Tara - over-puffed and
oversold
Sir, - The Labour Party issued a policy statement
recently about the proposed M3 Motorway, with the heading
"Destruction of Hill of Tara like ripping a knife through
a Rembrandt".
Any reader might have paused to listen to the grunt and
thunder of earth-movers loading up the entire soil from
the hill into waiting lorries. Even in the interests of
charity, it would be difficult to put a benign
construction on this policy statement from a party that,
confidently, expects to be an equal partner in the next
elected government.
This party is satisfied to quote from an anonymous
couple, "Are you really going to send millions of tyres
over the graves of the high kings?" This policy statement
carries us back to the future and into unfounded
historical nonsense which was generated throughout the
nineteenth century, like "the island of saints and
scholars".
A "High King" was the strongest warlord of his time,
among a collection of other regional warlords. We are now
into a third century of Tara being used as a political
sliothar, handball or football to attack political
opponents. Tara, like many other sites, on the island,
was, and is important, but it has been over-puffed and
oversold.
A recent personal visit there was a disappointing
experience. A previous campaign about Carrickmines castle
led me to visit it to find a heap of stones, and
definitely not a Sunday afternoon drive with the spouse
and kids.
It would really take up valuable pages in any newspaper
to give a full commentary on this policy statement, but
I'll conclude with two points. Labour, in giving support
to opponents of the proposed M3 motorway, as evidenced in
this published policy, has abandoned fiscal and taxation
reality. And responsibility.
Leaving Certificate students should now opt for
archaeology as first choice.
Yours faithfully,
Larry McAndrew,
Kilbreena,
Dunboyne.
© The Liffey Champion, 25th. December, 2004.
