|
|
| Information | Video | Photo Gallery | Audio | Links | Blog |
|
M3 Clonee - North of Kells Contract 2 Dunshaughlan - Navan
Press Release on behalf of the Tara Solidarity Vigil Camp Press Release on behalf of the Tara Solidarity Vigil Camp 8th May 2008 At approx 10:30 this morning, the Office of Public Works launched an eviction attempt on the Tara Solidarity Vigil Camp, which is in situ on public land. The Vigil is “a non-hierarchical peoples' solidarity vigil, here in support of local people and all individuals and groups in the campaigns to Save Tara. We are adamant in our non-affiliation with any particular political or religious parties but welcome any friends of Tara to the sacred Vigil Fire, which has been burning continuously since the Summer Solstice, 21st of June 2006”. This morning, 20 OPW employees, up to 15 MD Security Workers and 20 Gardaí entered the camp and began to dismantle temporary structures which are used daily by the Vigil Keepers. The structures include a Temple, several dwellings and meeting huts. The Temple, which was made of wood, was desecrated by chainsaw as the Keepers looked on in shock. Their priority was to hold their ground protecting the sacred flame within the Vigil TiPi. To add insult to injury, hidden within the group of MD Security workers, wearing their logo was a known Ferrovial employee. Ferrovial Agroman, a Spanish company, are one of the companies, in conjunction with SIAC, who are contracted to build the controversial M3 motorway. This begs to further question the repeated cooperation between the Gardaí and private security for SIAC/ Ferrovial Agroman, on the back of the demolition of the Direct Action Protest Camp at Rath Lugh on 17th Apr2008. The OPW Archaeologist onsite stated, and has been recorded that she would “personally put out the fire”. Both the OPW onsite and the Gardaí were initially refusing to acknowledge the sacredness of the fire and in doing so are not upholding an individual’s right to religious worship/practice. The OPW have also admitted on camera that this was not an official eviction, and that they didn’t even have the official documentation or method statement to carry out the activity. When negotiations were finally possible, the Gardaí were not able to quote specifically any law that would allow them to extinguish this sacred fire. Talks since have produce a guarantee from Ms Fionnula Parnell, Archaeologist from the National Monuments Department OPW, in the presence of a Gardai, that no attempt to remove the fire, or the TiPi housing it until the outcome of an agreed meeting on 19th May 2007. There are approx 30 vigil keepers surrounding the TiPi housing the fire adamant that they have the right to continue holding the Vigil and practice their individual and collective beliefs. Several of these people were assaulted by the privately hired security company in the presence of Gardai, and will be filing charges. Otherwise, there is a great atmosphere, music + drums, children’s laughter in the air. Energy is positive and spirits are high in the Summer sun. This is why the Vigil has attracted visitors from the 4 corners of the world in the 23months of it’s existence. Ex-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has in the past forewarned of dangerous trends in modern society “So much of what is happening within our society and in the wider world is bound up with questions of religion, religious identity and religious belief," he said, "that governments which refuse or fail to engage with religious communities and religious identities risk failing in their fundamental duties to their citizens." The Irish Constitution (Article 8) recognises that citizens have a right to “Freedom of conscience and the free profession and practice of religion are, subject to public order and morality, guaranteed to every citizen, and no law may be made either directly or indirectly to endow any religion or prohibit or restrict the free exercise thereof or give any preference, or impose any disability on account of religious belief or religious status”. The European Constitution (Part II - The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the Union) Article II-70 recognises ”Freedom of thought, conscience and religion: 1) Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right includes freedom to change religion or belief and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or in private, to manifest religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance”. We, the Vigil Keepers, call on Minister John Gormley, as Minister of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government responsible for State Managed Visitor Services, to officially acknowledge the sacred Vigil Fire on the Hill of Tara.
Issued on behalf of the Tara Solidarity Vigil Joanne Corbett 086 6030389 www.savetara.com
Monday 28th April 2008
At 6am, 12 Tara campaigners arrived on the new roundabout between Dunboyne and Dunshaughlin. We held a peaceful demo with banners and musical instruments. Our message was to Reroute the M3 out of the Gabhra Valley, and have recourse to the obvious alternative, the Meath Masterplan. The proposed M3 will have 2 toll bridges on it, which will cost the average commuter €2880 per year. The commuter traffic was very heavy, so as the cars were stopped we could hand out leaflets to the drivers. Most commuters were very suppportive, beeping their horns and waving as they drove past. Text messages were flying in to us, our demo was being reported on AA Roadwatch and Newstalk. 2 Garda cars kept driving around the roundabout, but didn't get out of their cars to speak to us. Mark Cleary turned up on his own for a while, taking photos of us. It was a very successful demo and the majority of commuters seem to support Tara, they don't want to be tolled twice at the price of their heritage. We also had very positive feedback from the drivers who took the leaflets, who phoned later looking for more information.
Eviction of Rath Lugh Direct Action Camp On Tuesday 15 April, Coillte hand delivered a second letter to members of the Rath Lugh camp, asking us to leave the woodlands.
Tree houses are one of the defence mechanisms we used in Rath Lugh Direct Action Camp, along the front line of the proposed M3. The tree platforms averaged 50 feet from ground level, in mature beech trees. 2 days before the camp was cleared out, one of the night security cut one of the aerial walkways to the suspended platform. The same security man Jerry from Derry, said to members of the camp he would cut the walkway with one of the tree house occupants on it. At 12.30pm on Thursday 17 April, 7 Gardai arrived at the foot of the treehouses, including Superindendent Michael Divine and Sargent Tom Flynn of Navan Garda Station. Some Protectors of Rath Lugh on the ground were cleaning up the site and the Gardai asked them to leave the woodland. The Gardai shouted to the Protecters to come down from the trees, as they were videoing and photographing the scene. The occupiers of the trees refused to leave, the Gardai said they would smash the camp recording equipment if they had to come up the tree after the Protectors. Mark Cleary and MD Security were also present, telling the Protesters they would be delighted if they fell out of the trees. One of the occupants of the trees is a professional photographer, he explained he was documenting this road protest. Wayne from MD Security explained to the photographer in the tree house that it was pointless him being up the tree, as they would destroy his film and smash his camera if they had to come up the tree to get him down. This photographer explicitly made his point of being a peaceful Protester, and maintained good relations with the Gardai all day.
