Press statements about new discovery, May 1
At 10.00 AM Tuesday morning, 1st May 2007, TaraWatch sent out the following release demanding that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dick Roche, halt works on a massive national monument discovered in the path of the M3 motorway, during pre-construction excavations. That afternoon, at approximately 5.00 PM, the Minister issued a press release and called a halt to works. Various groups and bodies have since released statements, and the issue has become a major news story again.
TARAWATCH
PRESS RELEASE – TARAWARCH.ORG
Tuesday, 1 May 2007, 10 AM
‘Minister Roche Must Place Preservation Order on Massive Henge Discovery at Tara’
A massive prehistoric ‘henge’ site has been discovered in Lismullen, beside the Hill of Tara. The circular enclosure is over the size of 3 football fields, and is without doubt a national monument because of the rarity of henges in Ireland, as well as its importance to the Hill of Tara archaeological complex.
The discovery last month was kept a secret by the authorities, and it is understood that the National Roads Authority (NRA) has heavily pressurised the archaeologists (Archaeological Consultancy Services (ACS) to rush to complete excavations, so the site can be demolished. Large numbers of archaeologists have been paid overtime to complete the work, and the site is under 24 hour security.
TaraWatch has written solicitors’ letters to the Minister for the Envrionment, Minister for Transport Meath County Council and the National Roads Authority and demanded that all works on the site cease immediately, as is required by section 14 A of the National Monuments Act, 2004, which states:
(4) Where a national monument has been discovered…then —
(a) the road authority carrying out the road development shall report the discovery to the Minister,
(b) … no works which would interfere with the monument shall be carried out, except works urgently required to secure its preservation carried out in accordance with such measures as may be specified by the Minister,
The Minister, Dick Roche, is then required to consult with the Director of the National Museum, Pat Wallace. This has not occured and the Museum is currently investigating the site.
In this case, instead of stopping work on the site and consulting with the Minister, the NRA have accelerated works and will destroy this national monument.
Therefore, it is legally incumbent on the Minister to halt works, place a Preservation Order on the site, and reroute the M3 motorway like he did in Waterford in 2005 when he rerouted the N25 to avoid a large Viking site in Woodstown.
Vincent Salafia said:
“This site is a show-stopper and is without doubt a national monument of world significance according to our experts. It would be a sin to demolish it.
“Legal and expert advice is being taken, with a view to seeking an Interlocutory Injunction in order to secure the site before it can be demolished.
“Martin Cullen drafted this legislation. Now he and Minister Roche are legally bound to enforce it.
ENDS
MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, HERITAGE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Press Release Issued by Dick Roche’s Office 5pm, 1 May 2007:
Dick Roche, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has received a report that archaeologists working on the route of the M3 motorway have found archaeological evidence of a national monument at Lismullin, Co. Meath.
The archaeologists were excavating known adjacent sites under the directions issued by the Minister for the archaeological works on the motorway scheme.
In the course of these excavations, additional archaeological features were discovered on the edge of the area of the excavations and, as required by the Minister’s directions, the area being excavated was expanded. Two lines of stake holes (15 – 20 cm in diameter), have provided evidence for the existence in the expanded area in the past of a circular enclosure (80 m in diameter) with a smaller inner central enclosure (16 m in diameter). Two further rows of stake holes show evidence of an entrance and passageway from the outer enclosure to the inner enclosure. The monument has been heavily truncated by ploughing in the past and the surviving features are shallow and fragile.
The report received by the Minister was made to him under the relevant provisions of the National Monuments Acts. These require that where a National Monument is discovered during the carrying out of a road development, the matter shall be reported to the Minister.
Pending any directions by the Minister, no works which would interfere with the Monument may be carried out, except works urgently required to secure its preservation, carried out in accordance with measures specified by the Minister. In this instance, the archaeological team was authorised to continue to clean back the surface of the area, to complete a plan of the features and to check for associated features outside the enclosure. A small number of the stakeholes are also to be excavated to try to recover sufficient material for radiocarbon dating.
No further excavation of the enclosure will take place pending the decision of the Minister on any directions to issue in relation to the monument.The National Monuments Acts provide that where the discovery of a National Monument has been reported to the Minister he must consult with the Director of the National Museum before issuing directions in the matter to the road authority.
