Gormley turns a blind eye on
Tara
Minister John Gormley visited Rath Lugh wood on March
20th. after protesters asked him to "come to see for
himself" the previous weekend.
He did not, in fact, visit the roadside, a fact reported
on RTÉ web news and confirmed by persons
present.
Had he gone the extra 100 yards he would have seen that
the land-take of the M3 must cut through the esker under
the national monument, at least 30 metres into the
hillside, if the alignment of the boundary fences is
continued. This will also destroy a circular fort or
barrow on the hill.
I say this having walked the site and along the new
metal-fenced boundary on March 21th.
This failure of initiative is another washing of hands by
the minister, who is clearly acquiescing in the final
clearing of the valley as part of this NRA-FF-Green
initiative.
Recent aerial pictures are urgently needed to provide
context for proper debate.
Readers can get some idea by Googling "aerial photos Rath
Lugh", which also shows the other large monuments in the
valley, which were clearly part of a major complex of
monuments and were destroyed. Or else visit Rath Lugh and
see the reality of the land take (talk of the "route" is
meaningless, it is the land-take which will determine the
impact of the motorway on the landscape).
From an NRA viewpoint it makes sense to remove Rath Lugh
- as a major feature remains in the valley it will be a
focus for public dissatisfaction and, unless flattened,
could be a reminder to passers-by of all that is wrong
with this project.
The commitment to a moratorium on work, made to the
tunnel protester, was inconsistent with such a strategy
and was duly broken shortly after the minister's
departure.
All this for a heavily-tolled motorway which many
motorists and trucks will avoid.
Eamon O'Ciosáin,
Lucan,
Co. Dublin.
© The Irish Independent, 24th. March 2008.
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