Mark Cleary in the meantime was walking around the woodland with representatives from Coillte. Most of the Protecters were in the Roundhouse and the Gardai entered. The Gardai, with no documentation, told everyone in the Roundhouse they had to move on. The camp members asked could they collect camp equipment. Superintendent Michael Divine of Navan Garda Station allowed the Protecters to to bring some camp equipment out of the woodlands to the road. One of the Protesters explained some of the Roundhouse and Geodesic Dome tarps were on loan to the camp, one of the Gardai said these tarps would be kept in storage for us. Mark Cleary and 7 Security started to dismantle the Roundhouse. The Gardai asked them to stop demolishing the camp until the Protecters had retrieved all of their personal items. But the Protesters were allowed only one trip back into the camp to get their belongings, they had to stay out on the side of the road. Another tree house occupier went up the trees when the Gardai arrived on site. He took his personal belongings up to the platform, higher up the branches of the tree than the treehouse. Everything on the ground was thrown over the fence by security. The Gardai were present when our personal belongings were being trashed, and they left the area then. The camp ladder was up in the treehouse, a small ladder was placed at the foot of the tree by security as they were trying to take our ladder down. They failed in doing this, the tree climber went higher still up the tree after rescuing our own ladder. Security arrived back with a longer ladder and climbed into the treehouse, dismantling it completely, throwing down all the food and water, blankets and personal belonngings were thrown down to the ground. Security went higher up to the platform, throwing down all the wood and materials for building tree houses. The Gardai arrived again, asking the Protecter to come out of the tree, saying he would not be arrested if he came down. The tree climber refused to engage in conversation, so balaclava clad security men started catapulting stones at the him. The Protecter managed to throw their ladder off the tree. Mark Cleary explained all the construction workers were leaving the site at this stage, only the security would be left in Rath Lugh, and they were annoyed at having to work so late and it was implied the tree climber would be harmed by MD Security. The tree climber was afraid for his life, so climbed out of the tree for his own safety. Mark Cleary drove him to the Hill of Tara (!). At approximately 2pm, a steel fence was being put up by SIAC outside the woodlands, blocking off the entire entrance to the woods. 3 Gardai were standing on the side of the road as a digger blocked the public highway, digging holes for this fence. A mini tipper was being used to carry all our equipment out of the camp. A cement mixer was used, concrete was poured into the foundations of the fence at the edge of the woodlands. In the ajacent field to the woodlands, a digger and 6 wheel dump truck were being used to dismantle the Roundhouse. When a further 2 of us arrived on site around 5pm, the steel fence had still not been fully erected, so we asked if we could go into the woodlands to collect the rest of our belongings. I was picking up my bedding when Mark Cleary, Marcus Hargroves and members of MD Security approached me, saying I was not allowed in the woods anymore. They encircled me, brandishing sticks and stanley knives. As i tried to leave, Mark Cleary cut my bag with his knife and pulled my blankets from me. They quickly showed some documentation, it was on Coillte headed paper but we weren't allowed to read it. One Protecter tried to get a tarpaulin off a structure, as he was rolling it up he was approached by Marcus Hargraves. Marcus mocked and jeered him now, saying the woodlands now belonged to him. He called Mark Cleary over to ask for his stanley knife so he would slash the tarpaulin. Mark cut the tarp, got 2 security to help him carry it out towards the mini tipper. Mark and Marcus claimed the woodlands had been signed over to them, we explained they were standing on a national monument. One of the Protecters informed them they were committing a criminal act by damaging personal property, they just laughed. The next day, we found out our belongings were being "stored" in a skip on the construction site in Lismullen. A lot of stuff was smashed to bits, with large boulders and muck among our camp equipment. MD security were present. They were very hostile when we tried to get our belongings back. On one on trip there they refused to let us onto site at all, telling us we had to get Safety Passes to enter the construction site. We explained Navan Gardai gave us permission to retrieve our personal belongings. The 3 skips of our belongings have now been taken off the Lismullen construction site.
"If the god's are watching us, the least we can do is be entertaining" Anon.
On thursday march the 13th 08 a protestor "Squeek" took up resedence in a tunnell that had been dug 50ft deep into the gravell esker at rath lugh co meath ireland, sources say that this tunnell had been constructed variously by pixies with teaspoons in their spare time, or alternatavely by a mish mash of passing protestors who felt so strongly that Rath Lugh should be respected and preserved that they had arrived from all over the world to help construct defences, "Squeek" went into her tunnell as a large force of guarda and workers from SIAC/FERROVIAL came to evict the bender that sheltered it which was situated on the preposed M3 roadtake, the bender was surrounded by fencing which the workmen started to dismantle, they began to attack the electric wind generator that powered the life support system for the tunnell,.Two other protestors locked on next to the tunnell entrance so they could stay in comunication with "Squeek" and so ensure her saftey and wellbeing,.. Four other protestors Locked themselves on to a concreate filled barrell in the expected path of any heavy machinery that might be brought up to the tunnell entrance, after 36 hours of headgames, during which two members of "Squeek's" family (dad and Uncle) were brought in (compleatly manipulated to hysteria with "fears" for her saftey) "Squeek" terminated her protest, she was given assurances by a representitive of the NRA (national roads authority) that no work would be carried out on the esker of Rath Lugh for a month,. on the saturday that "Squeek" left the tunnell a crew of 30 protestors arived on site, all to late to suport the Tunnell action, various people helped around the camp, putting up stronger defences.
the following thursday (20th) a mas of large machinery drove on to the esker of rath lugh, and removed about half of it between the fence line of the roadtake and the base of the esker, there were a number of arrests, and subsequent apperances before judge Brophy at Navan district court, meenwhile back at camp the pixies were working their little teaspoons into the ground, and bit by little bit carved out the beginings of a tunnell, hoping to get in under the remainder of the esker and force any further work to be stopped and hopefully brought to wide spread public attention, unfortunately a number of security guards on the night shift felt it appropriate to start throwing rocks and stones at some of the protestors whilst they slept in the bender near the fence, tensions were high, some rocks got thrown back, and a number of security guards came through a hole in the fence wearing balaclavas, and beating people with "baseball bat sized" lumps of wood, the protestors fought to defend themselves but during the ensuing panic, some security guards sneaked in, and using the distraction stole a generator bellonging to protestors and smashed it up,. a few days later calls were made to the camp by journalists, they said that they had been told that "Squeek" would be resuming her tunnell protest, that they had been told that more tunnells had been dug, contacts at the camp assured them that "Squeek" would not be resuming a tunnell protest and that they could neither confirm nor deny the existance of further tunnels at Rath lugh.
HIT THE TREES. One Last Point.
22.03.08 The Rath Lugh Direct Action Camp today angrily rejected NRA allegation of 'Given that at any one time the NRA, its private security contractors, and 'On the contrary, and as on previous occasions, such as during the infamous The NRA PR machine, an extremely well-funded and slick affair, has gone into The Campaign pointed to the contradiction between claims of a 'deal' being
Thurs 6th of March On thurs 6th of March Squeek went down the tunnel.It ran under the route of the On the 15th , with Squeek's family,Squeek,2 comrades of Squeeks and Kevin O'Rourke of the Until now,contractors SIAC/FERROVIAL were unable to do any construction work on the esker gravity of coruption Several cultural activists were arrested for trying to stop the illegal work and many others By Fri 21st, full moon, Spring equinox, Good Friday and International Human Rights Day, Sat morning the security gaureds played on the now flattened esker adding insult to injury.