The Minister has consulted with the Director of the Museum on the directions that would be most appropriate in this instance from the point of view of best archaeological practice. Directions will issue as soon as possible after the Minister receives the Director’s response. The Minister is advised that the surviving elements of the Monument are extremely fragile, underlining the need for an early decision on how to proceed.
ENDS
GREEN PARTY
Statement by Ciaran Cuffe, Environment Spokesperson
1 May 2007
Concerns about M3 motorway vindicated by new discovery – CuffeWork halted as ‘major’ prehistoric’ site discovered
The Green Party’s long-standing concerns about the construction of the M3 Motorway through the Hill of Tara complex have been vindicated this evening by the discovery of a major prehistoric site, said Environment spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TD.
Deputy Cuffe said: “As far back as March 2005 I stated that going ahead with the proposed route for the M3 would be an act of cultural and historic vandalism. I am relived that Environment Minister Dick Roche has finally been forced to halt work on the motorway.“Only yesterday Martin Cullen was turning the sod for the M3 project, yet today work has been suspended. I am once again calling for all work to come to an end, in particular the massive floodlit Blundlestown interchange, and for the upgrading of the existing N3 to take place instead.
“The Green Party in government will ensure that the Dublin-Navan rail line is reinstated without delay. Improving public transport will take traffic off the roads and get commuters to work far more quickly,” Deputy Cuffe concluded.
TARAWATCH
PRESS RELEASE – TARAWATCH.org
2 May 2007
‘Minister Has Already Made Directions to Demolish National Monument at Tara’
TaraWatch has learned that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dick Roche, has already made his decision to demolish the ‘newly discovered’ national monument in Lismullen, near Tara.
According to well-placed sources within the National Museum of Ireland, the Minister sent a set of draft ‘directions’ to the Director of the National Museum as part of the statutory consultation process, required
under section 14 A of the National Monuments Act 2004 when a national monument is discovered during ther course of roadbuilding.In these directions Minister Roche directs that the national monument be preserved ‘by record’. In other words, excavations will resume in a matter of days, and the massive enclosure will then be demolished.
Under the Act, the Director has no veto power over any decision the Minister makes. Consultation is simply a formality, to give the appearance of checks and balances where they do not actually exist.
The Minister does have the power to preserve the monument ‘in situ’, and force a reroute of the motorway, as he did in Woodstown in 2005. However, the Minister has clearly decided against this option, which Dr Wallace preferred when previously consulted by the Minister about Tara, also in 2005.
Vincent Salafia of TaraWatch said:
“How could a responsible decision on whether or not to demolish a complex national monument like this be made within 24 hours of its discoverY? As he admits himself, archaeologists have not yet even uncovered much of the site.
“This decision will once again raise the legal issue of whether or not the National Monuments Act 2004 is constitutional. Although High Court Justice Mary Laffoy has recognised the existence of a constitutional
duty on the Minister to protect the national heritage, the matter has not yet been fully addressed by the Supreme Court. This case may present that opportunity.“There are many inconsistencies in the story so far. Yesterday the NRA admitted to Richard Dowling of RTE that they have known about the site for weeks. Why wasn’t it mentioned by Minister Cullen at the M3
sod-turning ceremony on Monday? Why wasn’t it reported to the Minister earlier? Or was it?“We are continuing to take legal advice on the matter.
ENDS
Vincent Salafia 087-132-3365
Siobhan Rice 086-319-9833
AN TAISCE
NEW TARA DISCOVERY HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR REINSTATEMENT OF NATIONAL MONUMENTS ACT
An Taisce – 02 May 2007There was a time not too long ago that a new site worthy of the designation “National Monument” would have been wholly welcomed by the Minister of the Environment. More importantly its preservation would have been guaranteed.The discovery of a circular wooden structure of possible Iron Age date in the Tara-Skryne valley is a major event. It is a new key element in an integrated complex of monuments and places that have been recognized both archaeologically and historically. The number of sites on the Tara ridge alone is now approximately 40. The importance of Tara and it’s relationship with the High Kings of Ireland is known to all. The discovery of what could be called a temple, after the fashion of a comparable discovery at Emain Macha, seat of the Kings of Ulster, is of obvious major significance. Such sites are extremely rare.
