TaraWatch

Cartoon by Martyn Turner, The Irish Times, 02 Oct 2009

PRESS RELEASE – TARAWATCH – 01 October 2009

‘Demonstrations at Green Party Convention for Delay of National Monuments Bill’

TaraWatch and environmental groups will hold a demonstration at the Green Party Special Convention on Saturday 10 August, condemning Minister for the Environment, John Gormley’s, postponement of the National Monuments (Amendment) Bill 2009, until 2010. The Act was originally promised to be published in 2008.

On entering Government, the Minister promised a new Act, and initiated a public consultation for it on 25 October 2007: “Soon after entering office I promised I would review Archaeological Policy and Practice and today I am delivering on that commitment,” Minister John Gormley said.  In response to written Parliamentary Questions, the Minister said, on 9 July 2009: “The Expert Advisory Committee I established to review archaeological policy and practice submitted its recommendations on improving and updating national monuments legislation in February 2009, following which work began on the preparation of Heads of a Bill. This is now at an advanced stage and I expect to circulate the Heads to other Departments for consideration shortly. However, Tánaiste Mary Coughlan revealed in Dáil debates on Wednesday, 23 September 2009 that the legislation would not be published until 2010.

Vincent Salafia of TaraWatch said:  “There will be strong opposition to the Green Party’s sell-out of the Hill of Tara and all of Ireland’s national monuments, at their Special Convention.  We see nothing in the current proposals for a new programme for Government that is designed to increase protections for Ireland’s rich cultural heritage, which is still being decimated.  The reality is Minister Gormley has intentionally delayed making Tara and other national treasures UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and now is intentionally delaying the new National Monuments Act.  The Greens have lost all credibility and no longer have a mandate to represent the public on green issues.

ENDS

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NRA recreation of Lismullin national monument, in the Tara complex,demolished in 2007

PRESS RELEASE – TARAWATCH – 17 July 2009

‘National Monuments Bill and Tara Landscape Conservation Area Contradict EU Legal Action’

The Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, today announced a series of measures, including a future National Monuments Bill, a future UNESCO nomination for the Hill of Tara, and a new Landscape Conservation Area for Tara-Skryne. However, these proposed measures directly contradict the Minister’s actions over the last two years in the European Court of Justice, where he is defending the decision by the former Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche‘s decision to demolish the Lismullin National Monument, near Tara, in 2007.

The Commission initiated a legal action against Ireland after Minister Gormley refused the Commission’s order to halt the demolition of Lismullin. The Commission took legal action, on the basis that the current National Monuments Act (2004), is in breach of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive. Arguments were submitted by the Commission on 15 July, and Ireland has until October to respond.  The National Monuments Bill announced today, was promised to be delivered last summer. The UNESCO nomination of Tara announced today, was supposed to have been completed already.  Vincent Salafia of TaraWatch said:

“Today’s announcements are completely disingenuous. The reality is that the Minister is actively defending the current Act and the M3 development in the ECJ.  Huge amounts of taxpapers’ money is being spent defending the National Monuments Act case in Europe, while even more money is being spent changing the same law here. The Minister has spent two years actively prevented the European Commission and UNESCO from protecting the Tara Skryne Landscape,  which he now claims to be protecting. What kind of Landscape Conservation Area has a motorway being built in the middle of it?”

ENDS

Contact – Vincent Salafia 087-132-3365 / info@tarawatch.org

Read Minister’s Statement below:

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Maureen O’Sullivan TD (Ind) takes Parliamentary Questions from Vincent Salafia of TaraWatch, with Aengus O Snodaigh (left) and Martin Ferris (Sinn Fein) behind

PRESS RELEASE – TARAWATCH – 1 July 2009

‘Opposition TDs and Senators Pledge to Challenge Government Over M3 Motorway’

A delegation of approximately 30 TaraWatch members met with Opposition TDs and Senators at the Kildare Street gates of the Dail today, at 1.00 pm. They were handed a series of Parliamentary Questions, for the Ministers for Transport, Environment and Finance, relating to the EU and UNESCO issues at the Hill of Tara.  They also asked Oireachtas members to demand a halt to the M3 works at Tara until the European Commission case against Ireland, currently being heard in the European Court of Justice, reaches a decision.

