12.22.08
Posted in News at 3:46 am by Vincent
Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, second from left (The Irish Times)
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and leader of the Green Party in Ireland, John Gormley, made a visit to Newgrange for the Winter Solstice, as if seeking some ancient wisdom to guide his troubled people though the dark of winter, to a place of light and hope. Well, he found some, but it may not have been what he wanted to hear. This is the man whose party campaigned vigorously for the protection of the Hill of Tara, and then said he had he had no power to change the M3 motorway, when he got elected and appointed Minister, by Bertie Ahern. The following is an excerpt from The Irish Times -Not all gloom for the winter solstice - 22 December 2008
Neither cloudy skies nor protests at Green failures could dim the conviviality of Newgrange watchers
Cameras were poised hopefully as the minutes passed. Still no sun rose over the familiar ridge facing the monument. It seemed so unlikely that no one was even willing it to happen. But the crowd was happy, not tense with expectation.
A female protester challenged Minister for the Environment John Gormley as he entered the passageway, reminding him of his failure to save the Tara landscape. Her comments encouraged other remarks; conversations strayed briefly from Newgrange and the technical achievements of our ancestors to the disappointing performance of the Greens in Government.
The robust man with the Nordic skier’s hat summed it up: “They were full of big righteous talk when they were the opposition but once they got a bit of power, hah, they turned into mice.” Strong support for mice as a species resulted in him quickly amending his comments: “I meant rats.” “Hear, hear!,” endorsed a formidable looking matron with a walking stick, “they’ve sold out. It’s disgusting.” Colourful images of self-righteous “eco rats” bearing low-energy light bulbs inspired further exchanges.
Write to lettersed@irish-times.ie
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12.09.08
Posted in News at 10:37 am by Vincent
TaraWatch is calling on the public, around the world, to make submissions to an advisory group that has been set up by the Irish Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, to review the current list of potential UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ireland, known as the Tentative List (of potential nominees as World Heritage Sites). The Irish Government is currently building the M3 motorway through the heart of the archaeological complex associated with the Hill of Tara, in County Meath, at the same time that it is proposing to nominate Tara to Ireland’s Tentative List. We are asking members of the public to sign our petition and to make submissions, before Friday, January 30th, 2009. Email your submission to worldheritagetentativelist@environ.ie
Our position is that:
- The Hill of Tara complex qualifies for World Heritage status as a natural and cultural landscape of outstanding universal value, due to its unique cultural significance, and the extent of the surviving remains. Tara covers a much larger area than that the 100 acres of State-owned land on the summit of the Hill, which currently delimits the ‘national monument’. The M3 passes through the middle of the area to be protected.
- The entire Tara archaeological complex and cultural/natural landscape should be declared a World Heritage site. Expert bodies such as the World Monuments Fund, the Heritage Council, have recognised Tara consists of the entire Hill of Tara along with the Tara / Skryne valley, as well as the defensive forts that encircle the hill, including national monuments such as the defensive forts of Rath Lugh (to the east), Rath Miles (to the north) and Ringlestown Rath (to the west), and have called for the re-routing of the M3.
-The M3 motorway, due to open in 2010, should be re-routed outside of the Tara complex, before the site is given UNESCO World Heritage Protection. It would be a breach of the World Heritage Convention for UNESCO to inscribe the site, with the M3 passing through it. This is confirmed by the fact that Tara was placed on the World Monuments Fund, 2008-2010 List of 100 Most Endangered Sites
World Heritage Sites list to be reviewed
The Irish Times - Monday December 1 2008
AN EXPERT advisory group has been set up by Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government John Gormley to review the current list of potential World Heritage Sites in Ireland, known as the Tentative List (of potential nominees as World Heritage Sites). They are to submit a new Tentative List to him by spring of next year. The existing Tentative List of proposed sites dates back to 1992.
At present Ireland has two World Heritage Sites inscribed on the prestigious World Heritage List. Brú Na Bóinne in Co Meath was inscribed in 1993 and Skellig Michael, Co Kerry in 1996. Ireland ratified the World Heritage Convention in 1991 and undertook the responsibility of protecting and conserving both national and international world heritage sites, and of maintaining a Tentative List of potential sites for World Heritage Site nomination. It also undertook to nominate national heritage sites on this list to the World Heritage Committee for World Heritage listing.
