Madam, - In the David v Goliath struggle to protect the 5,000 year-old Tara landscape from a section of the M3 tolled motorway, it would seem that Goliath has won, at least for now.
Given the vested interests that dominate 21st century Ireland was there ever any other possible outcome? For how could an education campaign conducted by unresourced voluntary groups, civic-minded individuals and courageous academics (albeit backed up by the weight of expert archaeological and historical opinion, national and worldwide) ever hope to succeed in persuading for the reconsideration of a fundamentally flawed and costly planning decision which had the might of political, business, developer and institutional interests (and a seemingly endless amount of taxpayer's money) behind it?
Eighteen months after the An Bord Pleanála decision and almost nine months after Meath County Council and the NRA finally revealed the extent of the archaeology that had been uncovered by their testing (still the tip of the iceberg), the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dick Roche, has issued directions for the excavation of upwards of 38 archaeological sites between Dunshaughlin and Navan in order to pave the way for a motorway to cut through Ireland's premier cultural landscape.
The Minister says that his directions "protect heritage" and "do not deny the people of Meath and the surrounding counties the modern transport infrastructure that they need", and he further states that "heritage protection remains a priority in this area".
We respectfully disagree. Our heritage is not being protected. It has in effect been downgraded at every stage in this planning process, and, in taking the advice of the NRA and ignoring the expert heritage evidence, the Minister has only compounded the initial error.
In effect, a uniquely important and ancient landscape which has been handed down to us intact has been sacrificed, not in the best interests of Meath's commuters, communities or future development, but in the interests of protecting a PPP contract. A vast amount of taxpayer's money will now be poured into rescue excavations that could and should have been avoided in this area, sprawl development in the vicinity of Tara will follow, despite the Minister's aspirations, and, at the end of the day, the people of Meath are denied the integrated and well-planned transport solution - including the rail link to Navan and Kells - that we so badly need and which the majority of those who turned out in the recent by-election actually voted for. - Yours etc,
JULITTA CLANCY,
Asst Secretary,
Meath Archaeological and Historical Society,
Batterstown,
Co Meath.
Madam, - The British-Israelites have gone down in Irish archaeological folklore as a crazy group of people who were responsible for the partial destruction of Tara between the years 1899 and 1902 in their mistaken belief that the Ark of the Covenant was hidden there. Fast forward to 2005 and yet another crazy decision to destroy "the most consecrated spot in Ireland" has been taken by Dick Roche, for reasons less noble than the retrieval of the Ark of the Covenant. W.B. Yeats, George Moore and Douglas Hyde in a letter to The Times of London, over 100 years ago, wrote that "its destruction will leave many bitter memories behind it". Plus ça change. - Yours etc,
MAIREAD CAREW,
Beaumont,
Dublin 9.
Madam, - Recently Minister Roche criticised the Green Party for being bad for business, bad for jobs and bad for the taxpayer. Ops . . . what about the environment Dick? - Yours etc,
Geróid Ó CRUADHLAOICH,
Loiste Carrigabhair,
Cill Pheadear,
Cill Mhantáin.