TaraWatch

Tara destruction puts Government on road to ruin

Editorial – The Irish Post (UK) – 22 Feb 2008

THE CONTROVERSY over the Hill of Tara and the construction of the nearby M3 motorway refuses to go away. This is an issue which has attracted worldwide attention and energised protesters both in Britain and Ireland. Yet, it seems, the Irish Government is determined to cock a deaf ear to the dissenting voices. This week an Irish Post poll (see page 21) showed more than 80 per cent of respondents were in favour of halting all construction of new roads around the historic site. In one of the largest responses we have ever received more than 3,000 people took part. That opposition has been mirrored in previous petitions and online message boards opposing routing a motorway past this historic archaeological treasure.

The extent of archaeological remains on the Hill of Tara—burial mounds, religious enclosures, stone structures and rock art dating from the third millennium BC to the 12th century AD — makes it Ireland’s most spiritually and archaeologically significant site. Even the European Commission has become embroiled in the argument by initiating legal action against the Irish Government over the M3 — charging it with failing to protect its own heritage.

Against this background the Government’s intransigence smacks of nothing more than sheer bloody-mindedness. It seems Ministers are determined not to be seen admitting they made a mistake. But there is little doubt that the route chosen for the new M3 motorway is a mistake of colossal proportions. It is akin to Britain’s Department of Transport deciding to re-route the M4 motorway so it passed close to the world famous stone circle at Avebury. To make matters worse the Irish Government could have easily ordered the route of the M3 to be altered to ensure it avoided the Hill of Tara but chose not to do so. Instead they decided it was worth risking the destruction of one of the world’s most important archaeological sites for the sake of so-called progress.

Unfortunately, the folly of this decision will only be truly appreciated in years to come when people see what has been lost forever. The protesters still battling to stop the new highway are hopeful they may yet succeed — although time is running out. For the sake of future generations and all those who value Ireland’s history it is to be hoped they do succeed.