Prior to this government’s ill-advised amendments to the National Monuments Act in 2004, the Minister for Environment would have had very limited “wriggle-room” and a National Monument would have been safe. No longer; a stroke of the pen by the current minister will be enough to remove this newly discovered temple from the landscape. “Preservation by Record” they may say; how about “Destruction by Documentation”?What should have been done? Full scientific excavation followed by reconstruction. In fact just like what was done at Knowth. There the tourists can view the replica circular structure of circa mid 3rd millennium BC date – and similarly here too tourists would love it. Its straight-forward economics.Carrickmines, Woodstown and Tara; three new National Monuments. Carrickmines; Government response – Monuments Act changed and site destroyed. Woodstown; a second bite at the cherry – and a new road is coming. And Tara? Wouldn’t it be a pleasant novelty if we could keep a new National Monument for a change?
The 2004 amendment to the National Monuments Act must be repealed for sake of cultural integrity of this island. We owe not only to future generations but also to the present one if we are to attempt to have any self-respect regarding our own culture.
MEATH ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY (MAHS)
MAHS PRESS STATEMENT: 2 MAY 2007
LISMULLIN NATIONAL MONUMENT AND COMPLEX OF MONUMENTS IN TARA-SKRYNE AREA: SOCIETY CALLS FOR PRESERVATION OF COMPLEX, WIDER CONSULTATION AND FOR DECISION NOT TO BE MADE DURING THE ELECTION PERIOD
The Minister for the Environment has acknowledged the existence of a national monument at Lismullin, discovered during the preparatory works for the M3 motorway.
This is not the only national monument that has been discovered in this section of the motorway. It is simply the only one that the roads authorities have so far recognised as such. In this quite limited area of the M3 motorway (i.e. the Dunshaughlin to Navan section) we believe that a complex of outstanding monuments has come to light, outstanding not only in their size and variety but also in their chronological extent, ranging in date from the Middle Stone Age down to historic times.
Apart from the known sites at Roestown and Dowdstown, a remarkable complex of sites has emerged in the core Tara area, between Ross Cross and Garlow Cross.We believe there is evidence of human settlement and activity from the Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) constituting some of the earliest evidence for human habitation in Co. Meath, and evidence of subsequent activity in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages at many other sites. There is also evidence for very impressive settlement during the 1st and 2nd millennium AD including some outstanding ringforts and many other types of monuments have been turning up since the excavations started. The complex could be best described as ‘an archaeological mosaic’.
As only one national monument has been acknowledged, serious questions must now again be asked about the National Monuments Act 2004 which leaves the decision on whether to report the discovery of a national monument entirely up to the developers on road schemes. Apart from the conflict of interest involved, the Act does not set out any objective criteria for the determination of what is or is not a national monument. The question could be asked: how many national monuments are being destroyed along road schemes simply because they are not recognised as such?Preservation by record i.e. excavation and destruction is not the answer. The Meath Archaeological and Historical Society calls for the preservation of this complex of outstanding monuments. We call 1) for full and wider consultation, 2) the inclusion of the entire complex in the decision-making process and 3) that no decision on this issue be made during the election period.
LABOUR
Labour Plan Would have Prevented M3 Delay
Issued by: Eamon Gilmore, TD. Labour Party Spokesperson on the Environment
Wednesday, 2 May, 2007
In November 2004, we proposed in the Dail that the M3 be developed immediately in three sections, and that the controversial section, running through the Skryne Valley be rerouted
If the Govt had accepted that proposal the situation where work on part of the M3 was halted yesterday, could have been avoided.
While the authorities didn’t know the full extent of the archaeological heritage in the area, they were aware that there were dozens of sites of archaeological interest.
We argued that bypasses around Kells, Navan and Dunshaughlin could have proceeded and that in the meantime, an intelligent and sensitive redesign of the controversial section of the proposed motorway could have been undertaken.
Environment Minister Dick Roche wouldn’t listen. He poo pooed our proposals at the time and as a result, the project has been held up, for who knows how long.