As part of the public consultation process prior to preparing the Tentative List, interested parties and individuals are invited to request a copy of the current Tentative List and World Heritage Status. It is available from the department as guidance to people in making submissions on proposed sites for inclusion on Ireland’s Tentative List of potential nominees as World Heritage Sites. These must have unique outstanding universal value and not just be of value in an Irish context.
Details www.environ.ie submissions by Friday January 30th.
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Posted in Archaeology, Corruption Watch, News at 10:07 am by Vincent
TaraWatch has been accepted by the United Nations and added to the register of UN Global Compact participants. Campaigners to save the Hill of Tara from the M3 motorway will now ask the UN to bring all public and private stakeholders in the controversy to the negotiating table. The UN Global Compact is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.
A formal request for stakeholder engagement has already been sent to the Spanish construction company, Ferrovial, who sent a reply indicating they were awaiting documentation from their Irish subsidiary. Now, all other stakeholders will receive a similar request, along with Government parties. The contract is to design, build, finance and operate the 50km M3 Clonee to North of Kells project under a 45-year concession. EuroLink M3 is owned by SIAC and Cintra (Concessiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte S.A.). Cintra is a subsidiary of the leading international infrastructure developer, Grupo Ferrovial S.A. Senior debt for the project has been provided by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A., Banco Santander Central Hispano, S.A. and Calyon. All of these parties will now be asked to participate in stakeholder emgagement, under the aegis of the UN. The following is the letter received from the UN Global Compact:
Dear TaraWatch,
Welcome to the United Nations Global Compact! We thank you for joining the world’s largest voluntary corporate responsibility initiative. This letter is to inform you that TaraWatch has been added to the register of Global Compact participants. As a participant, a company makes a commitment:
* to set in motion changes to business operations so that the Global Compact and its ten principles become part of strategy, culture and day-to-day operations;
* to publicly advocate the Global Compact and its principles via available communications channels; and
* to communicate annually and publicly on progress made in implementing the Global Compact principles.
An official welcome letter and an information package on the Global Compact will be sent to your organization’s top executive by mail. More information and guidance on engagement opportunities and expectations can be found on the Global Compact website.
Sincerely,
The Global Compact Office
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10.29.08
Posted in News at 9:31 am by Vincent
Tara M3 questions to political parties
The Irish Times- 29 October 2008
TaraWatch has sent questionnaires to the political parties in advance of next year’s local and European elections asking them to outline their positions on the controversial M3 upgrading.
The parties are asked 10 questions, in particular whether they support the current route of the M3 or a route farther away from the Hill of Tara.
TaraWatch spokesman Vincent Salafia said it is considering fielding candidates if the response from the political parties is not sufficient.
PRE-ELECTION QUESTIONNAIRE
Please return answers to TaraWatch, Suite 108, Mary’s Abbey, D.7, or mail them to info@tarawatch.org, by Tue 4 November.
1. Do you agree that the M3 motorway being built through the Hill of Tara archaeological complex is damaging a site of national and international importance?
2. Do you agree that the M3 Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract is a bad deal for Irish taxpayers, as it will see the lions share of revenue go to a multi-national company, for the next 45 years?
3. Do you agree it is necessary to build four motorways going through County Meath, from the M50?
4. Do you agree that the approximately 16 billion euros over spend by the National Roads Authority on the roads programme in the National Development Plan (NDP), between 2000-2008, is the biggest waste of taxpayers money in the history of the State, that must be
investigated?
5. Do you agree with the European Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the NDP should be subjected to Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), before any more money is spent on it. If so, will you commission an SEA of the NDP, before allowing any
projects that are likely to have a significant effect on the environment, to proceed further?
6. Do you agree that a new cost-benefit analysis of Transport 21, and every single project within it, should take place before any further money is allocated?
7. Do you agree that reducing climate change gasses, due to transport, is a moral and economic imperative that must be addressed immediately?
8. Do you agree that alternatives to the current transport plan for Meath and Dublin need to be re-examined, in order to design more efficient alternatives?
9. Do you agree that the M3 should be re-routed, or cancelled, before Tara is made a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
10. If you enter Government will you ratify the UN Convention Against Corruption, which Michael McDowell promised, but failed to do?
