Deadline for Tara-Skryne: Submission Letters & Street Speaking in Dublin

by Save Tara Skryne Sun Jan 09, 2005 18:58

DISTRIBUTED PETITION

Clerk of the Joint Committee on Transport Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2

A Chara,

Though I am not opposed to the M3 motorway, I object to the planned routing of the toll road through the Tara-Skryne valley and ask you to re-route this section of the M3 away from it.

I believe that the archaeological importance of this area is beyond question.

In the words of Conor Newman: "Tara is one of the most important and famous archaeological complexes in the world and the valley between Tara and Skryne is an area of tremendous importance."

I am in total agreement with the 30 eminent Irish historians and archaeologists, who in letters to the Irish Independent and The Irish Examiner wrote: "The Hill of Tara constitutes the heart and Soul of Ireland. Its very name invokes the spirit and mystique of our people and is instantly recognisable worldwide. The plan approved recently by An Bórd Pleanála for the M3 motorway to dissect the Tara-Skryne valley, Ireland's premier national monument, spells out a massive national and international tragedy that must be averted."

I believe the importance of the whole area to Ireland and her people, the diaspora spread throughout the world, and the value of the unspoiled landscape to the tourist industry is unfathomable.

Because of the certainty of legal challenges, which will either stop the motorway, or take years, an alternative should be sought. Further, because of the fact that over 40 sites have now been discovered, and probably that much again will be discovered during excavations, the excavations alone will delay this motorway more years. Realistically, the motorway cannot be completed before 2015, taking the current route. It will be delivered more quickly if you take a different route.

I am concerned that this is a tolled motorway, with two tolls on the M3 leading to two more on the M50, and that much of this money will be going to private companies.

It is critical that you also seriously consider re-opening the Dublin-Navan-Mullingar railway line, and extend the line to Kells, in order to relive traffic congestion.

I also would like you to make the Hill of Tara a World Heritage Site with UNESCO.

I look forward to your reply, and in the meantime urge you to reroute the M3 away from the Tara/Skryne Valley. Save Tara!

Mise le meas

__________________ (sign here)

__________________ (address here)

by Tara Skryne Sun Jan 09, 2005 18:59

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by tommy Mon Jan 10, 2005 13:27

I am a student in Dublin, if I get a few in the class to sign the letter, can I hand them in to the Dail tomorrow by hand, and if so, where do I give them in?

by Lobbyist Mon Jan 10, 2005 14:22

I suppose you could hand them in at the front gate, in Leinster Street opposite the corner of Molesworth Street. There is a small single story building just beside the main gate.
Good luck.

by Redbhoy Mon Jan 10, 2005 19:08

"People will not look forward to posterity who never look backward to their ancestors."
-Edmund Burke

by Michelle Clarke - Social Justice and Ethics Please Mon Jan 10, 2005 21:12

I have lived in and visited English villages. You know, those that are the turnoff from the motorway. Those that invoke the feeling of history and present combined.

The English value their culture; their history but we are yet ill at ease with accepting it and throw it aside in favour of development. The develpment takes little account of the history inspite of the the ardent work of the local historical societies; the GAA; and others.

There is a house on the road to Tara. It is a large victorian style house most likely built in the late 1800's. I have the pleasure of having lived in that house of intrigue from the age of 5 to 18. It was about intrigue and wonder for a child and all that is different.

Tara, then was a place of mystery, we knew that it represented something historic but it was difficult to grasp exactly what. I hasten to add we played on the mounds and cycled around them.

I recall the talk of the ruined Tara Hall - and the Thomas More connections. I also recall the regrets that people let the property go to decay.....but then the times when that occurred, Ireland was a young Independent Nation with other priorities to the houses of the out of favour Irish Gentry.

Royal Tara existed then and many years before but it was different......economic growth ensured its new dimension within the scope of the history of Tara.

The Hill - in the 1960's; there was little traffic except surpringly the CIE bus with American tourists who travelled there daily. It is fair to say we needed the Tourism of Tara then because Meath had little to offer as distinct to say Clare and Galway.

As children, my brother Shane, 5 years younger and our two friends, Richard and Francis, discovered all five roads that led to Tara. There was always the little bit more we could travel to make us feel that little more grown up. In our childlike minds, we would go down the back road from Tara to the Golf Club. We would surmise, make up our own views. On a reckless day, we would head for Kilmessan, a most intriguing village and then back by Dunsany. The best stop for sweets was early on at a quaint shop then sending celtic Irish memorabilia. For country bumkins like us this was about more intrigue, speculation and explorative mindsets.