20.03.08 NRA Move in Diggers as Gormley Exits Site In a move described by protesters as ‘extremely provocative’ the The NRA are denying that any agreement was made with Lisa “Squeak” Press Release 'The NRA have proved themselves to be dishonest and underhand in Minister for Environment and Local Government John Gormley had just left He was shown the maps and diagrams from the Golder Consultant's Report that Minister Gormley and his officials left the area at 9 am. At 9.30am 'It is an affront to democracy that the NRA, private security personnel and
Blog from a protester April - March 08
The courtroom in Navan has lulled audiences coughing and lowering their voices, nodding and sniffing their way through the motions. There's boredom in the room, but also the aching possibility of meaty excitement . . . real stuff. The appealing underlay of the great big unpredictable amid the order and rule of law. Official pieces of paper bustling past occasionally. Uniforms and shabby dress, all dominoed out in identical chairs, even some left standing up today. 'Do you understand me?', 'I do'. This dry heat is tiring. I'm wearing good clothes but there's mud on my sleeve. It's a nice jacket but it smells like smoke and clunky stoves. Inspector 'this', and, 'if he comes', 'sections 4 and 6', and padded vests. Polished haircuts, murky boots and rubber Nikes. Mercin the archaeologist is wearing a shirt. There's dust on my elbow, I must've fallen down. I'm always stumbling these days, but spring is bringing better pathways. A harp above the judge’s head says 'Éire' underneath, and it's not wearing a crown. Through the window I can hear someone trying to play ‘The Foggy Due’. '"Dóchas" is the name of the women's prison, girly'. Rianna is a Geordie, like me Da. She can sing a verse of Cushy Butterfield. They will both represent themselves. The judge has instructions to follow. Everyone is busy writing, or smiling, or worrying, or muttering. The lawyer in front of me is wearing a nice blouse. Some design warehouse, Asian runoff, intricately expensive floral pattern in deep red, grey, black and white - clean as a whistle. 'Bail conditions are rudimentary', ' I have no instructions in relation to that judge', 'Can you put that back so I can have copies of all of the charge sheets, judge', ' I'll give it to you, I'll give it to you into Section 6'. Rianna was cautioned as a young girl on her first offence. Mercin has had his case adjourned until next week as the judge says he’ll need an interpreter. He respectfully declines the offer and submits that his English is more than adequate, he does not need an interpreter, the judge says he does. We need electricity. We have some but can always use more, and we are short some bits and pieces to make some more turbines work properly. And we need more turbines. And more bits. And wind-up stuff. You should've seen it go. It was like standing beside lightning with blades. A few feet outside the shelter, and across two defensive perimeters, shredded tarpaulins flattening eardrums with swipes of thunder, flung at the gale force wind and held by tensed elongated knotworks of rattling wire, barbs and wooden posts driven cross-hatch into the front line. Inside the hut we heard a hurricane-force gust through the wind mill and a zipper noise, like a car-crash intake of breath, but ages long, then something went pop and a red light lit a puff of smoke above a small white metal box. A vital component, but that's alright, it's repairable, and besides there's full charge now, on every battery. I think the propeller might have had too many blades for the conditions, but someone mentioned that it was a new kind that could handle the stronger winds. It had done solid work for now and could be seen to later, let it all scream and shout. One had been arrested, illegally, by an officer of An Garda Shiochána without full uniform, identification, procedure or vehicle - taken away in a private company car. He also admitted that it was illegal but said no more. I was stuck on the hill at that time, my batteries had emptied, everything seemed low, I was up, physically at least, but the weather had me backed in a corner with its stubborn theatrics. So I washed up with soap by the stove and warmed my hands as I did so, nothing's useless. I'd been out again at sunrise, beyond lying in bed awake, but I'd scuttled back inside as quick as the freezing easterly and its sharp rain. I'd retied some misbehaving knots and storm lashed some other stuff, but it was too expending to construct anything and there was no sign of actions. I'd no communications today, but I was in the dead centre of the camp and should be easily found. I departed for the camp at Rath Lugh 45 minutes before mid-day, as soon as I got word; they'd had an entirely different morning. Many telephones were having trouble today for some reason. Four heavy-duty machines had arrived earlier and, having been warned of their illegal activity, were slowed and held at bay for over two hours before the illegal arrest of a young female protector. Upon my late arrival, two machines were continuing the advance, and I accompanied a friend through the outermost perimeter of the defensive structure, erected to ensure the stability of the esker on the National Monument. Then through the second entrance as bolted reinforcements were secured behind us. Atop a hill, with the summit of Tara in View, and above what looked like a 70km wound opening itself along the valley, the weather turned deafeningly severe. On one side of the central hut, drill bits of sporadic raindrops would hit skin at a pace that made it physically difficult to look into the wind. It had been paradise of late, with spring and grass and lots of work done in all the camps. Two eagles are nesting on the hill and seem to like our company, paying us regular visits. Now, however, we were returned to muck and strain, exhaling and confronting. The hut provided some shelter from the wind on the opposite side, but the rain there found gravity and momentum beating straight down. I was soaked in seconds. We took turns and swapped sides. Always a peaceful protest we stood clutching cameras for evidence in defiance of the arsenal of machinery against us. A bulldozer, a digger and four off-road trucks were chomping at the bit to demolish, but they were swarmed with upstanding people willing to voice non compliance and protect our heritage, culture and national values. We have a right to be here. Ferrovial and Siac construction choose to break the law more and more every day, behind a wall of security companies and heartbreaking political and police force collusion. Security staff do not like having their pictures taken and behave in a less threatening manner in front of the camera. Evidence is vital, and they know it. Again the police arrived. After more than four hours in total this morning they finally halted the advance of the machines and agreed to listen for a minute. They then returned to their station to photocopy the preservation order concerning this monument, as neither they, the security nor any paid employee on site had one, or the clarity it provides. The police are not on our side. They should only ever be on the side of the law, and this is all we ask of them, furthermore we appreciate each and every step they take towards doing their jobs properly and respecting the Garda Oath. In the afternoon a convoy of workers and security returned. Tireless work had not ceased and efforts to strengthen both defences and resolve had doubled. Wrapped up well against the weather, people were nipping back and forth with saws and hammers, flasks of tea and words of wisdom barely audible in the storm. We were on edge but worked well together and kept a good spirit between us. The security dismounted and approached the perimeter with measuring devices, GPS equipment and an army of silent hob-nailed expressions. They were approached and again reminded of the law by educated and informed people, paperwork and peaceful integrity. I followed them around as they moved from point to point and reminded them of a day when work was coupled with pride. Asked them if they were proud of what they were doing. Asked them if they bore any human feeling towards those on whose behalf they were prepared to break so many laws, and perpetuate such open demolition of values. Asked if such loyalty would be repaid them when the mortgage payments fail. Asked if they remembered a story or a song from when they were grandkids, if they had ever heard of children or grandmothers, or the inherited social structures we all learned we could fall back upon in any day of darkness. I followed them like Cú around Chulainns home tangled in the great big ‘why’, but it was their machines that came to bark and us to plea, and devoid of magic this story made no sense, too much text and somehow never enough paperwork. Each question was greeted with silence and none would make eye contact. The brain of a nation confused like a hound, toothless and silent. There was no Setanta. Such tales are survived only in telling, and now, at so critical a time, it seems no one has anything to say. Even the few real and physical remnants in our modern trash heap are vulnerable to the prostitution of those charged with their protection. The police returned and informed both sides that they were satisfied that the machines could not continue here today, then ordered the security and construction workers to a 500 metre distance. They fell back to 600 metres and continued working on a 30ft high lump of dirt they had recently piled onto the wooden henge at Lismullen. 45 sites of major international importance now destroyed and they throw us an hour, maybe someday we'll get some sleep. Rath Lugh is where the Direct Action camp of this campaign is located. There are those who agree and those who disagree with Non Violent Direct Action, and then there are those who do not entirely know what it means. It is not, however, a black and white issue and the term is a simple umbrella to catch a wide span of definitions. Daily duties in the camp involve collecting firewood, water from the well, taking and processing footage and photos, cooking meals, washing, scouting the valley for machinery, finding ancient artefacts in the Gabhra River, and jumping in front of diggers, steamrollers, graders and earth movers. When any member of the public is in the vicinity of an operating machine the driver is required by law to stop the engine. When workers stop their engines the company docks their pay. A worker will often not comply with the law, due to a potential loss of earnings, unless the protestor sits in front of, climbs on top of or locks onto the operating machine. Digger diving is the most frequent form of action, and we need as many digger divers as we can get. Those uncomfortable with such direct activity can support it in many ways. People holding cameras and legal observers are essential as evidence of wrongdoing must be recorded and often security staff will employ unlawful physical tactics, up to and including intimidation and serious assault, if witnesses and recording equipment are not present. The physical presence of ordinary people in direct blockade and/or vocal opposition to illegal activity, from without or from within this nations borders, is protected by national, European and International laws and conventions too numerous to mention. We also need the support of those willing to engage in less direct protest. Roadside picket wielders, marching bands, cups of tea, giant chickens to cross the road, lots of little Bob the Builders to fix it all, voices and horn beeps, bring everything you think we should have. Any person can go to a working site and ask them to cease this desecration of our cultural heritage, it is not against the law to do so, it is called freedom of speech. The camp located approximately 300 metres north of the summit of Tara is focused on information and discussion of the issues. Though most support Non Violent Direct Action here there is a primary drive to welcome and interact with the thousands of visitors who flock to this unique landscape every year. A community and family atmosphere is maintained with a drug and alcohol free space and facilities for those who wish to camp, be their stay long or short, and also for those who are just passing through - all are welcome. It is a good place to begin for those who are unsure as to how their skills or expertise can be of value, as we aim to offer space for the investigation of a diversity of solutions to a myriad of problems, with a focus on one central objective: Halting work on the M3 motorway. The Vigil fire, which has been burning for two years now, is tended here and work has begun on a small simple playground and a dance floor/stage for St. Patrick's Day 2008. Every camp comes equipped with communal living, sleeping and eating space, as comfortable as we can make it from day to day. We do not need everyone to spend a prolonged stay; it is the constant flow of your support which will halt these machines. Modern Ireland comes equipped with timetables, responsibilities and work loads - we understand this. All we ask is that you come once, come camping in the spring, have a good time and decide for yourself from the place itself. Please do this before they raise the volume, turn on the floodlights and take away the stars. We'll do our best to inform you of the rest and help you decide on a course of action, be it picket wielding or digger diving, the campaign becomes a whole new beast every single day. For those who can afford a longer stay, we need the willing makers and doers to give what they can of their time and expertise, sometimes this means long hours and hard work for no pay and a heart that gets rebroken with every passing sight of the level of destruction currently underway, but the solution won't wait for you, heaven or hell; it's our choice. We have a good relationship with the local community and try to focus on ecology as best we can. Almost all our structures are built low-impact and free standing, so as to respect the setting. We care more for this valley than those entrusted, and paid so increasingly higher and higher, to do no more than perpetuate neglect and abandon as readily as excrement. Human remains have actually, not metaphorically but actually, been thrown on rubble heaps. Hundreds of buried bodies have been removed from the ground, bagged and tagged and put in storage behind another bank of paperwork. Once upon a time progress and development were linked by challenge, now it seems old ideas are automatically wiped out by the bigger, stronger or faster in a system which demands restriction, secrecy and ownership of conscience, disregarding absolutely the mass production of waste as an unimportant side effect to a cure called greed. It would be nice to believe that the elected amongst us have our best interests at heart and are not just out to amass personal and family fortunes, but this does not seem to be the case. Development, challenge and true evolution of progressive thought are abandoned. Profit and intellectual property are esteemed, and none of it makes any sense. Currencies are as common as gods, and neither can buy back so much as a heartbeat in time.