Maureen O’Sullivan, the Independent TD who won the late Tony Gregory’s Dail set in the by-election, said:

“I am happy to meet you and hear your concerns. Deputy Gregory was very much opposed to the M3 at Tara, and made many statements against it.”

Fine Gael Meath TD, Shane McEntee, said:

“Fine Gael is opposed to the tolling of the M3, but we are in favour of jobs for Meath.” When it was pointed out by Vincent Salafia of TaraWatch that a re-routing of the M3 motorway, which could be order by UNESCO, would result in more jobs Meath, he laughed and agreed.

Labour Party TD, Joanna Tuffy, promised to submit Parliamentary Questions and said:

“I am very much in favour of the UNESCO designation of Tara, and will ask Mr Gormley why he delayed submitting the nomination to UNESCO at the Meeting in Seville last week, as promised.

Sinn Fein sent three deputies, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Arthur Morgan and Martin Ferris to met the TaraWatch delegation. Aengus O Snodaigh said:

“Sinn Fein will submit all of the Parliamentary Questions. We remain absolutely opposed the destruction of Tara by the Government and the private companies.

Senator David Norris also offered his support, and complimented the delegation on their commitment. Though he cannot submit Parliamentary Questions as a Senator, he promised to use the materials in other ways, and raise the issue in the Seanad at the soonest opportunity.

However, Green Party TD, Ciaran Cuffe, who had been a strong vocal opponent to the M3 at Tara snubbed the delegation and walked by without comment.

TaraWatch spokesperson Laura Grealish said:

“We are delighted with obvious concern in the Oireachtas over the the Tara M3 issue, and look forward to getting answer to our questions from the Government.  We will be continuing to campaign on the issue by making an appeal to the UN during the upcoming visit of the UN Secretary General to Ireland.

ENDS

Contact: Vincent Salafia

Brussels takes Ireland to court over Lismullen monument

Meath Chronicle: Wednesday, 1st July, 2009  By Ann Casey

The Government is in the dock in Europe this week over the demolition of a newly discovered national monument at Lismullen in 2007, which occurred during works on the M3 motorway. The European Commission is taking Ireland to the European Court of Justice and the case opened last week with the Commission arguing that the decision taken by former Environment Minister, Dick Roche, in 2007 to demolish the newly discovered national monument was contrary to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive, which requires independent scientific opinion and public participation.

The Commission says that the National Monuments Act fails to implement the Directive by automatically requiring a new EIA when a national monument is discovered, which was not covered by planning permission. Because the pre-historic site at Lismullen was only identified in 2007, its significance could not be taken into account in a 2003 assessment of the motorway project. Meanwhile, TaraWatch will hold a demonstration outside Dail Eireann at 1pm today (Wednesday) to demand that the Government halt work on the M3 within the Hill of Tara landscape due to the lawsuit.

A number of questions will also be handed to opposition party Oireachtas members at the Dail gates. The questions will be addressed to Ministers for the Environment, Transport and Finance and will query why the Government demolished the Lismullin national monument and why Minister John Gormley opposed the Environment Directive. They are also querying what the financial implications would be if Ireland loses the case. TaraWatch will also ask Opposition parties to join in an appeal to UN Secretary General General Ban Ki-moon for intervention during his upcoming visit to Ireland on next week.

TaraWatch spokesperson, Vincent Salafia, said: “The Government and the public private partners have acted recklessly by proceeding with the M3 and demolishing the Lismullin national monument, despite the statement by the European Commission in 2007 that they were acting in breach of EU law. “Works on the M3 in the Tara landscape and proposed World Heritage Site should cease, until the case being argued this week in the European Court of Justice reaches a conclusion.” Mr Salafia said that enormous amounts of taxpayers’ money was being wasted by the Government in fighting this case, and the consequences of a decision against Ireland could be disastrous. “We are calling on the Opposition parties to take the Government to task on this and to support our appeal to the UN to intervene in this matter,” he said.

