TaraWatch Meeting at Trinity College, Dublin

To commemorate World Heritage Day, the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Trinity College Dublin has hosted a special gathering of TaraWatch this afternoon.
The special meeting was attended by a large number of individuals who are - in one way or another - concerned with the destruction of the Hill of Tara, the ancient seat of the High Kings of Ireland in Co. Meath (above), which is threatened by the building of the M 3 motorway.

Sarah Alyn Stacey, Senior Lecturer in the TCD French Department, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone to Trinity College. After her introductory words, Vincent Salafia (right), who is (and has been for some time) the most active campaigner against the systematic destruction of Irish heritage sites by our ignorant and incompetent government, gave an overview of the current situation around the Hill of Tara.

He pointed out that there are numerous archaeological sites that make up the whole complex that is Tara, and not just the actual hill itself. The whole landscape is actually a system of ancient monuments and sites which made up in Celtic times the court of the Ard Rí na hÉireann (High King of Ireland) and the capital of ancient Ireland.
All this is under imminent threat of destruction from the M 3 motorway which is currently being constructed through the Skryne Valley and across the entire Tara site. Despite several legal cases, most of which were initiated by Vincent Salafia, and an ongoing protest by environmental campaigners who have established a permanent watch camp at the Hill of Tara, the government and its National Road Authority (NRA) seem to be determined to continue with the M 3 project, which will destroy one of the most important historical sites of Ireland forever.

A senior legal expert from the Dublin Law Library (the home of Ireland's Senior Counsels, the most eminent barristers of the country) then explained the complex legal situation, which - unfortunately - leaves not much hope for TaraWatch and not much room for further legal action against the Irish government.
Questioned if there was any chance to prosecute the former Minister for the Environment Dick Roche, TD (left), who signed executive orders for the building of the M 3 through the Skryne Valley literally minutes before handing the Department over to the next minister, for destruction of national heritage, the Senior Counsel said that there was not really a legal process one could follow. So, as sad as it may be, it looks as if the Irish government and the NRA are getting away with public vandalism of the worst kind.

One of the environmental campaigners, who has recently staged a widely reported three-day protest in an underground tunnel, was also present at TCD and gave a detailed report of the current developments at the site. Despite a written agreement with the NRA, which followed her protest and was initially hailed as a success, the NRA appears not to honour its part of the bargain.
Only days after the agreement 100 Gardai and a group of masked private security guards (who are employed by the NRA) turned up and searched the peaceful camp "for weapons". Armed with slash hooks and catapults, they behaved very aggressively and rude, but despite a thorough search of the whole camp there were no weapons found at all. This was really no surprise to anyone, including the Gardai, but it shows how the government uses state forces and taxpayers' money to harass a group of peaceful campaigners, whose only concern is the preservation of our national heritage.

After a very constructive discussion of various options, the meeting at Trinity College voted on a resolution to appeal directly to UNESCO, asking to give the Hill of Tara the UN status of a World Heritage Site. Such a designation is in fact long overdue, and it appears that our government has not pursued this option forceful enough for quite some time. As things stand, we might end up with a World Heritage Site that is damaged and desecrated by a motorway, but at least it would mean that we get international recognition for the Hill of Tara.

The Emerald Islander

My special Easter Wish: Save Tara!

Easter is supposed to be about resurrection and the forgiveness of sins. I therefore think that it is a good time for a fresh start and a complete re-thinking of a project which has so far caused already serious harm to the environment, great damage to one of our most important national heritage sites and even more damage to the reputation of the Green Party and especially its leader, John Gormley, TD, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

I am talking of course about the M 3 motorway project and the irreparable damage it is doing to the Hill of Tara, seat of the Ard Ri, the ancient High King of Ireland. Just before the Easter holiday a temporary agreement between the government and the National Road Authority (NRA) on one side and the anti-motorway protesters on the other has eased the tension for now. But knowing how institutions of the state work, this will not last forever, nor solve the problem.

In the past John Gormley (right) has been a reasonable man and his green credentials should give him a deeper understanding of the matter at hand, as well as for the protest against the proposed new motorway through the Skryne Valley. It is the high privilege of those we put in charge to govern the country that they have power, and that includes the power to change plans and projects as well as their mind.

It would be my special Easter wish that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government remembers his green roots, re-examines the case of the M 3 and have the courage to change its route, thus saving the Hill of Tara. I appeal to his common sense and hope he will be a listening minister who has not lost touch with the will and concerns of the people.

And if anyone would like to help me with this, it would be much appreciated. Ireland, our ancient heritage and we all would benefit greatly from such an action. So if you care - and I hope you do - then please spare a moment of your time, contact the office of John Gormley and let him know how you feel about the M 3 and the ancient Hill of Tara.