We would look over the bridges and see those train tracks and wonder why did they obliterate them. We would think of the Kilmessan as a vibrant village where people could go to work or visit Dublin daily......and then there were the people who worked on the trains and more speculation there.

There was the PP's House; the Teachers house and the Doctors (in those days seens a triad of power in the ordinary people's lives).

There was Dunsany Castle; a real live castle with Lord and Lady Dunsany there, There was Lord Fingal and his wife in Kileen. Many people lived in estate houses and here was another bedrock of power from pre-1916 days. I suppose for those who go to Enniskerry the Skryne/Tara circle (let it be a circle mixing history and hope) has the potential of evoking the same concept........

There must be a way........

This social history as would be referred to in England is only 40 years ago.

Tara invoked attention from international and national links circa 1915. People like Maud Gonne and others looks to the possibility that the Ark of the Covenant existed in Tara.

Have people forgotten about the Dispensary Health system in Ireland. This emerged under British Rule but went off on its own specific direction after Independence. The Health service was subject to a strong Church/Medical profession influence that resulted in the two tier primary health care that not exists.

Belper, its land, orchards and woods, was the Dispensary House. My Father and Mother, both doctors arrived there in 1963. Dr. Murnane and his wife and family lived their as the dispensary doctors, for several decades prior. I think the doctor prior to the Murnanes was Dr. Lynch.

This is a social history in its own right. The practice covered out to Ratoath; to Kilmessan; to beyond Dunshaughlin; to Ashbourne to near Navan. The service involved a half day per week off, thereafter service was almost 24 hours.

In the days of the Murnames - the house employed a staff and I recall one patient telling me how he had his tooth pulled by Dr. Murnane.

There were lots of stories then; there were lots of oberservations; the imagination could be cultivated - the sheds where the horses were kept from days earlier provided so many questions for children - the ring that the horse was tied to; the room next to the horse stable with yet anothr room off it - yes this provided the shelter for people there. It had a fire place but I am slow to recall if there was space for a bed.......Originally, it had a lawn tennis courts and there was always that desire to resurrect the court but then that involved work and ashes.......there was the orchard that had become overgrown and likewise the rockery and apple trees. There was a changing society from people working in these large homes with not heat other than fire places in every room.

Let us not lose too much history. Think of Skryne and Tara as a circle with a social history that sums up a lot in Pre and Post independent Ireland. Let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater..........


I am sure so much can be added......


Michelle Clarke

by eco warrior with earrings and smoke dope (and proud of it) - The Dick Roche is the enemy within party Tue Jan 11, 2005 13:58 hippy at ireland dot com

12:01 Tuesday January 11th 2005 (unison.ie)

Heritage campaigners have delivered 2,000 submissions to the Oireachtas Transport Committee opposing plans to build a motorway through the historic landscape surrounding the Hill of Tara in Co Meath.

The submissions were collected by the Save Tara-Skryne Valley group at various locations throughout Ireland over the weekend.

The group is campaigning for a re-routing of the M3 motorway away from the Tara-Skryne Valley, which is rich with archaeology dating back to the Stone Age.

Vincent Salafia, a spokesman for the Save Tara-Skryne Valley group, said the argument against the current route of the motorway was based on economics as well as archaeological protection.

He said lengthy court battles and painstaking excavations mean the M3, in its current form, could not be completed before 2015.

"It would actually be cheaper and delivered quicker if they re-route the motorway now," he added.

by mick Tue Jan 11, 2005 16:30

it says on the save Tara site that the submissions to transport committee had to be posted in.
I handed 20 in from college today, have we wasted our time, will they not be accepted?

Can we submit to the environment committee yet?

by pc Thu Jan 13, 2005 12:15

Rather then insist everything has to written in by lettter a civil servant has said you can email him.... regarding submissions to the Environment Committee. Brian Prunty Committee Secretariat Office of the Houses of the Oireachtas Leinster House Dublin 2 [email protected] The deadline for submission of interest to the _Transport_ committee has now passed but not to the environment committee. And sure keeping bugging everyone else about it too:) NO TOLL ROAD THROUGH TARA/SKYRNE VALLEY