FINE GAEL
Wednesday 2nd May 2007
How did 500 archaeologists costing €30m miss 4-acre Tara site? – Mitchell
Fine Gael Transport Spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell TD has said she was stunned to learn that more than 500 archaeologists, hired at a cost of €30m, managed to miss a four acre historical site while excavating for the new M3 motorway.“This situation would be hilarious if it weren’t so serious. In spite of hiring 500 archaeologists for the M3 project, and having spent €30 million on archaeological work, the entire M3 project has been brought to a crashing halt by the discovery of a four acre archaeological site in its path. This was in spite of the fact that archaeologists were employed to dig a trench along the entire 59km of the route with cross trenches dug every 20 metres. This site isn’t a small rath or a single standing stone, it’s the size of three football fields.
“There has clearly been a shocking waste of time and resources. But this find also puts the very future of the M3 motorway in jeopardy. We may now be looking at the possibility that the M3 will have to be re-routed at massive expense. This route was selected after many years of examination and excavation and after the NRA assured us this was a safe route in terms of archaeological significance.
“The M3 is a crucial project which could save commuters from outside Dublin more than a week every year in travelling time. The existing N3 has already exceeded capacity and urgently needs to be replaced, and the Dublin to Navan rail link is still years away.
“Transport Minister Martin Cullen, who rushed to turn the sod for the M3 construction works early this week, must demonstrate similar urgency in addressing this crisis. Because make no mistake, this is a crisis.”
SINN FEIN
An Phoblacht
Statement by Meath County Councillor Joe Reilly (SF)
3 May 2007
M3 work halted after discovery of massive pre-historic site
An Irish Government order stopping work on the M3 Motorway was made on Tuesday after a massive pre-historic site was discovered at Lismullen beside the Hill of Tara in Couty Meath.
Sinn Féin general election candidate for Meath West, Councillor Joe Reilly welcomed the decision.“Sinn Féin has being saying for a long time now that Tara and its surrounding hinterland are of huge significance in terms of Ireland’s history and heritage. Today’s discovery, of an archaeological site the size of three football fields, proves the significance of this site.
“I welcome the Minister’s order to stop work on the motorway that would have destroyed this hugely important piece of Irish heritage. There is a viable alternative route for the motorway that has been proposed by Sinn Féin. The Minister must now take this route into consideration”, Reilly said.
TARAWATCH
PRESS RELEASE
TARAWATCH.org
4 May 2007
‘Public Vote to Save Tara Site in National Polls Today’
The people have spoken and voted in favour or saving the newly discovered prehistoric ceremonial site that lies in the path of the M3 motorway, being built in County Meath.
RTE’s Gerry Ryan Show held a poll this morning which asked the question: ‘Should the M3 be held up to excavate the newly discovered archaeological site near the Hill of Tara?
The results of the poll, held from 10.30 am to 12.00 pm were:
YES: 64 %
NO: 36 %The Irish Times is also hosting an online poll on their website, Ireland.com. The question asked is: “Should the M3 be rerouted?”
The results so far are:
YES: % 70
NO: % 30These results are consistent with the independent national poll by Red C Research in 2007, which showed that 2/3 of Irish people wanted the road rerouted. http://www.hilloftara.info/docs/SurveyResults.pdf
TaraWatch is calling on the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dick Roche, to exercise his constitutional duty to give the site, and indeed the entire Hill of Tara complex, the highest leval of statutory protection and reroute the motorway.
There must be an independent scientific assessment of the site before any decision can be reached.
Serious questions remain concerning the handling of this matter by the Minister.
- Why didn’t he stop work on the site when it was discovered in February?
Under the National Monuments Act 2004 he should have stopped work immediately on the site when he was informed of its existence by the NRA in February. Instead, the archaeological consultancy company, Archaeological Consultancy Services (ACS), accelerated the speed of excavation, hired more staff and offered overtime to workers.
- Why didn’t Minister Roche inform Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen, or the contractor SIAC/Eurolink, of the site before the sod-turning on Monday?
- Is the construction contract with SIAC/Eurolink a “fixed-price contract, which puts the financial risk of delay on the contractor, or would the tax-payer pay for any delay?