You can phone his office under 01-8882403 or - using LoCall - under 1890-202021. You could also send him an e-mail to minister@environ.ie or, if you wish to use the services of An Post, write him a postcard or letter. The address is:

Mr. John Gormley, TD
-= personal =-
Department of the Environment,
Heritage and Local Government
Customs House
Dublin

Politicians in this country are elected as representatives of the people, and not dictators who can do as they please. So we should use our right to talk to those we put into the Dáil and let them know what we think. Feel free to speak to your local TDs as well about this matter, and in particular to those who represent the government parties. Only then will they know for sure how the people see the barbaric M 3 project, and we have fulfilled our democratic duty of care as citizens of this free country. Easter especially is a time to remember that, and a very good time to repent and make a fresh start for the better.

The Emerald Islander

Foreign Accents and Irish Hyper-Xenophobia

I was listening to Pat Kenny again this morning, and one of the items on the programme today was the ongoing protest against the M 3 project, attempting to build a motorway through the Skryne Valley close to the ancient Hill of Tara, a protected site and for centuries the seat of the Ard Ri, the High King of Ireland.

Despite the fact that the site is indeed protected, on a United Nations list of endangered heritage sites and under a preservation order from the Minister of the Environment, road contractors working in the pay of the National Road Authority (NRA) did last Thursday move heavy machinery close to Rath Lugh, the ancient fort that protected Tara, and tried to begin work on the esker (a rounded high ridge made up of ancient river sediments - mainly sand, gravel and small rounded pebbles, though boulders and thin layers of silt also occur - dating back to the last ice age) underneath. Would they do that, the sand from the esker would run out and the whole esker - with the fort on top - would collapse.


So thankfully protesters who are camping close to the site were making noise and alerted Meath County Council as well as the media. And thanks to them the fort still stands as I write this.

But what annoyed me this morning was a significant amount of comments from people who phoned, texted and e-mailed Pat Kenny in the studio, complaining that one of the Tara protesters, named Ciaran, has an English accent. So? What does that have to do with the matter at hand?

Maybe he is English. So what? But with a name like Ciaran he is more likely from an Irish family living in England. But it does not really matter. As far as I am concerned, he could be from Kells or Kaliningrad, Tuam or Timbuktu. What does matter is that he stands up for our ancient heritage, which is under severe threat from the current government and its friends in the construction industry.

There were more comments on Pat's programme, suggesting even that Seamus Heaney, our greatest living poet and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, was apparently "not really Irish" (since he was born in the North). I could not believe my ears. Who are these little Irelanders? Are they 26-county-fetishists?
Their ridiculous racism and hyper-xenophobia does even exclude the population of the six counties, who are Irish by blood, heritage and by right. I would recommend that those who sent such silly comments read Bunreacht na hÉireann, the Constitution (of the 26-county Republic) of Ireland.

But I am not really sure if these comments were actually real, or just part of a subtle campaign against the Tara protest, orchestrated by some people who have a financial interest in building the motorway, no matter what the price for the nation and our heritage would be.

How come that some of our people have suddenly problems with a man with an English accent protesting against the M 3 motorway, when they are happy with English accents in all other areas of modern Ireland, from business and trade to music, art, film and sports. If you take out all players with an English accent, there will be no Irish Soccer team left.

I can understand that some, especially elderly people who might still remember the atrocities of the Black-and-Tans from own experience, might react a little allergic to English accents. But in general there is in my opinion no place for such petty-nationalistic hyper-xenophobia in Ireland.
Not seldom such expressions are completely misguided. Two of my neighbours have very heavy Cockney accents, and one could well think they were English. Nevertheless, they are as Irish as the shamrock. Both were born here, but had to emigrate as children with their parents to London. They spent most of their lives there, and of course picked up the Cockney accent. But as soon as the "Celtic Tiger" gave them a chance to come home, they did. So what would the 26-county-fetishists say to them and their accent?

It is also interesting that certain people's xenophobia seems to be limited to the British and - in some places - also the Germans. They seem to have no objections to Dutch and French, Italians and Spanish, nor any other nationality. No problems with hundreds of thousands of Poles and Russians, Ukrainians and people from the Baltic states who live and work here. And there seems not even to be any prejudice against the now vast number of Africans in Ireland, even though many of them can't speak English and have no links with nor understanding of our country and culture. The only reason they are here is our recently acquired wealth, from which they want a piece for themselves.

So why still this ridiculous xenophobia against people with British accents? Maybe some people need to re-read the history books and check out where many of our great national heroes were born. They will find that a large number of those we revere came from outside Ireland, but gave their lives willingly for our freedom and independence.

I was not born in Ireland myself, and two thirds of my life I spent abroad. But if anyone would question me or my credentials and loyalty, I would tell them that I am as Irish as St. Patrick, Countess Markiewicz and Eamon de Valera. If anyone has a problem with that, or with my accent (which is often thought to be Dutch, even though it isn't and really accumulates various accents I acquired during my lifetime), I would be happy to tell them a thing or two, and show them my very long family tree with Celtic pride.