11. If you enter Government, after the next Election, will you seek to have the M3 altered, in order to protect the Hill of Tara?
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10.26.08
Posted in News at 5:03 pm by Vincent
Photograph: The Irish Image Collection/Corbis
THE STAR: Last Chance Saloon for ‘Dying’ Landmarks - Threatened Sites Highlighted
Tara Features in New Book on Endangered Sites - ‘500 Places to See Before They Disappear’
The Hill of Tara features in a new book entitled ‘500 Places to See Before They Disappear‘, published October 20 by Frommers, and written by Holly Hughes. This is further evidence of how negatively the international community still views the M3 motorway works. Tara is currently on the 100 Most Endangered Sites List published by the World Monuments Fund in 2008, and will remain on the watch list until 2010. The entry in the Hughes book for Tara reads, in part: “Hill of Tara, Co Meath, Ireland: The ancient seat of Ireland’s high kings is threatened by the proposed M3 highway which runs close by and is due to open in 2010″ The Frommers web site catalogue reads as follows:
“500 Places to See Before They Disappear enables passionate travelers and the eco-conscious to learn about and plan a visit to see rare cultural, historic, and natural places before they are irrevocably altered or even gone forever. Here are one-of-a-kind landscapes, fragile ecosystems, rare bird habitats, places to see the last remaining species of big game in the wild, cityscapes in peril, vanishing cultural kitsch, petroglyphs, and more—500 thoughtfully- chosen treasures that will inspire and enlighten travellers of all ages. Each entry explains why it’s been included, gives its history, the nature of the threat against it, brief practical information on how to visit, and what visitors can to do protect it. A Geographical Index allows travellers to locate attractions across the world.”
The Hill of Tara -Going to ruins
500 Places to See Before They Disappear, by Holly Hughes, published October 20 2008 by Frommers. (p.247)
Ireland is a nation of story tellers where seemingly every mossy stone and country crossroad has a tale spun about it. But even so, there’s no disputing the legendary significance of the Hill of Tara, traditional seat of the high kings of Ireland. No wonder plans to run a new superhighway past it has generated storms of outrage.
On first glance, Tara today doesn’t look like much – a 90m (300 ft) hill dotted with grassy mounds, some ancient pillar stones, and depressions that show where the Iron Age ringfort, Raith na Riogh, encircled the brow of the hill. But audiovisuals at the visitor center deconstruct just what these mounds represent, as if peeling away the centuries from this time-harrowed ridge. Prominent on the hilltop are the ring-barrow called Teach Cormaic (Cormac’s House) and the Forradh, or Royal Seat, with a granite coronation stone known as the Lia Fail (Stone of Destiny), standing erect at its center. The trenches of three other smaller ringforts are nearby, as well as an excavated passage tomb just to the north, the astronomically aligned Mound of the Hostages, which dates to 2000 BC.
The wood timbers of the old royal halls rotted a long time ago; the last great feis – triennial banquet of princes, poets, priests, and politicians – was held in A.D. 560, after which the rise of Christianity forced ancient Celtic traditions into hiding. But Tara was always more than just one hill – it was the epicentre of Ireland’s foremost kingdom and several other important pre-historic sites are in the same valley. From the Hill of Tara, in the distance you can spot the great burial mound of Newgrange and the Hill of Slane, where Saint Patrick readies himself to take on the Irish pagans – which, of course, he needed to do at Tara, Ireland’s symbolic heart.
The N3 highway, heading northeast out of Dublin towards the town of Kells, already ran close enough to Tara to shake its foundations; now a larger limited-access motorway, the M3, is being built even closer, with a major interchange right near the sacred hill. During construction, a number of megalithic souterrains – underground buildings – some dating from the 7th century, have been bulldozed, probably the homes of important nobles and courtiers living near the kings fort. When a 2000 year old henge named Lismullin, with Megalithic decorations on its stone, was unearthed in March 2007, construction was temporarily halted – but work proceeds on other sections of the road, despite vociferous citizen protests. Alternative routes have been proposed, but to no avail. The ghosts of the high kings must be weeping.
In an effort to stop or at least slow the destruction of the Hill of Tara, conservationists and Government supporters are working to make the Hill of Tara a World Heritage Site. This would help preserve the Gabhra Valley between the Hill of Tara and the Hill of Skryne, and protect the surrounding landscape by preventing commercial development along the path of the new motorway.
