Govt's attitude a
paradox
Dear sir - The paradox of Fianna Fáil's attitude
to our heritage is highlighted in their recent
recruitment poster in universities where a young woman
declares: "I joined Fianna Fáil to have a say in
our environment and heritage." Have a say in what? A
new-found interest in stately homes by the Taoiseach or
in the development of the Battle of the Boyne site?
That's all very fine but what of the monstrosity of a
hotel at Trim Castle, the incinerator near Newgrange and
the proposed destruction of Tara's Gabhra Valley?
The Chief State Archaeologist's nine pages of advice to
the Minister for the Environment (3rd. December 2004)
concentrate on the engineering aspect to the near
exclusion of archaeology and heritage. He defends the
EIS, the An Bord Pleanála hearing and the chosen
route. He does concede that the section between
Dunshaughlin and Navan will be "costly and time consuming
to excavate". This is a direct contradiction of the NRA's
position that the excavations will only take six to 12
months. He remarks incomprehensibly that: "None of these
38 sites is a national monument within the meaning of the
act". He seems unaware of the fact that a national
monument is not just confined to an archaeological
site.
But he goes further: "Even in the Boyne Valley cemetery
of passage tombs, it has never been argued that
Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth are all part of the one
national monument, even though all three are in State
care".
Yours sincerely,
DR. MUIREANN NÍ
BHROLCHÁIN,
58 Laurence Avenue,
Maynooth,
Co. Kildare.
© The Meath Chronicle, 10th. December 2005.