This is our Valley of the Kings, come see it, they're trying to take it from you. All our camps need supplies and financial support. We need ink and paper, computer equipment and accessories, candles and rechargeable batteries, inverters, regulators and potatoes, all manner of materials, banners, paints, workshops, bicycles, pens, money, tea, coffee, honey, tobacco, oats, tarpaulin, rhubarb tart, eyes and ears, spare legs, transport, firewood, fuel, muscle. Whatever good things you can bring, anything you think we should have or cannot do without, you are the expert, you've just been promoted, come and tell us how you think we should do it. Even if all you can bring is a smile, it will help someone. Some people also really need a break, we need relief. Those who do come need support from those who can't. All of us need everyone to find out more and talk about this issue. The government and the media are giving it a deathly silence, you need to begin your own communication link, and none in an ideal situation to do so have been bothered about investigating the scale of the atrocity being committed here. This most unique of cultural endeavours is massive, almost too daunting to touch, but those who are paid the most to see the value in this story are not doing so, you are being actively uninformed. And you know it. Solve that problem. Find out. We can help, but none of us have the time to take you by the hand. Begin at tarapixie.net, see Direct Action on video. Signposts to Tara are not difficult to find, look at a map, check your glove box you might already have one. They are building Europe’s largest spaghetti junction between Dunshaughlin and Navan, 52 acres, at least one hundred floodlights, ten flyovers, 70 km of motorway with 120 km of slip roads which should not be allowed, this route knocks out the possibility of rail for the area. There are high-powered pylons to come by Trim from the west, and half-a-dozen sewerage treatment plants, the first goes in at Newgrange shortly. This road is a baby step in the urbanisation of Tara and the Gabhra Valley, and is most unnecessary, how ever high the resulting house prices. And all just because the right people own the right land and the right pockets get the lining. We need you and the people around you. Official Red C poll results from last month put 62 percent of the Irish population in opposition to this madness. Do something, no one else will, certainly not anyone elected or paid to. Please do not be silent; you can start by whispering, even to your self. Mercin, who speaks perfect, fluent English, interpreted a two year suspended sentence. Mercin is an archaeologist who jumped at the opportunity to come to Ireland and work on the Tara/Skryne site, but was so outraged at the methods employed by the NRA to such important and unique finds, that he decided to switch sides and lock himself onto a machine, thus slowing down the destruction. Mercin is no hippie, but rather an intelligent and university qualified scholar and expert in his field. We as a whole are a diverse group of responsible people, from highly educated populations, who are being actively condemned and brushed aside for asking questions of our highly questionable political leaders. Seamus Heaney is speaking out internationally. The labels that turn us into a passing joke make a mockery of our collective origins and the possibilities for the intellectual advancement of our educated nation. The young female protector who was illegally arrested, for nothing in particular, except being there, and on a day where we were the ones deemed to be upholding the law, received a fine for her trouble in doing the right thing. To me it is this attitude which makes our policing and court system a whimsical thing, and how much money does that cost you? Many people from many different nationalities see the importance of what is happening here. This issue is bigger than a pub joke, wake up; it is no more than foolish ignorance to laugh it off for pathetic momentary giggles. The castles of old had their place for Jesters, this is your future too, and in what light will we be viewed then? I've just folded backwards exhaling radiated heat; I couldn't take any more, so I cut loose and ran away. I'm writing longhand on my right knee and trying to figure out the combinations on three different remote controls to make the six o' clock news appear in front of me. There's no one home, and I didn't tell them I was on the way. The book open by my mothers chair is by Kyrie Murray, the bard of Tara, and it's open at the poem 'Traitors'. I heard the word Tara twice today on the public Dart through Dublin, as it rattled out its tangle of silly background conversations. The kids are talking at least, someone knows. I wonder how they deal with those questions. I've trouble enough sifting through which ones to bother asking. There's a young hero down a mine with a jack around her neck. International Women's Day 2008 saw tarapixie.net reveal a tunnel system protest under the M3 construction works. 'Rath Lugh Down Under' on tarapixie.net (the first link on the first page that loads), shows it better than words could possibly explain, approximately 40 minutes long and riveting. Watch it. The approach is to destroy as much as possible as quickly as possible before public opinion catches on, fines they can pay, they have budgeted for them. Hurry up, wake up, catch on, this is far more serious than fleeting interest rates or fashionable slang. The people to whom you pay good money to care about these things for you simply do not care. Will you come and find out? Why wait? There's nothing on the telly. Related Link: http://tarapixie.net
Thursday 13th March 2008 Yesterday morning at 7am the whistle was blown, and eviction time was here for the occupants of Rath Lugh frontline. Running dazed from the woods I saw 27 SIAC FERROVIAL and WILL'S BROS jeeps and vehicles parked in the corral in front of the esker. Protesters were attaching themselves to Lock Ons and luminous jackets were swarming like a sick cancerous plague all over our sacred hill's front face. An hitachi mini digger was right up on the gravel esker and it looked for all the world like it was intent on damaging as much of the esker as it could. Luckily one of the Protesters was dancing artfully around its steel jaws and stopped its rampage mid track. A flare was launched and as it rocketed skywards the call went out to the warriors of Eireann, Tara, and the world to come and make their stand at our frontline fortress. At the frontline the swarm of luminous yellow poison was surging to engulf our positions, two van loads of Gardai were on hand to keep the peace as SIAC Ferrovial coninued to ride rough shod over the EU laws that should have protected Rath Lugh. Many of the Gardai were not displaying their ID numbers on their shoulders. When we asked their name, number and what station they were from, they refused to answer us. Many of these Gardai were from the Traffic Corps. A local councellor Philip Cantwell arrived, and tried in vain to explain that no one should be working on Rath Lugh. He told the Gardai and workers that they had no proper authority to begin work on what we belive to be a protected National Monument. Philip demanded their Method Statement and explained that there was no one on site qualified to begin evicting the Tunnel System that had been constructed there by various Protestera over previous months. But it was all in vain, the first arrest of the day was made on a veteran Tara Protestor for "tresspassing" because she dared ask for the protection of the Garda Ombudsman. Directed by their bosses, the unqualified workers swarmed the fence