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10.15.08
Posted in News at 8:56 am by Vincent
Source: Davy Research
Irish Budget 2009 Analysis: Lenihan’s “call to patriotic action”
FINFACTS: By Michael Hennigan, Founder and Editor of Finfacts - Oct 15, 2008 - 7:26:39 AM
Irish Budget 2009 Analysis: Minister for Finance Brain Lenihan said in his speech Tuesday on the Budget, that “it’s a call to patriotic action.” Apart from evoking Samuel Johnson’s most famous quotation: “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel,” while incompetence is not incompatible with patriotism, it’s rich indeed to be lectured about such noble values, by people who used short-term political interest to the detriment of the economy and many thousands of people. The fallout from the toxic cocktail of self-interest, incompetence, negligence and laziness, has been covered in another article this week. Click for Finfacts Main Budget 2009 Page
Before moving onto economic analysis, it’s interesting to observe how the Green Party has so seamlessly filled the impotent shoes of the near-defunct PDs. Like so-called “independents” who sell their votes for time security and some baubles to impress constituents, small niche parties, such as the Green Party in its present role, have zero impact on most areas of policy but the priority is to have some crumbs to offer supporters and copperfasten the self-interest of the leadership. So Green Party leader John Gormley has highlighted what he called “Green Party gains” including: a substantially increased budget for water services; new funding for home energy efficiency and warmer homes scheme; increases in petrol prices; the bicycle initiative; and an increase in motor taxes. The introduction of the €200 annual charge on second properties, was described by Gormley as a “watershed moment” in local government funding. Watershed or not, Fianna Fáil will always be happy for their support as long as they stick to “saving the planet” but who saves Ireland?
Environmental group Tarawatch, says spending on the roads programme is inefficient, because the overspends by the National Roads Authority have already reached €16 billion and there is no indication that it is slowing. Vincent Salafia of TaraWatch said:”Continuing the roads programme at this rate, while reducing spending on public transport, is the height of fiscal irresponsibility, given the current economic climate. “It is clear the Green party have had zero impact on Government policy, with no –reallocation of funds from roads to public transport, and no significant carbon emission reduction programme whatsoever.
“We will update our complaint to the Comptroller and Auditor General, seeking a review of spending on the roads programme, before funding is allocated, in the wake of the E16 billion overspend by the NRA.”
The views of 3 economists (below):
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10.13.08
Posted in Corruption Watch, News, Tolls, Transport at 2:19 pm by Vincent
TaraWatch asks auditor general to probe €16bn NRA overspend
Irish examiner - Monday, October 13, 2008 - By Eoin English
ACTIVISTS will accuse the State’s roads building body today of a staggering €16 billion overspend — more than the spiralling national debt. TaraWatch, the group fighting the building of the M3 motorway at the Hill of Tara, will also call for a halt on future road projects. It said it will lodge its complaint against the National Roads Authority (NRA) with the State’s spending watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), accusing it of rampant overspending since 2000.
“The C&AG has primary responsibility for ensuring value for money in public spending,” TaraWatch spokesman Vincent Salafia said. “It should not allow one penny to be spent until there has been cost-benefit analysis and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) on every single road plan. “It is illegal and disgraceful for the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) to now negotiate more cost-plus, rather than fixed-price contracts, and a continuation of business as usual. “The NRA didn’t even have an accountant in their office until 2004. They have gotten away with murder, as have the construction companies that hauled off truckloads of taxpayers’ money.” He said TaraWatch wants the C&AG to freeze all public spending on NRA projects under the National Development Plan, until a cost-benefit analysis has been carried out.
The C&AG has expressed concerns about the spending controls on roads projects. In 2002 the NRA was summoned before the Public Accounts Committee to explain a massive €6.6bn overrun. By 2004, the overrun had gone up to €10bn. TaraWatch said an engineers report it commissioned, and submitted to the Department of Finance on Friday, shows how the M3 motorway will cost the taxpayer an extra €1.8bn, and will be responsible for €320 million in emissions penalties. The NRA was unavailable for comment yesterday.
