This exclusive comes in a tradition of Indymedia exclusives that brought you the British Ambassador’s letter in 1969, when the then Managing Director of the Irish Times, called his Editor and fellow Protestant, Douglas Gageby, “a renegade or white nigger” for his coverage of Northern Ireland.

RTE broadcast a 'Hidden History' programme on 23 October 2007, about the IRA shooting of Richard and Abraham Pearson of Coolacrease, near Cadamstown, Co. Offaly, in June 1921, during the War of Independence. It was made by Niamh Sammon and featured (unelected) Senator Eoghan Harris of the Sunday Independent.

The programme was accused of editing interviews to encourage a view that the IRA in Offaly were sectarian, land grabbing and Catholic peasants. Back in early October Indymedia users played with the title of the documentary strand and began to ask was history being bent to the will of a hidden agenda?

Now a researcher, PhD student Philip McConway, has accused the programme of distorting his views. Local historian, Paddy Heaney, related to an IRA volunteer who died from stomach wounds inflicted by the Pearsons, said the programme left the guts of his interview on the cutting room floor. Another interview, with Pat Muldowney, never made it at all, not one second. His interview with Niamh Sammon of Reel Story Productions, has never been heard by the public. Until now that is...

Today, tonight (to coin a phrase), Indymedia brings you audio of the Muldowney-Sammon interview. Not all of it, we are not miracle workers, and the quality is, we admit, not the best. But it is good enough.

Related Links: Indymedia asks Hidden History or Hidden Agenda? | The Story Starts Here | The Hidden History documentary strand returns to RTÉ | Review of I Met Murder On The Way | War Of Independence Debate On Sectarianism Descends On Unassuming Offaly | Cedar Lounge Revolution Bloggers on Coolacrease |

RTÉ has announced a programme in its Hidden History series making controversial claims about IRA sectarianism during the War of independence. This is how RTE is currently publicising it:

Guns and Neighbours: The Killings at Coolacrease
“The bloody tale of a bitter land dispute, involving a family of Protestant farmers in County Offaly, which comes to a deadly conclusion during the War of Independence. Featuring interviews with descendants of the men who carried out the killings, this portrait of a forgotten atrocity features substantial newspaper archive research, IRA witness statements and military documents from the period.”

Related Links: The Story Starts Here | The Hidden History documentary strand returns to RTÉ

Over 1500 people from across Ireland and beyond, gathered at the Hill of Tara to take part in a living human sculpture to call for the rerouting of the M3 away from the Tara Valley.

It was magical, yes, driving up to Tara and getting stuck in an unforgiving traffic jam, to photograph a very special moment where over 1500 gathered to tell John Gormley and Bertie Ahern, to reroute the M3. The event was to start at 3pm, but hundreds were there 2 hours in advance. French, English, Irish and other unknown tongues wafted in the flurry of excitement as people examined their tickets discussing which letter in the living protest they would be. One child's birthday present was participating in the living sculpture.

When the helicopter arrived, all bets were off as hundreds rushed to see it land. One woman with a child on her back ran in vain after another two shouting "don't go near the blades!" There were plenty of stewards holding back the tide of incredibly keen onlookers.

On the ground there was a great leap of faith as to what would emerge from their choreographed contortions. From the air ,the voice of Ireland spoke out: moving, twitching, questioning and resisting the policy of Fianna Fail/Possessive Democrats/Green Party and big business interests. The issue of the M3 is not dead. It is very much alive. The battle is not over!

(Images © Paula Geraghty)

Related Links: Averting our eyes from Crime at Tara | Photo Essay: Tara Under Full Moon | Government Creating 'Facts On The Ground' At Tara Hill Complex Despite Huge Opposition | Stop Wasting Public Money on Wanton Destruction of the Tara-Skryne Valley | Heed the People - Respect the Law - Stop the Dig - Save Tara! | On The Road to Hell - The Battle to Save the Tara-Skryne Valley Begins | Tara - N3 - Widen The Road Instead. Traffic, Cars and Peak Oil | Save Tara Website | More on Tara from the Indymedia Vaults

While an MEP explains the doubtful legality of the construction work taking place at Tara, Revolt Video get the workers on film, engaging in activities of even more doubtful legality. The guardians of the peace wade in and arrest 7 protestors, including a professor of specializing in Medieval Irish Studies at the University of Maynooth who had presented them with a letter from the EU commission.

Watch Revolt Footage Here

From the Newswire:

As a rumoured additional 20 diggers are told to be arriving onsite, the public step up their protest in protecting Soldier Hill, attracting the likes of University Professors, International delegates on Tourism and EU Member of Parliaments to rush to the scene in aid of the protest.

Between 10am and 2pm a bitter struggle ensued to try to stop the diggers from continuing, as the protestors also disrupt traffic by standing in front of dirt trucks that try to enter the site.

By 12:30pm at least 5 people were arrested for obstructing the construction,

Protestor Being carried off site trying to stop digger 0.32 Mb Dan Malone stops digger by standing on it 0.11 Mb Muirfeann Ni Bhrolchain, Professor at NUI just prior to her arrest 0.06 Mb EU MEP Cathy Sinott observes the tug of war over the gates allowing dirt trucks in and out of site 0.96 Mb Protest Signs after construction decide to cease for the day 0.61 Mb

Experts had warned for years that the M3 should never have been routed through the Gabhra (Tara-Skreen) Valley.
What we refer to today as a “henge” are two related architectural forms that come from the late Neolithic and the early Bronze age. They date from about 2500 to 1800BC and may consist of banks, earth enclosures and also timber circles and that is what we have in this case. Rath Medb at is an example of the earthen enclosure. The best known henge is of course Stonehenge.

Related Links: Tara Watch submits DVD on Tara to Government. | Roestown national monument at Tara removed | Press statement from Campaign to Save Tara | Tara; The Inconvenient Truth by Martin Hogan, NUI Senate Candidate | Tara; The Inconvenient Truth by Martin Hogan, NUI Senate Candidate | Corruption Watch at Tara - Lets do some digging of our own

Lismullin site with Rath Lugh in the background 0.06 Mb Closer view of the area 0.05 Mb Details of the henge site 0.02 Mb Geophysical detail in context 0.03 Mb Lismullin on the map 0.03 Mb