Squeak calls off her Tara
protest
By - Richard Oakley and Sarah
O'Sullivan.
Lisa Feeney, the 26-year-old psychology graduate who was
living in a tunnel under the route of the M3, ended her
protest last night after coming to an agreement with the
National Roads Authority (NRA).
The Kerry woman, nicknamed Squeak, emerged from the
tunnel where she had been living for several days at 8pm,
saying she has reached agreement with the NRA that there
will be no work carried out until April 17th. within a
120 metre stretch of a fort that she and other protesters
want to protect.
The one-month breathing period will give the NRA an
opportunity to devise new protections for the monument.
They could choose to move the proposed four-lane motorway
further away, or build a wall to protect it.
Informal negotiations between the NRA, site contractors
and the group of protestors began yesterday. Eurolink,
the consortium building the road, started supplying
Feeney with food and drink. Paddy O'Kearney, a friend of
Feeney's who was in constant contact with her, said the
contractors' supplies were passed to her by rope while
she remained behind a system of trap doors. James Feeney,
her father remained at the site all day yesterday to help
persuade her to call off her protest.
There were growing concerns for Squeak's safety, given
the weather conditions yesterday and that the supply of
oxygen to her underground hide-out was not guaranteed.
The NRA was being advised by experts who dealt with
similar protest in Britain to take immediate steps to
"shore up" Feeney's tunnel.
No compressed air was being supplied to Feeney although
supporters said they were maintaining a ventilation
system. Civil Defence remained at the site throughout
yesterday.
A series of notes was passed down to Feeney at 6pm from
friends and supporters expressing unknown "views and
sentiments". Gardaí restricted access to the mouth
of the tunnel to O'Kearney.
Last week, special security teams were commissioned to
search the construction site of the M3 to prevent any
further protests. Eurolink and the NRA are understood to
be embarrassed at the scale of the tunnel that Feeney and
her fellow protesters managed to build. A source close to
the project said that the entire 60km of the planned road
will now be patrolled in sections for as long as
necessary to try to ensure protesters are unable to
occupy sites.
"This is being done at extra cost and the contractors
could pass this on to the NRA when the work is completed,
but there is no way this can happen again", a source
said.
Feeney's tunnel was at the top of a tree-covered hill
about 2.7km from the Hill of Tara, between Dunshaughlin
and Navan.
Prior to yesterday's agreement, which could not be
confirmed with the NRA last night, the protesters said
they intended to prevent work going ahead on other sites
along the road and hinted there could be other tunnels.
"We are here because we are against the road being routed
through the Gabhra Valley and do not want it to pass Rath
Lugh", said Derek Berrill, a spokesman for the group.
He said the protesters want the NRA to abandon the route
and the government to examine proposals outlined in the
Meath MASTER plan, a document that suggests the
construction of a two-plus-one road and better rail links
to solve the country's transport problems.
The NRA may now consider moving the road further away
from the Rath Lugh fort. It says issues surrounding the
route of the M3 have already been debated. It will also,
however, consider building a "crib wall" at Rath
Lugh.
On Wednesday, before her sit in started, Feeney explained
that she was prepared to attach herself with a bicycle
lock to a truck jack being used to hold up part of her
tunnel, if attempts were made to remove her. She "wasn't
scared" and could stay underground for two months.
"I got involved last November and I have been working in
the camp, digging, planting radishes and cleaning", she
said. "For the last two weeks I have been living in the
tunnel and I intend to make sure nobody can get me
out".
© The Sunday Times, 16th. March 2008.
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vow to step up M3 campaign after deal struck.
Trouble and Squeak.
Tara protester emerges from her underground "mole"
hole.
Squeak surfaces after dad's plea.
Oh, that there had been a Squeak from Greens on
Tara.
Squeak
gets a dig-out...thanks to Bertie.
Squeak
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Activists call on Minister to visit Tara.