attached to hordings of corrigated iron that held back gravell around the Frontline Bender and Tunnel Mouth. They used customary brutality, assisted by the Gardai. Oblivious to the screams of Rath Lugh's Protecters they began ripping away and demolishing the inner line of hording and fencing. We told them repeatedly they were endangering the life of our friend Lisa and, that they should have qualified Tunnel Experts on hand. We informed them they should produce a Method Statement for the task of evicting such a potentialy dangerous tunnel. Eventually they gained access to the inner compound of the Tunnel site and started to cut away at the fabric of the "bender" that covered the Tunnel mouth. In panic Protestors continued to urge caution, the ground is sensitive and one of the construction worker thugs was trying to tear down a hording post that has a Wind Generator attached to it . This Wind Generator powers batteries that provides life support for Lisa (fans for air, basic lighting and comunications systems). Eventually the Gardai told the SIAC FERROVIAL thugs to stop being so reckless in their demolition of Rath Lugh's Frontline Camp and things began to take a slower pace. Fencing was being erected and the contractors were driving in thick long wooden stakes to support it, we could feel the vibrations through the esker, bang bang bang, pounding away into the unstable earth in which our friend had sealed hereself in the Tunnel. At 9.02am a call was placed to the Health & Safety Executive in Dublin, their answer was that they only dealt with workplace related Health & Safety issues and that they did not deal with Road Protests! Workers with shovels began digging out the two Lock Ons inside the "bender" adjacent to the Tunnel mouth. One Protestor was carried off site, still attached to his Lock On, and unceremoniously dumped outside the intended road take! Another Protestor that was Locked On at the mouth of the Tunnel eventually agreed to Unlock, in the assurance that he would act as the Liason between Lisa in the Tunnel and the outside world. Press were arriving and cameras rolling, we recived a call from an off site opponent of the Tara Skryne Valley route of the M3. She assured us that she had spoken to both the Gardai and the National Road's Authority, that they promised that no further work including the driving of fence posts would take place on the esker, as this might impact the stability of the esker. The Fire Brigade arrived and were informed that their Union Rules prohibited them from cutting free any Protesters engaged in Lock Ons or Tunnel Systems, as these are methods of Non Violent Direct Action freely undertaken by the Protester. None of the Protesters were in danger other than that caused by the tampering of unqualified personel, and that any of the Protesters were capable of removing themselves at any time. The Fire Brigade assessed the situation and decided that unless there was an accident, or request for rescue they would not get involved. They did however ask to provide a new tent to replace the one so reclessly removed by the SIAC FERROVIAL thugs, and also to put in place an auxillary air supply fan system in case of the failure of the existing one. Once the Fire Brigade Service had left, the contractors began once more to drive in heavy wooden fencing stakes, and tensions got quite high as the Gardai supported the workers in their continuing and repeated impact on the esker around the Tunnel mouth. Two Protesters were arrested for failing to leave the area, thus enabling Lisa's life to be endangered further by the completely unqualified contractors. The Gardai dragged these 2 male Protesters through the fence and down the down the esker, one was pulled head over feet. When visiting these Protesters in Navan Garda Station later that day, we requested urgent medical attention for their injuries.
From Wednesday of last week, we've been on high alert here in Rath Lugh. One of Rath Lugh's Protectors overheard the Gardai mentioning an eviction at 6am the following morning. Having stayed up all night keeping watch, we noticed a crane starting work at 5am at Baronstown. But nobody came to evict us. We continued to keep watch and it wasn't until 2pm approximately that Marcus Hargroves arrived, being driven down to the fence at Rath Lugh in a white jeep. He told us was now bringing down the excavators! Immediately the whistle was blown and everyone took our positions at the front line. 30 Rath Lugh Protectors were on site. 8 jeeps, 2 excavators and 2 diggers came from the Lismullen direction to the fence at Rath Lugh. We had reinforced the fence from our side, with stones, sticks and rope. 2 Gardai we hadn't seen before arrived on site, one of whom admitted to me on camera that he was in fact assisting with machinery past Rath Lugh! When I pointed out to him my camera was recording, he got very embarassed and started to shout at us all to get off private property. These 2 Gardai were extremely incompetent and could not handle the situation, they were completely outnumbered and blatantly refused to listen to any of us all day. We tried to explain we were defending a national monument, that the construction workers were the criminals, assaulting us and raping the sacred Tara Skryne Valley. Mark Cleary had a boltcroppers and proceeded to hack through our barricades, doing a very bad job I might add, one of Rath Lugh's Protectors was screaming out in pain as his hand was trapped in the fence. Mark Cleary proceeded as though nothing was wrong. At this stage, a long line of heavy machinery had built up, waiting to get onto Rath Lugh. The drivers got out and joined security, foremen and all of the M3 workers to watch the show. They all took photos on their camera phones. One night security man (we understand his name is John) from the Lismullen site drove over and dropped off a 3rd Garda. A young boy was also in this unmarked jeep, aged between 5 and 8 approximately. The little boy was taken out of the jeep and to join the large crowd of construction workers watching the scene. Once the fence had been taken down we stood with arms linked in front of the first piece of machinery in a long line - an excavator. The excavator slowly moved towards us and started pushing up the earth. We refused to move and he kept driving towards us until the female Garda told him to stop. The Gardai quoted many different laws to us, trying somehow to explain (most likely to themselves) why we should leave Rath Lugh. Protecters jumped on the excavator trying to make it stop. The Gardai tried to stop them, but couldn't catch up with the protecters when they ran away. Eventually though they made 2 arrests. The Protecters were handcuffed behind their backs, and made to stand with the onlooking crowd. The Gardai were threatening arrest if we didn't let the machinery onto Rath Lugh. Again and again they told us we were on private property. They refused to undestand it was our duty to defend this National Monument. The excavator proceded to the smaller spoil heap, on the bottom righthand side of the esker. This was the same spoilheap a Garda had driven over the previous week in a Garda jeep. The machine went back and forth in front of Rath Lugh. It was then we realised we had to release the news about why Rath Lugh is still one of Tara's defence forts... "Mr. Conor Newman [Archaeology Department NUI Galway] says the fort was one of the original defensive positions protecting the Hill of Tara, and would be one of the first purely military settlements built in Ireland." www.savetara.com The following day, a piece of heavy machinery passed by Rath Lugh. We had announced The Tunnel internationally on the previous day.