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10.11.08
Posted in News at 2:03 pm by Vincent
Download TaraWatch Pre-Budgetary Submission
Dowload TaraWatch financial analysis of M3 motorway
M3 motorway will lose money, says TaraWatch
Irish examiner - Breaking News - 10 October 2008
The proposed M3 motorway will lose money, according to a financial analysis included today in TaraWatch’s pre-Budgetary submission. The primary conclusion is there is a need for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the National Development Plan (NDP), before any spending decisions are made on Transport 21. These conclusions are supported by the EPA Report on the Irish Environment, released on Wed October 8, which calls for SEA analysis of the NDP. The submission also details legal cases being taken against the Irish Government, by the European Commission and in the Supreme Court, regarding alleged breaches of SEA law.
The M3 Motorway PPP contractor, Ferrovial, is also examined in detail. A financial analysis of the M3 motorway, performed by a licensed engineer, Rodney Aldrich, claimed that the M3 motorway will be a losing proposition for taxpayers in collecting toll revenues, based on the NRA traffic projections, in order to cover construction and operating costs. Aldrich concluded that: “The tolls will fall short by a total of 1.165bn euro in repaying a 45-year financing.” Mr Aldrich concluded: “If a rail link supplements improvements to the current N3, the possibility exists to avoid 180,000,000 euro in excess carbon emissions penalties that might very well result if the M3 is completed. “The Department of Finance should perform a fresh cost-benefit analysis, and investigate all real and shadow costs associated with the M3 before funding it any further.
Vincent Salafia of TaraWatch said: “The National Development Plan, and the M3 motorway, are losing propositions for the Irish taxpayer. “Even a cursory analysis of the PPP numbers shows that the M3, and the NDP, are examples of ‘cowboy economics’, and the figures simply don’t add up.” “The recent EPA Report on the State of the Irish Environment 2008 supports our findings, by calling for cost-benefit analysis and Strategic Environmental Assessment of the NDP.”
Related stories
Irish independent - Principals in plea to spare schools from ‘disastrous’ cuts (6 Oct)
BreakingNews.ie - M3 motorway will lose money, says TaraWatch
Ireland Online - M3 motorway will lost money, says TaraWatch
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10.07.08
Posted in News at 2:27 pm by Vincent
Archaeology Magazine - News Headlines: “Here’s a summary of what preservationists have tried to do to save Ireland’s Hill of Tara from highway construction. Their new argument suggests that the downturn in the country’s economy requires Ireland to save its historic resources as tourist destinations.”
Celtic Tiger threatens ‘very soul of historic Ireland’
MITCH POTTER - TORONTO STAR Europe Bureau - Oct 07, 2008
HILL OF TARA, Ireland–It is a battle worthy of the old Irish legends, pitting history against modernity. But as a controversial highway creeps ever closer to the spiritual home of the early Celtic kings, it now appears both sides may lose. For advocates of the twin ribbons of asphalt called the M3 now under construction north of the Irish capital, there is no choice but to live pragmatically with the roar of a commuter corridor in the shadow of the sacred Hill of Tara, because getting to nearby Dublin is a nightmare without it. For opponents, the new toll highway is the most painful example of the Celtic Tiger’s propensity for gnawing through all obstacles – up to and including “the very soul of historic Ireland” – in the pursuit of the almighty euro. Worse, they say, the highway is arriving just as the economy curls up into what many expect will be a deep slumber, worn ragged by a broken property bubble and the global credit squeeze.
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10.01.08
Posted in News at 9:22 am by Vincent
Irish Examiner - Open letter to the Irish Government from MEPS - January 2008
EU Speak out on Tara
South Meath Post 30-9-08 by Evan Short
Tarawatch anti M3 protesters claimed last week to have been backed by the EU in their continuing campaign against the motorway.According to Vincent Salafia, the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament has expressed its “ongoing concern” regarding the impact of the M3 on the Hill of Tara archaeological complex and the demolition of the Lismullin National Monument. In its annual activity report from 2007 released last Wednesday, the Committee commented specifically on the absence of any assesment in advance of a 2007 decision to remove a national monument situated at Lismullin in the path of the M3 Motorway project near Tara in County Meath. The Lismullin Henge, described by the American Archaeological Journal as one of its most signiicant finds of 2007, was removed in January to permit the M3 to go ahead.
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