Hill of Tara
- set for endangered list
By - Frank McDonald, Environment
Editor.
The Hill of Tara is to be added to the New York-based
World Monuments Fund (WMF) list of 100 most endangered
sites, The Irish Times has learned.
It is also believed that re-routing the M3 motorway to
avoid sensitive archaeological sites, is one of the key
demands being made by the Green Party in its talks with
Fianna Fáil this week.
An application to the WMF to include Tara on its "watch
list" was made earlier this year by TaraWatch, one of the
groups campaigning against plans to route the M3 through
the Gabhra Valley, between the ancient seat of Ireland's
high kings and the Hill of Skryne.
The list is intended to draw international attention to
threats facing cultural heritage sites around the world.
The inclusion of the Hill of Tara on the list, to be
announced in London tomorrow, will add further weight to
the campaign to protect its setting. Compiled by an
international panel of experts, the "watch list" is
described as "a global call to action on behalf of sites
in need of immediate intervention, bringing them to
international attention and helping to raise funds for
their rescue".
Vincent Salafia, spokesman for TaraWatch, said he hoped
the designation of Tara as an endangered site could make
his group eligible for funding for an independent
archaeological report and possible litigation costs in
the event of another judicial review. The group is
considering taking another action in the High Court if
Minister for the Environment Dick Roche directs the
National Roads Authority to permit the destruction of the
recently-discovered henge at Lismullin.
The inclusion of Tara on the 100 most endangered sites
list, however, does not guarantee that funding will be
available from the WMF.
TaraWatch will be able to make an application but the
outcome would depend on a thorough review of the
case.
The WMF bills itself as the foremost private, non-profit
organisation dedicated to the preservation of endangered
architectural and cultural heritage sites throughout the
world. Since 1965 it has helped to save some 450
irreplaceable sites in more than 90 countries. These
range from the vast temple complexes at Angkor, Cambodia,
to the historic centre of Mexico city and the 18th.
century Qianlong Garden in Beijing's Forbidden City.
The prehistoric ceremonial site at Lismullin was not
identified by previous archaeological surveys and
test-trenching along the route of the M3. The director of
the National Museum, Dr. Pat Wallace, has advised that it
should be fully excavated. For the past few weeks
protesters have been blocking heavy machinery leaving
construction compounds on the motorway route.
© The Irish Times, 6th. June 2007.
Related Articles:
World Monument Fund, 2008 World Monuments
Watch List.