Rath Lugh 250208
There are fences across the proposed route each side of the Rath Lugh woods. At around 8pm this morning a member of the Rath Lugh camp heard machinery passing by the rath. 6 of us went out and saw 2 dump trucks and 2 diggers outside the fence, coming from the Baronstown direction. Each digger was 40 tonnes, and wanted to drive though at the same time! A large crowd of SIAC, Ferrovial and Wills Bros workers were present, 2 members of the Garda Siochana were also present, both in incomplete uniforms; they didn't wear hats, one of them wasn't displaying his ID number on his shoulder. We explained no machinery would be passing by Rath Lugh, that the area is preserved and it is a criminal offence to interfere with or damage a national monument. The weight and vibrations of the machinery will affect the monument on the esker, and so endanger all of Rath Lugh. The workers took absolutely no heed of anything we told them. Protesters climbed onto the machinery to peacefully blockade their path. The rest of us stood in front of the machines. The Gardai took our names and addresses. The protesters on the machinery climbed off the machines, because one construction worker tried to forcably pull a male protester off the digger. The female protester was walking towards the Rath, when she was manhandled by the Garda with no hat, car or ID number on his shoulder. The Gardai didn't give her a caution but arrested her straight away. He handcuffed her and when we questioned him, he mentioned OPERATION BEDROCK. He then attempted to drag her to Mark Cleary's jeep, as there was no squad car to be seen. We immediately objected to this illegal arrest, but the Gardai kept pulling her, even through she was visibly upset. There were no female Gardai present, we expressed our concerns about a young female being taken off site by 2 extremely unprofessional Gardai and driven off in a violent man's jeep (Mark Cleary's. Photos of this man can be seen on this site, or Indymedia.ie, his drives a white jeep and his registration plate is 07 D 60531). The Gardai finally seemed to understand our worries about this illegal arrest, and decided to walk her off the site and take her to Navan Garda Station in their squad car, which for some unknown reason was parked down the route near Baronstown. I walked with the female protester and the 2 Gardai towards Baronstown. She was handcuffed behind her back, and when the wind was blowing dust in her eyes, they wouldn't free her so she could wipe the dust out. It's worth noting that this site has had its topsoil removed and is compacted earth with lime to dry out the ground. They joked rather insensitively I should wipe her eyes instead! When I asked the Garda with no ID why he mentioned OPERATION BEDROCK, he refused to comment. Finally we arrived at their squad car, but a Paddy Wagon was there, and around 8 men in plain clothes wearing Garda Siochana wind cheater jackets. When I asked them why they weren't in full uniform they explained they were plain clothes Gardai. I again expressed my concerns about this dodgy crowd taking one of our young female protesters away, and requested I come with her, for her own health and safety. They refused immediately, one Bean Garda was extremely snappy, explaining the female protester would be safe with her. I said this was exactly what I was worried about and asked would they handcuff me so I could accompany my colleage. The same Bean Garda said I have often made my own way to Navan in the past when needed be. The Garda didn't uncuff my colleage in the back of the car, so when they braked suddenly she hurt her back and now needs medical attention. We made our way back to the front line at Rath Lugh and were about to head into the Garda Station in Navan when we got an urgent phone call from the front line. A dozer was at the left fence, coming from Baronstown direction. A smaller digger was working on a spoil heap a few feet away from the esker. We immediately blockaded the machinery peacefully to prevent them working. All of the SIAC, Ferrovial and Wills Bros were sitting in their jeeps as it was hailstoning and extremely windy. A Garda jeep approached from Lismullen, with the same 2 Gardai who arrested my colleage an hour earlier. The bald Garda without his ID number earlier now had his ID displayed, obviously he realised he made an illegal arrest earlier. We handed them the Rath Lugh Preservation Order, which they accepted. The Garda who displayed his ID number explained the dozer would be passing throught to Lismullen, but he was stopping the digger from working until the matter of the Preservation Order is clearer. We blocked the esker from being harmed as the dozer passed by s to the Lismullen site. When asked about the plain clothes Gardai, the Garda denied their existence. When I reminded hiym I spoke to the plain clothes Gardai myself, he corrected himself. He said they were on standby. On standby for what we asked, explaining our own health and safety is of paramount importance. He refused to comment further.
6 construction workers approached the front line bender, took measurements around the perimeter fence of the bender, using surveying equipment. Construction workers in jeeps attempted to drive past Rath Lugh again from Baronstown to Lismullen, but the Gardai refused them permission, until the Preservation Order matter is clearer. I am now on going to bring the female protester who got released to hospital for medical attention.
--------------- I'm sitting in the roundhouse at the camp in Rath Lugh. There are sausages in the pan and tea, sugary tea, in never emptying pots and kettles. I've been drying my socks and boots, the legs of my trousers and my damp feet by a scorching stove. This morning a branch broke by a stream to leave me up to my knees in yesterday's rain. The sun is shining again but the breeze is strong and cold outside. Hearts are warm in the piping shelter – stronger than bedrock. In amongst the dozen or more friends present as I write are stories and songs, old and new. People are passing each other's knowledge around and asking questions. 'What was found over there?', 'When does it come from?', 'Do you take milk?'. We had set out early this morning to visit the site of an ancient Wooden Henge uncovered during the road works. Our plan was to light a small fire and cook breakfast nearby, and should anyone in uniform wish to approach us demanding answers then we planned to be equipped with full bellies and genuine smiles to greet them. However, on our arrival, work, which had ceased for a period on this site, recently, had resumed with guards and kilometres, hundreds of kilometres, of expensive fencing to forbid our entry. I crouched under a Hawthorn tree and watched for an hour as friends of mine crossed the line to seek answers of their own. We returned to the camp to regroup and eat having dispersed along different routes of appeal in light of such vigorous disregard for common sense. Right now an old man is telling a story about chests of gold and St. Patrick, of drinking concoctions and magic tricks. In his own words, 'It's a long auld story.' He's claimed everyone's attention in an instant and the room has fallen silent. Spirits are high. An article is being passed around from a recent local newspaper. Someone had written in claiming the campaign to Save Tara and the Gabhra Valley from the M3 motorway was all but finished. From where I sit it's all just beginning. Though numbers are few at present (somewhere, as an optimistic estimate, between 20 and 30 people), that number is strengthening, steadily increasing, and a positive attitude reigns. At the Vigil camp I hear talk of proposed plans for when the TV cameras of TG4 arrive next week. One suggestion made previously, and a pleasant coincidence, is that the camp at Rath Lugh be designated Gaeltacht status and already people of different nationalities have begun to learn and speak basic Irish. There is a magnificent atmosphere all around, but the severity of what is happening with every passing hour is lost on no one. I have not yet been asked to cast any vote relating to plans for the M3 motorway through Tara. I harbour a belief that the vast majority of the people of Ireland have been disillusioned over the past few years by nonsense, ignorance and confusion surrounding such developments in the name of progress - the corruption clouding the Carrickmines works, the cost of such special beauty in the Glen of the Downs - but had the people on the electorate been considered I sincerely believe this time it would not be happening. Right now it is the very people who feel most powerless that we need so desperately. True progress is being made here at Tara, and you can feel it in our camps, there is a wind of change in the air, but that wind will sweep away our rights and take our ability for self-determination if we do nothing continuously. As strong as we are - and I am a very recent participant, and can only admire and respect the conviction of those that have been on site here for years - it is neither I nor the people around me who will ultimately halt this abomination of assumption on the part of our leaders. It is the people who would normally do nothing that we need most now. Maybe call this strike-three and mark where the aim is, attacking the very heart of our heritage. The M3 motorway will be no little Bóthairín. A motorway is no mark of respect; it is a functional expanse of barren wasteland serving soul-guzzling machinery. And no one asked me. That for me is the essence of the appeal I am making, and the core of my argument. There is little or no forum provided to publicly debate a diversity of solutions on this issue, at least not in the everyday real world of the common person, widespread opinion has not been sought. No one asked me, and no one asked you. I have spoken of it with others, long and short, as much as I can with out wearing out my own moral fibre or the issue at hand. Just about everyone, from all walks of life, who I communicate with directly on a daily basis, and I'm not shy nor limited in friends and acquaintances (and neither am I afraid of making new ones), almost everybody, is against this proposed motorway. Public opinion is on our side. Though it is being built, and rapidly, it has not yet been realised, the M3 motorway is NOT yet built. I don't read papers for my statistics, I base what I say on real life and real people, and I think we're all on the same side here. Forget about the incompetence of politicians, this decision can be reversed, but this time we need to do it ourselves. Our wise leaders have failed us absolutely. Our