Madam, - Kevin Kernan, director general of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland, is clearly of the view that late entry into a debate relegates the status and import of an individual's contribution (Opinion, February 28th). Notwithstanding his own late entry, he might care to note that the director of the National Museum of Ireland has yet to relay his opinion on the matter to Minister for the Environment Dick Roche. Is he too just a Johnny Come Lately?
Similarly, the Heritage Council came out against the chosen route through the Tara-Skryne valley on February 2nd. Is its expertise now to be ignored? Admittedly, coming late into a protracted debate such as this does carry the risk of not being fully apprised of the facts. So it is in the case of Mr Kernan, who labours under the illusion that the protesters are opposed to the road per se. He does not seem to realise that the protesters, who include the most senior archaeologists, historians and Celticists in Ireland and abroad, are deeply concerned about the fact that the road cuts a swathe through the middle of the royal estate of Tara.
They are not calling for the road to be abandoned, but for a very short section of it to be re-routed away from the core area of this uniquely important historical complex. Mr Kernan's rehearsal of the planning process does not alter the fact that the conclusion by An Bord Pleanála's inspector that this motorway will not affect Tara is flawed and ignorant. The "comprehensive consultation process" (Mr Kernan's words) did not include consulting the acknowledged experts, ignored the advice of the archaeological consultants who were appointed, and did not apply the same level of archaeological analysis to all of the route options, which is the very least one might have expected when considering a development of this scale anywhere near Tara.
It is frankly incredible that Mr Kernan could opine at such length about this controversy without making any reference to the kernel of the dispute. Ignoring the problem does not make it go away. The fact that he instead emphasised the contribution this road will make to the development of the north Leinster/Border region reveals a sorry capitulation: live with bad planning if there is money at stake and to hell with places like Tara. If you cannot put a price on it, then it clearly has no value! - Yours, etc.,
CONOR NEWMAN, Department of Archaeology, NUI, Galway.