TaraWatch

Tara symposium – University College Dublin, School of Archaeology (23rd-26th October 2009)

Following the publication by Wordwell of reports on Seán P. Ó Ríordáin’s excavations at the Mound of the Hostages (Muiris O’Sullivan 2005) and Rath of the Synods (Eoin Grogan 2008), the UCD School of Archaeology, in association with the John Hume Institute for Global Irish Studies, is hosting a symposium entitled Tara – From the Past to the Future. Featuring approximately forty papers by an international group of scholars, the symposium promises to be the most extensive review of the archaeology of Tara undertaken to date. It focuses on the data from the two excavation volumes but extends to a wider consideration of research undertaken at Tara over the past twenty years.

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Ciaran Cuffe and Trevor Sergent of the Green Party, before selling out Tara and making the deal to enter Government

PRESS RELEASE – TARAWATCH – 10.10.09

‘Programme for Government a Renewal of Broken Promises’

The Renewed Programme for Government (PfG), approved today by the Green Party, is simply a renewal of the broken promises made by the Greens already, and again postpones any real improvements to protection of heritage and provision of public transport. With regards to heritage, the PfG states:

“In consultation with local communities, we will actively promote new sites for acceptance onto the UNESCO World Heritage List, including Clonmacnoise, Tara, the Burren and Georgian Dublin.”

Public consultation already occurred, between December 2008 and March 2009, and the new UNESCO list was promised by Gormley to be delivered in Seville, in June 2009. The Green Party intentionally delayed this process, so as not to interfere with the M3, until it is opened.   The PfG states:

“We will implement the agreed recommendations of the review of archaeological policies and practices in the National Monuments Bill.”

This Bill was originally promised for 2008, then 2009. Now it is promised for 2010. There is no substance to the promise and no guarantee of increased protections.  The PfG states:

“We will make provision in upcoming planning legislation to prevent Local Authorities from removing buildings of national or regional importance from the Record of Protected Structures, without the explicit approval of the Minister for the Environment.”

This protection already exists in the National Monuments Act 2004, and the promise is illusory.  With regards to transport, the PfG states:

“Following the completion of payments for the major motorways programme in 2011, the ratio of expenditure on new Transport 21 projects between public transport and the national roads programme will be 2:1 in favour of public transport.”

This is what Fianna Fail planned anyway, once all the major motorways, including the M3 are completed. The roads programme should have been cut in 2007, to have any real impact on carbon reduction. It is business as usual in the Department of Transport.  With regards to environmental legislation, the PfG also states:

“We will ensure that Ireland can ratify the Aarhus Convention by March 2010.”

The PfG does not state “will”, but only says “can”. Ireland is the only country is Europe not to have ratified AARHUS. They can do it now, but Fianna Fail don’t want to. This is a massive failure for the Greens.

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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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