country has barely known a taste of freedom yet already we are actively complicit in the destruction of the one central, world-renowned and undiluted symbol of our unity and strength. Where are the Fianna buried? This place is special; you can almost pick strands of music from the floor. Stories, poems, music and song draw all who visit here into a desire to reconnect with our history and fading culture, the place is alive. Families are welcome in our camps, old and young, people of all different backgrounds. Sometimes it's a bit rough and ready, but we're not claiming to be angelic, we merely claim an open space. This is the womb of our culture, a magical place with so much to speak of I have to refrain from never finishing. Come and see. Should you come to visit do not feel obliged to suffer a sentence. You are welcome for a cup of tea, a session, maybe, until night, or longer if you wish. But please come NOW, before it goes further. If you cannot or do not wish to come then please encourage others around you. Talk about it, find out about it, use the Internet, or the Library, and use your initiative. Send your opinion out there. Write to a specific person, be your letter long or short, full of facts or feelings, write in ink or text, newsprint or radio waves. Do Something. Laugh at me in my romantic naivety, but do something. Send us your prayers. Bypass and ignore the politicians they have failed us absolutely, we can only now make our appeals directly to the people on the ground. And keep positive about it, you don't need to let it all get you down. Any person is capable of refusing to accept a detrimental decision with a big beaming smile, and without raising anger, voice or blood pressure. Find out and make your mind up one way or the other, but please do something. If you can come in person then please do not delay, all help is warmly received and greatly appreciated, there is little anger here despite it all. The work being done is done in haste and is highly destructive, lacking in all care or respect. This is not the workers fault, they are being manipulated and exploited by highly questionable political motives further up a chain of command, and I for one certainly do understand the stressful conditions under which they work. The powers that be would have this desecration realised as soon as possible, to leave you and I with no choice but to roll over and take it. Not only is our heritage being raped, we are being robbed of our democratic right to choose. One short, European kilometre from the summit of Tara work is underway to develop a 52-acre, floodlit intersection. Why not an interpretive centre instead? Work being done need not be wasted but it must be stopped. This place has been celebrated for thousands upon thousands of years and now we have no time to think. There ARE alternatives. Make one telephone call. Call your next-door neighbour, call your mum, call me. Come visit me. I'll sing a song for you, with you, I'll even shut up if you come and ask me to. You need not do much but please do something. Highly significant and unique finds that could rock the world's assumptions about ancient human culture and prehistoric Gaels are being denied public attention to speed the removal of your opinion. No one asked me, but I have a right, sometimes a duty, to answer anyway. There are not many sites like this on planet Earth and the international community stands opposed to its destruction. As I tap that last full stop, laughter erupts all around me. Someone told a joke. There is a magician here with a mesmerizing sleight of hand. I'm now hearing talk of an extension to some existing preservation orders on some of the sites. Things have changed since I visited last. I was here for less than a week last time, just before Christmas, and merely 2 days of my current visit have passed - yet progress has been made. We are winning. The workers don't need this hassle, and I'm positive the vast majority would rather do something else, they are just doing their jobs, but common sense is winning, and you can see it in their eyes. It is this very moment, as you read, that is critical, and we need help. We need something, anything, from those who would normally do nothing. I have so much more to tell since my recent arrival, so much I cannot begin to explain for fear of not wanting to finish, and I've other things to do, and I'm hungry, and dinner's cooked, besides I've already taken too much of your time. Come see for yourself if you can. Spirits are high, but we need all the help we can get, please . . . Our strength is our diversity. Thanks for your time. Slán You can begin here: http://www.tarapixie.net
Thursday 24th jan 08 Breakfast on the henge
We had decided to have our breakfast on the henge this morning. As I drove towards the N3 a low loader carrying a digger was driving towards Lismullen. Approx 10 protestors arrived in Lismullen, some from the road and some from Rath Lugh. Security were present during the entire time we were there. 2 protestors were assaulted within a few minutes of arriving. I tried to block the fuel coming out of the Lismullen carpark but Mark Cleary kept pushing me out of the way and the fuel tractor got away. Steve from Kildare, one of the security men assaulted another protestor, he was pulled from the fence and thrown onto the ground head first, and hurt his neck. The Gardai arrived and asked us to leave. We explained we have every right to protest peacefully on a public road. The Garda seemed surprised that we challenged him and backed down quickly after trying to intimidate us. The protestors coming from Rath Lugh managed to get on site and try to stop the digger. The Gardai entered the site and took names and addresses. The digger was being used for soil sampling. We held banners and one protestor played "The Foggy Dew" as the work was going on. Some protestors managed to get on site when the Gardai left to take footage of the work being carried out.
We decided to scout out the entire valley. In Ardsallagh we found a lot of construction work being carried out beside the River Boyne. 4 or 5 protestors stopped a digger and dozer by sitting on the machines. One digger driver refused to stop working, breaking all Health & Safety regulations, not to mention endangering the lives of the protestors. The Gardai arrived again, taking our names and addresses. When speaking to one Garda, he admitted that the proposed M3 is not suitable and a railway would be a better solution. We had to leave the site when instructed, we would have been arrested if we stayed.
The rest of the valley is as follows: In Cooksland there is a bridge practically finishsed. The construction work here is more advanced than anywhere else. Roestown: The dumpers are parked up because of the heavy rain and have not worked since before Christmas. They have to run their engines from 7am until 12 noon, they can go home then without having done any work. They are only being paid 6 hours a day, most of the drivers aren't in a union so they cannot challenge this. Trevet: known as the Red Bog is completely flooded. Only workers and their vehicles were present on site, along with the ESB laying lines. Collierstown: This morning there was an unmarked Garda car with a uniformed Garda. The Garda was talking to one of the construction workers on the public road. He had his black book and pen in hand, looking at the cement road surface which is rupped apart from the heavy machinery crossing. Meath County Council spend their entire road maintenance budget for the county for the next 7 years on the downpayment for the Public Private Partnership contract for the proposed M3. Unless locals start making complaints about the state of the existing roads and their deterioration because of the extra heavy machinery, not one pot hole is going to be filled in. 4 workers were on site on the flyorver bridge being built which is advancing quickly. Baronstown: 2 men on site working on the flyover bridge which is more advanced than the bridge at Colliersown. Soldier Hill/Blundelstown: 4 dump trucks were parked up at the entrance, not working because of the site flooded from recent heavy rain. Approx 7 diggers and a few dozers were working both along the N3 and towards Dowdstown. 3 huge blue pillars, possibly bridge supports have been erected. Dowdstown: This site has been quiet for the last few months, but the work from Soldier Hill is coming closer and closer to Dowdstown. Ardsallagh: see above. Kennastown compound: The bridge here is quite advanced but there was not much machinery working here today.
Friday 11th jan 08
Another successful day as the campaign continues, activists occupied one of the last remaining tree's on the route from 6.30am onwards on the compulsory purchase line at soldier hill, two of them hung a banner from the tree in an attempt to make it clear that the protest will be continuing for the foreseeable future, whilst others on the ground hung more banners in order to raise awareness of our continuing defiance of this corrupt and crooked route. activists were overjoyed at the overwhelming support from members of the public, and local media coverage. As the new year begins we are witnessing more activity from local and international activists all boldly defending our cultural heritage and natural resources.
monday 6th jan '08
This morning, monday 6th jan '08 at 7 am, 11 of us split up into two groups. We went to the Ardsallagh Compound (site entrance 2.10) and Roestown (site entrance 2.1 ) . All the machinery was parked at these two sites for the past two weeks over Christmas. Ardsallagh ; four of us went on site into the compund and blocked a lowloader in the gate, preventing any more machinery being brought off to other sites. They then headed across country towards the River Boyne at site no. 2.9 . While two held the gate, two followed them across the field ,stopping them before they reached the next stretch.Construction workers at the gate , trying to intimidate the protesters assaulted one man , dragging him to the ground and pulling out of the way allowing the lowloader past. In the mean time, off route down the road two of us were waiting to be picked up (help with transport needed), when we saw a digger coming towards us along the hedge line. The driver proceeded to drive up to us nearly kocking us over. when we stood our ground in front of the machine, he got out and verbally and physically asaulted us. The gaurds then arrived treatening arrest on anyone who stayed under the Miscellaneous Act2004 section 19c but were helpful and co operative when told about the assaults , taking the digger drivers name.