PRESS RELEASE – TARAWATCH – 30 June 2009

- ‘Demand for Halt to M3 at Tara Due to European Commission Lawsuit and Request for UN Intervention to be Made at Dail Tomorrow’

TaraWatch will hold a demonstration outside Dail Eireann on Kildare St tomorrow at 1.00pm, and demand that the Government halt work on the M3 within the Hill of Tara landscape and proposed UNESCO World Heritage Site, due to the lawsuit being argued by the European Commission in the European Court of Justice against Ireland this week.

The Commission is arguing that the decision to demolish the newly discovered national monument at Lismullin by Dick Roche in 2007 was contrary to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive, which requires independent scientific opinion and public participation, and that the National Monuments Act fails to implement the Directive by automatically requiring a new EIA when a national monument is discovered, which was not covered by planning permission.

A number of Parliamentary Questions will also be handed to Opposition party Oireachtas members at the Dail gates. The questions will be addressed to Ministers for the Environment, Transport and Finance. The topics of the questions will include:

-    Why did the Government demolish the Lismullin national monument, after the Commission said not to, with an EIA?

-    Why is Minister Gormley acting contrary to Green Party policy and opposing the Environment Directorate on this matter?

-    What will the financial implications be if Ireland loses the case?

-    Why is the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, proposing to put the M3, the North-South Electrical Connector and the Navan to Dublin railway through the same area Minister Gormley is proposing to make a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

-    Why didn’t Minister Gormley submit Tara and other Irish sites to UNESCO at the annual meeting in Seville this week, like he promised?

TaraWatch will also ask Opposition parties to join in an appeal to UN Secretary General General Ban Ki-moon for intervention, and to and him personally initiation of a problem-solving process for the Tara / M3 debacle during his upcoming visit to Ireland on 7&8 July.
TaraWatch spokesperson, Vincent Salafia, said:

“The Government and the public private partners have acted recklessly by proceeding with the M3 and demolishing the Lismullin national monument, despite the demand by the European Commission in 2007 that they were acting in breach of EU law.

“Works on the M3 in the Tara landscape and proposed World Heritage Site should cease, until the case being argued this week in the European Court of Justice reaches a conclusion.

“Enormous amounts of taxpayers’ money have been wasted by the Government in fighting this case, and the consequences of a decision against Ireland could be disastrous.

“We are calling on the Opposition Parties to take the Government to task on this and to support our appeal to the UN to intervene in this matter.

ENDS

Contact: Vincent Salafia 087-132-3365 / info@tarawatch.org
More information:

Commission press release: “Ireland – Commission to bring environmental impact assessment case to the European Court of Justice”

Government criticised by EU over environment

The Irish Times – Tuesday, June 30, 2009
FRANK McDONALD Environment Editor

THE EUROPEAN Commission’s director-general for the environment, Karl Falkenberger, has criticised the Government’s failure to adopt the EU Directive on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).  Mr Falkenberger said that unlike the waste management and water quality directives, where implementation required significant investment, this directive was an “administrative procedure that doesn’t cost much”.

Referring to a current case against Ireland over the environmental impact assessment carried out for the M3 and Tara, he said the commission “as guardians of EU legislation, have no choice but to see each other in court” when all other efforts to ensure full compliance had failed. Under the directive, member states are obliged to carry out EIAs before projects that could have a significant impact on the environment are authorised. This includes the treatment of a country’s archaeological heritage.

The commission considers Ireland’s approach to decisions involving the removal of historic structures and archaeological monuments to be in contravention of the directive, in a reference to the prehistoric henge at Lismullin, Co Meath, on the path of the M3. Because this site was only identified in 2007, its significance could not be taken into account in an earlier EIA on the motorway project. The Government has argued that the ministerial direction to excavate and record it did not constitute part of the M3 consent. Legal arguments in the case opened last week before the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

WRITE TO lettersed@irishtimes.com

TaraWatch will hand in a series of Parliamentary Questions (PQs), to be made by members of the Oireachtas and Senate at 1.00pm on Wednesday 1 July, outside Dail Eireann on Kildare Street. Please come down and support us.

