas
and launching an inquiry into the effect of planning corruption would have gone a long
way toward creating a necessary separation in methodology between himself and
Roche.

http://www.tarapixie.tk
http://www.savetara.com
http://www.tarawatch.org

by Michael Martin - TaraWatch Wed Aug 22, 2007 20:25

Took me a few minutes to figure out this one. The protests will take place in Castle Street, Belfast, not Dublin.

Re: Duchas; That government body was a sick joke anyway, totally ineffective when it came to the preservation of our natural and archaeological heritage. Duchas was nothing more than another level of government-bureaucracy created by the Labour Party in their last spell in government during the 1990's!

by Carmel Ni Dhuibheanaigh - Hibernian Order of Druids Thu Aug 23, 2007 09:29

Hi all,

Just a reminder that there will be a demo against the desruction of Tara outside the GPO Dublin 2pm Sat 25th Aug, all welcome :) Please support.

Hope Belfast is a success :)

Blessings,
Carmel

by For the Organisers Thu Aug 23, 2007 21:52

Tara Na Gig
Call from Tara to all women
From: Tara na gig, Tara women's group.
SISTERS!!!
We are calling on your power, beauty and divinity to be present with
us this full moon, Tuesday the 28th of August 2007 at Lismullen Henge
on the Tara/Skryne Valley @ 9pm.
As nurturers and carers of mother Earth and as guardians of our
dignity, strength, and honour and that of the children of generations
to come, we are inviting you to participate in a circle, where we
intend to reclaim our true legacy. That legacy is: the right of the
people to rejoice in their history, heritage and their connection to
the Ancestors and to each other through the ownership and enjoyment
of our sacred spaces in the present time.
In May 2007 as part of the excavations for the M3 motorway the
archaeologists on the site of Lismullen in the Tara Skryne Complex
found an ancient Henge; a ritual ceremonial site dating back to
prehistoric times.

Immediately this site was declared a National Monument and despite
the outcry generated by it, the then minister for the environment,
Dick Roche, ordered its removal from the Valley in order to continue
with the construction of the controversial 7 km of the M3 across the
Valley.
The orientation of this Henge seems to be pointing to Newgrange,
which may support the hypothesis that the whole Tara Skryne Valley
was a large complex, whose sites cannot be interpreted in isolation.
If protected as it should be, the whole Valley could be designated a
World Heritage Park, a place for the benefit and education of
humanity and the expansion of Ancient Irish Civilization.
To endanger such a place is a symptom of the greed, corruption and
disrespect being shown for nature, people and our environment.
The solution to this controversy is to re-route 7 km of the double-
tolled Motorway, but it seems that vested interests in this area have
been preventing the consideration of any alternatives.
Tonight we are meeting as women to renew our commitment to defend the
sacredness of the earth and our heritage. It is an opportunity to
reclaim an ancestral place as a symbol of such principles as
nurturing, integrity and dignity which should guide the evolution of
economic development in this country.
We invite also the men, as our brothers and equals, to be present and
to protect the entrance to the circle and the sanctity of our
ceremony.
We invite circles of people around the world who might not be able to
travel to Tara to tune in with our circle of connectedness and to
send their energy and protection for our intentions.
We invite the Irish people and the international community to declare
that it is time to promote and develop sustainable alternatives that
will in the long run be beneficial to everyone's sense of self and
wellbeing.
The ceremony:
What To Bring:
a) A lantern: We will light all lanterns with the flame of the Tara
Solidarity Vigil on the hill. This fire has been on the hill now for
a year and two months and represents the spirit of integrity and
solidarity that guides us. It connects with many solidarity flames
around the world.
b) A solar torch if you have one, to symbolise the union between sun
and moon energies.
c) Some water from your own localities. Invite elemental energies to
empower the water.(yes…have fun and invite the punk faery living in
the cactus plant…she's mischievious! !! ;-))).
d) Yourselves, your mothers and daughters, your aunties, neighbours
and friends.
e) Tea and cakes to share at the gate with our brothers (this is
about honoring the nurturing principle)
f )Respect for the place, for one another for ourselves...a spirit of
dignity within us is the best fire to light this flame...
Meeting:
8.15 pm. At the Tara na Ri parking lot. (we will share lifts with a
few cars as there is no parking space at the Henge)
8.45 At the entrance of the archaeological site. we will light our
lanterns with the Tara solidarity Flame.
We will enter the Henge in procession and surround its perimeter. (It
is absolutely prohibited to walk on the henge itself as it hasn't
been properly protected and it is in a very delicate state.)
9pm. We will cast an imaginary circle around us and welcome the
Spirit present in all life within us and around us, visible and
invisible in all its names and forms to join us and support our
intent.
We will have 5 minutes silence to acknowledge and welcome the
ancestors that worshipped this land in ancient times. Perhaps we can
silently welcome them as part of our extended family.
We will invite in the four directions by lifting our lanterns towards
these directions while one representative will call each cardinal
point in a clockwise direction.
We will repeat this process three times.
We will pour a few drops of our empowered water on the ground with
the intention of connecting earth and water (reality and feeling, Yin
and Yang, matter and intuition... etc). We will welcome the elemental
force in the water to help cleanse, reconnect and revive the place as
a spiritual centre for the present time. A place representing a
circle of connection where all beings are equal. We will mention the
places where the water comes from.
We will look at each other and make eye contact acknowledging the
preciousness of our being (this is about connecting so we start with
ourselves)
We will sing a cone of power and then cheer the moon.
We will sing the circle open and go in procession to meet our
brothers at the entrance and share tea and cakes at the gate.
At the gateway, we will all cheer the moon, the sun and stars, the
land, our ancestors and each other.
End of ceremony...keep it sweet and gentle. Back to our lifts to the
Tara na Ri parking lot!
Solas agus Gra