Vincent Salafia said:
“The Irish people have clearly spoken, and what are saying in no uncertain terms is ‘Don’t go there’, ‘Do the right thing’, Save Tara’.
“These polls show that Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats will redeem themselves with the voters if they make the obvious decision here.
“They have no option now. They must implement the democratic will of the people.
ENDS
Vicnent Salafia 087-132-3365
Siobhan Rice 086-319-9833
INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS OF IRELAND
The identification of a National Monument at Lismullin, County Meath, within the road-take for the M3 motorway (in the Tara – Skreen Valley), has been the subject of recent media coverage.
The National Roads Authority has produced a detailed information document describing the discovery and outlining its main comparanda. It includes location information as well as plans of the site.
The report is available for download from the NRA website.
National Musum of Ireland: Advice Notes for Export and Alter Application Forms
The National Musuem of Ireland has recently issued a new set of advice notes for those applying for licences to export or alter archaeological objects. Copies can be obtained by contacting the Duty Officer in the Antiquities Division of the museum.A licence to alter is required whenever it is intended to alter an archaeological object, this includes standard treatments and analysis such as, wood identification, conservation and radiocarbon dating.
Where any analysis will be undertaken outside of Ireland, then a licence to export is also required. It is is illegal to remove any archaeological object from Irish jurisdiction without a valid export licence.
INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS OF IRELAND
Institute of Archaeologists or Ireland
Public statement
Information and Misinformation: a challenge for the Irish Archaeological Profession
09 May 2007The recent media coverage about the prehistoric hengiform enclosure and other sites revealed on the M3 Clonee to north of Kells motorway route, illustrates an alarming degree of public misunderstanding about the nature of buried archaeological sites and remains, and how these sites are identified and revealed.
The current media scrum does not recognise the professionalism with which Ireland’s archaeologists conduct their work; our members do so with great skill, technical sophistication and unrivalled professional commitment. The output of the Irish profession is recognised internationally as being of the highest standard.
The current scale of archaeological fieldwork, discovery and excavation activity is a response to the great scale of Ireland’s very dynamic construction industry which was valued at €36billion (23% of GDP) and with over 260,000 employed in 2006 (Construction Industry Federation Annual Report 2006). This is completely ignored.
In the urgent need to respond to development pressure and resource the demand created over the past 20 years, and particularly in the past 10 years, archaeology has had to move and develop from the intellectual endeavour of academic research to far greater levels of diverse professional activity. That professional activity now ranges from policy formulation, the development of legal definitions and protective provisions, state regulation and heritage management. It extends into development control and the provision for appropriate cultural responses to the impact on heritage of very significant economic development. All of these professional developments have, in very large measure, successfully supported the case for Irish archaeological heritage in the face of enormous development pressure.
What has been missing, with some notable exceptions, is a strong articulate voice for archaeology, which supports all this activity and explains and presents to the public and politicians alike what riches have been revealed over the past twenty years and how this been successfully achieved through the technical and professional development of archaeologists. Public presentation has not kept pace.
In recent debate the profession has accepted that without greater dissemination and presentation, the public cannot be adequately informed about the great richness of the archaeological resource, how that is studied, or how important the recent scale of archaeological excavation activity has been for the cultural life of modern Ireland.
The discovery on the M3 route at Lismullin is important, but recent media reports have been worryingly inaccurate and misleading. That inaccuracy has unfortunately extended to ill-conceived criticism and gross misunderstanding of archaeological professional practice, its standards and the context within which it is carried out.
The Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland, on behalf of its members and colleagues, upholds the profession’s standards of practice and supports the quality of the work undertaken by its practitioners. While individual archaeologists may be unhappy with due process and its outcome, in some instances, there is little doubt that Irish archaeology has never been so professional, adept and successful.
Though there is always room for improvement – as in any scientific discipline – Irish professional archaeologists, institutions, companies and researchers are recognized for their very high standards on an international level. It can be no accident that the European Association of Archaeologists held their annual meeting in Cork in 2006 and that the World Archaeological Congress will meet in Dublin in June 2008, an event that will showcase all that is best about modern Irish archaeology. The showcasing, however, must also be extended to Irish society at large.
Margaret Gowen
Acting Chairperson
Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland