THE TENTS and tepees used by motorway protesters on the lower slopes of the Hill of Tara were dismantled yesterday morning by the Office of Public Works.
With assistance from gardaí and with a private security firm present, the OPW arrived at Tara with a pick-up truck to remove about half a dozen tents, tepees and other structures that around a dozen people had lived in, some of them for the past two years.
Towards the end of the operation, the campers were told that one tepee, in which they have had a “sacred fire” burning since they arrived, could remain for another day or so for a final religious ceremony.
It was the last campsite used by the protesters. Many of them had previously camped at Rath Lugh close to the national monument at Lismullen, which was discovered during works on the M3 motorway.
While there were no confrontations or resistance from those living there, some questioned the authority of the gardaí and the OPW. The group claimed their rights under Irish and EU legislation to practise their religious beliefs were being infringed.
The OPW denied this, saying it had “no problem” with people practising their religious beliefs, but that under the National Monuments Act “it is our duty to protect the monument. This is about the structures here”.
While some claimed there had been no warning they were being “evicted”, the OPW said they were made aware that there is no camping allowed on any national monument.
“One month ago, we issued letters to all those camping there stating there is no camping allowed here or on any national monument,” the OPW spokesman said.
The campsite was not visible from the mound of the hill, but was on the northern slopes near copses.
There were a number of large, rounded tents and Indian-style tepees made from wood and reinforced with steel and plastic poles.
In one area, a channel had been constructed to gather rainwater in a plastic drum. It was dug into the ground below the channel and the OPW is concerned by anything that causes damage or destruction to the monument.
The OPW spokesman said last month’s letters had asked people to leave voluntarily and while some had done so, there were around a dozen who did not.
In the last couple of weeks, a “temple” was built in the middle of the campsite. According to its builder, Niall Callaghan, “this temple was built for the women. It had four doors, one east, west, north and south. The poles were eight feet high and it was 16 feet across. It was about to receive a thatched roof”.
He called it “free-standing” and denied that any holes had been dug to insert the poles. He shouted his objections at the gardaí and said they had “sold their souls to Satan”.
It was one of the first structures dismantled by OPW staff, who put it in the back of a large truck.
The operation began at about 9.30am yesterday and was complete by early afternoon.