Do you have any ideas for questions? Questions need to be divided between Ministers for Transport, Environment, Finance, etc. They also need to be tailored for different political parties, such as tolls for Fine Gael because they don’t care about heritage. Please email ideas to info@tarawatch.org

Contact your local TDs to have them meet us outside the gates and accept our PQs.

Some possible topics might include:

- How much money has Gormley spent on the UNESCO consultation?

- Explain: why the Tentative List was not submitted to UNESCO in Seville?

- How much money has the Minister spent on employing outside counsel to defend the case against Ireland over Lismullin?

- What does the Government propose to do if they lose the case in the European Court of Justice?

- What will the financial implications be if the Government loses?

- What is the current cost of the tolls proposed for the M3?

- How much has the M3 cost so far?

Group calls for Gormley resignation

MICHAEL MCHALE
The Irish Times – Breaking News – Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Governement John Gormley must resign due to his failure to protect Irish heritage sites, representatives of the Save Tara campaign have said.

Members of TaraWatch, the organisation which runs the campaign, held a protest outside Custom House in Dublin today to voice their dissatisfaction with the minister, who they say has reneged on promises to nominate Irish cultural areas such at the Hill of Tara, the Burren and Clonmacnoise to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which meets in Seville today.

“He has totally reneged on his statutory duties to protect Irish heritage and the Irish environment,” said spokesman for the campaign Vincent Salafia.

The group was also critical of the minister’s decision to demolish the Lismullin  national monument in order to make way for further developments to the M3 motorway. The move has led to the European Commission bringing a case against Ireland to the European Court of Justice, alleging that the Government here has failed to implement the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive.

Mr Salafia is confident that the European Commission will be successful in the case and said that “by failing to let the EU or UNESCO protect Irish heritage sites, John Gormley has done the exact opposite of what a Minister for the Environment is supposed to do.”

WRITE TO: lettersed@irishtimes.com

Campaigners Target Gormley

The Irish Examiner – 24 June 2009

ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners have criticised Environment Minister John Gormley for the delay in submitting the Hill of Tara for consideration as a world protected heritage site.

Members of TaraWatch, the organisation dedicated to the protection of Tara as a priceless archaeological site, picketed the Green Party leader’s office yesterday at the launch of their ‘Gormley Must Go’ campaign.

The demonstration coincided with a UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Seville.

WRITE TO letters@examiner.ie

Gormley denies u-turn on Tara UNESCO designation

Belfast Telegraph – Breaking News – Tuesday, 23 June 2009

Environment Minister John Gormley has denied accusations that he has abandoned his promise to include the Hill of Tara on Ireland’s list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Tarawatch organisation says Mr Gormley has backed out of a pledge to present a revised list of nominated sites – including Tara – to UNECSO in Seville tomorrow. It also says the minister has spent vast amounts of taxpayers’ money defending a lawsuit by the European Commission over the demolition of the Lismullen monument as part of the M3 motorway project in Tara.

Mr Gormley, however, angrily rejected the accusations yesterday, saying the UNESCO site designation would go ahead and he had done “more than any other minister in relation to archaeology”. Tarawatch is planning a protest outside the Department of the Environment today calling on Mr Gormley to resign over his failure to protect Tara.

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Campaigners urges M3 workers to strike

Sunday Tribune – February 22, 2009

CAMPAIGNERS seeking to have a controversial motorway rerouted have called on construction workers involved in the project to go on strike. Tarawatch urged builders working on the M3 motorway project to take industrial action over the 10% pay cut proposed by the Construction Industry Federation (CIF).  They said it was the flagship project for the CIF and that the move could also help focus attention on the ongoing conservation campaign.

