Heritage campaigner Dominic Dunne passes away

The funeral has taken place of noted conservationist and heritage campaigner Dominic “Domo” Dunne.

Mr Dunne was the plaintiff in two Supreme Court cases relating to the protection of the remains of Carrickmines Castle in south County Dublin, which were threatened by the development of the M50 motorway.

Mr Dunne’s victory in one of these cases in 2004 presented a considerable obstacle to the development of the Carrickmines junction of the M50, and led to the Government of the day being forced to amend both the junction plans, and heritage legislation, to allow the motorway to proceed.

Mr Dunne went on to chair the campaign to save 16 Moore Street, the place to which the provisional government retreated from the GPO in 1916. The campaign was ultimately successful in securing national monument status for number 16 and surrounding houses.

One of his earliest campaigns was against the road-widening scheme in the Glen O’ the Downs, in Co Wicklow in the 1990s. While this was ultimately not successful in preventing the scheme Mr Dunne was to take solace that it, and the following Carrickmines campaign, had greatly increased awareness of heritage and environmental issues.

Mr Dunne, who was 61, worked on a number of campaigns with the late architect Stephen Devaney and archaeologist Dr Mark Clinton.

Ironically the archaeological excavation of the remains of Carrickmines Castle was under the direction of Dr Clinton, while Mr Dunne and his friends made camp on the site. Mr Clinton said the his role as director of excavation never caused him to clash with Mr Dunne’s “unofficial residency” as both were concerned with the ultimate aim: the good of the site.

During the course of his court challenges he remarked that you had to be either very rich, or prepared to lose your house to take on such a challenge. He was particularly pleased when Ireland eventually ratified the Aarhus Convention guaranteeing public participation in decision making processes and access to justice in environmental matters, in 2012 - some fourteen years after the State had initially signed the convention.

Originally from Ballyfermot, Mr Dunne lived for a number of years in Clondalkin in Dublin before moving to Cloughjordan in Co Tipperary. Throughout his life he worked variously as a soldier, a fisherman, a truck driver, and a horticulturist.