The Emerald Islander

Who is responsible for Ireland's Infrastructure?

A new statement on the delivery dates of Irish transport infrastructure indicates that several of the targets for 2008 will be missed. The information can be found in the Department of Transport's second annual progress report on the implementation of the government's multi-billion investment programme.

Eleven major projects have been identified as being "behind schedule", including the Portlaoise train depot, which was supposed to be completed in 2007, but will - hopefully - be finished this year. Construction of the Cork commuter rail service to Midleton will be completed in 2009 rather than 2008, and in Dublin three Luas projects will also be delayed.

Transport Minister Noel Dempsey (photo) said the dates had "always been indicative" and all but one of the plan's numerous projects would be completed within the designated timeframe of 2015. But the minister did not make an attempt to explain the fact that almost nothing is finished on time in Ireland, and never for the expected or estimated price.

What's the Problem?
Is it just simply massive incompetence, combined with laziness and a "don't care" attitude? Or is there a subtle system of contractors, sub-contractors and even further sub-sub-contractors in place that syphens off money and resources from every project they are involved with? Hard to say, and certainly worth some investigation. But like most members of the govenment, the Minister for Transport is not really bothered by those delays. As long as his own pay-check (of about € 20,000 a month) arrives on time, all is well.

Noel Dempsey pointed out that in 2007 there was 82% more money spent on public transport projects than the previous year. And "Transport 21", the government's well publicised strategy plan, "is delivering tangible benefits to commuters" he said, pointing out that hourly return services on the Cork - Dublin rail route were introduced, as well as new intercity rail cars on the Sligo line. Phase one of the Western Rail Corridor had started, new buses had been delivered in Dublin, and eleven national road projects had been completed while construction started on another ten.

Well, that's all very nice and good. But the questions not asked by journalists - and therefore not answered by ministers - are:

1. Do we get value for money?
2. Do we get good quality projects and products?
3. And if not, who is to blame?

We are told that so much more money is spent. Well, 82% is a large number. But how much is that in money? And 82% on top of how much?
Why are we always given percentages, but very rarely the proper sums? Is the money we - the taxpayers - invest via the government in all those projects spent well?

No one seems responsible
It is quite strange that literally everything is so much more expensive in Ireland - from simple daily food to huge infrastructure programmes. Roads, railways and other infrastructure projects are built all the time in every country, but most of them are managed very well and deliver high quality on time and on budget. Not so in Ireland. Why? And who is responsible?

Apparently no one, as the minister passes the buck to the various state agencies - like the now often mentioned National Road Authority (NRA) - who in turn pass it further down to the private contractors they use. At the end of the day the buck stops with some nameless Polish or Lithuanian construction worker who does neither speak English nor has any idea of the bigger picture. All he cares for is to earn more money than he would get in his own country, and send a good bit of it back home while living a Spartan life here. This is no way to run anything, not any project, and certainly not the country!

A good example how not to do it is the new Dublin Port Tunnel. It took longer than planned to build, and cost a lot more than projected. And now, that it is finished, it doesn't work properly. Serious problems with the tunnel's fans were revealed recently by the RTÉ Prime Time programme and Fine Gael's Fergus O'Dowd said that equipment failures in the tunnel were unacceptable and were damaging public confidence. Quite right!

In many other countries they have tunnels for decades, and even centuries. They all are safe and work perfectly. So why can't Ireland do it? And again - who is responsible?
Minister Dempsey agrees that the situation at the tunnel is "unacceptable", but is it his problem? Oh no! He says it is "a matter between the contractor and the NRA", which is "taking legal action to ensure the equipment is properly repaired".

This is beyond a bad joke! Is he the Minister for Transport or not? And what good does it do to the many drivers in Dublin, hampered by a faulty or even closed tunnel, when the NRA and some un-named contractor battle the matter out in the Courts? Legal cases usually takes ages, and the main beneficiaries are the lawyers who charge massive fees for their learned services.

Noel Dempsey is trying to calm the waves by saying that he is "confident the NRA is doing all in its power to resolve issues with equipment in the Dublin Port Tunnel". But what are the powers of the NRA? Do they really have enough authority, as their name would suggest? And - first of all - what about the minister's own authority? Why is he not using it to solve the problem quickly? What's the point of having a Minister for Transport if all his responsibilities are delegated away to unelected and unaccountable bodies and agencies?

If Mr. Dempsey, who has not exactly covered himself with glory in the departments he headed previously, wants to be taken for serious (and not for a spineless whimp), it is time for him to step up to the plate, take responsibility for the matters of his department and actually do the job he is very well paid for.

The Emerald Islander