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Irish Times – Breaking News: Tara proposed as Unesco world heritage site

Today, TaraWatch submitted its nomination form to the Expert Advisory Panel, set up by the Minister for the Environment, to review Ireland’s Tentative List of World Heritage Sites.  Tara is nominated, but only on condition that the M3 is re-routed first. The completed nomination can be downloaded here, in Word Format.

Steer well clear of Tara, say MEPs

Letter to the Editor – The Irish Examiner / 10 January 2008

THE Tara landscape is one of Ireland’s and Europe’s most precious historical archaeological sites, but it is now in the process of being destroyed to facilitate the construction of a motorway.

The European Commission has warned the Irish Government that its plans to build the M3 four-lane motorway through the archaeologically rich Tara-Skryne valley are illegal within European law. The commission is taking proceedings against the Government.

The Tara landscape has been placed on the World Monuments Fund of most endangered sites.

We are also aware of a joint letter signed internationally by more than 300 academics stating that the royal estate of Tara is not just a central part of Irish heritage, but is of significant importance on a world heritage scale.

We, the undersigned members of the European Parliament, are alarmed at the Irish Government’s destruction in July 2007 of the large early medieval settlement site at Baronstown in the Tara-Skryne valley. Most shockingly, this important archaeological site was demolished by motorway construction workers in the middle of the night.

We also wish to express our deep concern about the future of the Celtic temple at Lismullin – a site with national monument status which is also planned to be demolished by the Irish Government.

Urgent action is needed to urge the Irish Government to prevent the destruction of more of our common European heritage.

As was the case at Baronstown, and as is planned for Lismullin, thousands of years of our shared European culture can be wiped out in a few hours, and once gone, can never be replaced.

Given that the path of the planned M3 motorway is so rich in important archaeological monuments, we strongly urge the Irish Government to alter the current motorway route and to choose from the other available routes and viable options for the M3 motorway instead, thereby balancing progress with conservation.

It is of the utmost importance that steps be taken to prevent the destruction of any further ancient monuments which are part of our shared European heritage. We believe the Tara landscape should be preserved fully intact as the European cultural and heritage treasure that it so clearly is.

Kathy Sinnott, Mary Lou McDonald, Marian Harkin, Bairbre de Brún, Ireland.

Nirj Deva, Roger Helmer, Sarah Ludford, Edward McMillan Scott, Den Dover, Timothy Kirkhope, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, Britain.

Bas Belder, Johannes Blokland, Netherlands.

Carlos José, Iturgaiz Angulo, Spain.

Witold Tomczak, Poland.

Marios Matsakis, Cyprus.

Raymond Langendries, Belgium.

Margrete Aukenn, Jens Peter, Bonde, Mogens NJ Cambre, Denmark.

Hiltrud Breyer, Helmuth Markov, Feleknas Uca, Sahra Wagenknecht, Germany.

Miroslav Mikolasik, Sweden.

Maria Carlshamre, Slovakia.

TaraWatch is calling for 300 volunteers to participate in a demonstration/video production, in protest of the M3 motorway works at the Hill of Tara.

The demonstration will take place in the Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Square, Dublin, at noon on Tue Jan 8, which was the day the National Roads Authority was supposed to hand over possession of the National Monument at Lismullin to SIAC Construction, before it was done early just before Christmas.

There are two different Tara songs that will be performed, either by the original artists, or on tape, for purposes of making a video.

Laoise Kelly is asking Liam O Maonlai to perform Money Mad Mile. She will also be performing on the day, with others.

Eamon Carr (of Horslips) is asking Richie Buckley to join him in performing their new unreleased original composition, with an number of other guest artists.

Professional dancers will help coreograph some movements, with props such as 300 white crosses, so it should be an interesting demonstration, creating some powerful music and images.

Participants should be available to attend a rehearsal on Sunday 6th of January at 4.00pm at the Garden.

Please sign up, anonymously here

International Protests

Protests will also take place on 8 Jan in Belfast, London, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Melbourne and other cities. For more information please mail info@tarawatch.org