Press Release. Meath Archaeological and History Society,
2nd. May 2007.

Lismullin National Monument
and complex of Monuments in Tara-Skryne Area
(Clonee to north of Kells motorway).

Society calls for preservation of complex, wider consultation and for decision not to be made during the election period.

The Minister for the Environment has acknowledged the existence of a national monument at Lismullin, discovered during the preparatory works for the M3 motorway.

This is not the only national monument that has been discovered in this section of the motorway. It is simply the only one that the roads authorities have so far recognised as such. In this quite limited area of the M3 motorway (i.e. the Dunshaughlin to Navan section) we believe that a complex of outstanding monuments has come to light, outstanding not only in their size and variety but also in their chronological extent, ranging in date from the Middle Stone Age down to historic times.

Apart from the known sites at Roestown and Dowdstown, a remarkable complex of sites has emerged in the core Tara area, between Ross Cross and Garlow Cross. We believe there is evidence of human settlement and activity from the Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) constituting some of the earliest evidence for human habitation in Co. Meath, and evidence of subsequent activity in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages at many other sites.

There is also evidence for very impressive settlement during the 1st. and 2nd. millennium AD including some outstanding ringforts and many other types of monuments have been turning up since the excavations started.

The complex could be best described as "an archaeological mosaic". As only one national monument has been acknowledged, serious questions must now again be asked about the National Monuments Act 2004 which leaves the decision on whether to report the discovery of a national monument entirely up to the developers on road schemes.

Apart from the conflict of interest involved, the Act does not set out any objective criteria for the determination of what is or is not a national monument. The question could be asked: how many national monuments are being destroyed along road schemes simply because they are not recognised as such?

Preservation by record i.e. excavation and destruction is not the answer.

The Meath Archaeological and Historical Society calls for the preservation of this complex of outstanding monuments. We call 1) for full and wider consultation, 2) the inclusion of the entire complex in the decision-making process and 3) that no decision on this issue be made during the election period.

On behalf of the Council of the Meath Archaeological and Historical Society
Julitta Clancy

For further Informaton call: 01-8259438.