Roestown: As today was the first day of construction since before Christmas, we needed to blockade the machinery from entering the valley again. From the N3 we could see the machinery moving towards Trevet from the Roestown compound. We arrived there just as the first digger was approaching. There were 5 of us. We all went into the site and approached the digger. The driver complied with health and safety regulations and stopped his machine immediately. We made a blockade in front of the machine with traffic cones, poles and safety notices. Mark Cleary and his comrades entered the site, along with security. They filmed us and removed the blockade. One protestor was standing on the blockade, Mark Cleary pushed him off. A jeep coming from the Roestown direction passed us by, the digger driver had switched back on his machine. Another protestor on bail conditions stayed at the site entrance with banners on the public road, playing his tin whistle. Mark Cleary and this protestor had a cameral duel! The Gardai arrived and asked us to leave the site, quoting the Housing and Misc Act 2004, section C. We were told we would be arrested if we were seen again today on a M3 site. The Gardai followed us to the Ardsallagh compound. We held a banner protest there on the side of the road. The same Gardai were very interested in the Tara issue, and asked us questions about archaeology and Lismullen. Nobody was arrested.
NEW YEARS EVE ROUTEWALK 2007-2008
One moist afternoon in Meath a wee convoy of ten protestors and one protesting dog went to confront the terror that is being brought to the surrouding countryside.
Samhain 07
Tonight at
Tara we continue the festival of Samhain with Pipers and Harpists
as well as Poets and other entertainment but before I leave for
the road I would like to thank all of you who lit beacons for
Tara xxx and share a few thoughts from the night myself.
16th October
2007 17th October 2007
When a security guard approached, he was asked how long that they been working here today and was told that for the past few days the diggers had been working from 5am under floodlights. (However the archaeologists do not arrive on site until 7.45-8am) When asked isn't that a bit suspicious he agreed that yes it did seem a bit like that.
Conversations were had with the archaeologist Stuart Rathbone who said it was a field system however Donald Murphy refused to comment. The explanation for why they had taken so long to excavate this section of the archaeological site was because they had to wait for the badgers who had a set there to be rehoused. The Gardai were called and they arrived after about 30 minutes and just asked the warriors to leave, one of the warriors was asked for his details. At 2 pm the warriors returned along with 2 independent camera men who where making documentaries to find two diggers and two dumper trucks now working in this area, they had now encroached up to 4 meters over the line to which the digger driver from this morning had been told he could work. Two warriors jumped on one machine and one jumped on the other.
The guards took about 45-50 minutes to arrive and when they did the warrior on the machine closest to the archaeological site refused to move until an independent archaeologist was called, but she was told that this would not happen, she was threatened with arrest if she continued to stay on the machine, and in the end the Garda gave authorization to the security guards to lift her off the machine and told the warrior if this happened she would be arrested. Knowing that no more time could be taken up by this refusal to move and with the two security guards standing over her, she decided to come down of her own accord and the Garda then just told her to leave the site. During this time the other Garda tried to take the camera of the independent film maker who was filming closest to the diggers, he managed to get his camera back. This is not the first time that this same Garda has tried to take the cameras off people who are filming. The warriors waited for reinforcements to arrive and when they did they reentered the site and stopped the same two diggers again, plus a few more!! At this point no archaeologists were present on site. One of the warriors searched in the soil of the dug up earth and found some bones.
They managed to halt the work until 15 minutes before they diggers headed home for the night, and they ran off site before the Gardai could take any names, but one who is nimble and agile was chased by the security but he out ran them and somersaulted right over the CPO fence still cluching his collection of bones. 18th October 2007
...The two warrior princess still exhausted by the day before got up before long dawn and headed out to the site to see if work was starting today at 5am, when they arrived it was dark and silent and no spot lights were on, they watched and waited at a vantage point away from the CPO line from which the archaeological site could be seen.
They returned a while later with a car load who stopped the work of 5 construction vehicles, during this time an archaeologist was taking aerial photographs of the dig fro a cherry picker. After he had finished two of the warriors tried to take there own photos of the dig however they were prevented from doing this by two security guards who followed then around and stood in front of there cameras. The guards were called and when they arrived after about 40 minutes all the warriors ran from the site and waited in a field until the Gardai left.
They returned a third time, as dusk began to set in. This time no security where on site and they set about photographing all the archaeological dig holes that had not already been filled in. They stayed long after the last of the diggers rolled back down the track to the compound. Before leaving the two warrior princesses stood and looked out across the destruction, their hearts heavy, knowing that this site had now been declared a resolved archaeological site and that the diggers and dozer's would now have free reign to reap destruction, they let out a long and loud cry of Na Fianna Nua and headed back to the woods. Where a plan was already being hatched!! 19th October 2007
...For some the day before did not end it just blended into the next, for others a three o'clock wake up call rang out as the smell of fresh coffee hung in the the chilly air along with excitement and a sense of purpose. Two car loads left the woods that morning and headed up to the secret stash of tripod poles hidden the night before. They where carried across two fields and heaved over the bog and then over the fence onto the site. The ideal spot was chosen on top of the mound and close enough to the precipice left diggers previous days digging to prevent access by a cherry picker. Then the warriors moved swiftly and quietly erecting the tripod without as much as a single flash of a torch from the security!! Two of their bravest that day climbed on top. Four remained below, and the others headed back to pick up reinforcements and banners for the road side protest and they all waited...
...A kelter hung over them even as the dawn rose over the sacred valley. The six warriors watched as the orange flashing lights began to come on on the construction vehicles, and slowly like metal beasts they moved out shaking the earth under them. Three of the warriors also moved, making their way down the slope they ducked down behind an embankment and waited to make their ambush. The first vehicle passed by unaware of the six who watched and oblivious to the tripod, the Kelter was still working!!! Then the next vehicle came moving slowly, this was a bigger digger than the first and the three crept around the embankment and jumped in front stopping it in its tracks, one of the three stayed standing in its bucket. The next machine was a bull dozer and as the second of the three chased it down he was shaken off as it retreated at high speed back down the track. Then came the three huge dumper trucks and again the second of the three chased the first dumper and jumped on it, the second dumper tried to over take but the warrior jumped of the first and jumped on the second dancing a merry dance with them so eventually he sat atop one of the dumpers which was now blocking the others in, and mirthful laughter could be heard from the three on the hill on and around the tripod. The construction workers came out of their vehicles to stare in wonder (and awe!) at handy work of the tripod and a few fetched cameras to photograph as it was such a site to behold perched atop the mound and silhouetted against a brightening morning sky. Then came the familiar site of the blue security van and out got the mustachioed one and his sidekick. They raised their cameras and their eyebrows as they gave the usual confabulation, “...you are trespassing, you are improperly dressed to be on a construction site and you haven't been inducted, we are instructing you to leave the site.” “They can't” Said she,who was keeping vigil with a camera by one of the three legs. “They are D-locked by their necks to the tripod and they haven't got the keys.” The Gardai where called and they arrived at 09:30 looking a tad bemused! The warriors on the diggers left the site at this point By this point the two brave warriors in the tripod had been awake for well over 40 hours. The female Garda asked them “Can you come down or you will be arrested, I think you have proved your point.” They replied“No we can't because we haven't got the keys...” The Garda then asked “Who has them?” And shoulders were shrugged. She then proceeded to search the warrior on the ground and when no key was found the warrior was asked to leave the site. The Gardai told the two in the tripod that the chain saw man was going to come and cut them down but soon realized that this would endanger their lives too much. The Gardai managed to get a key to get one of them down and then arrested him this was at 9:55, they then said to the other in the tree that if he came down of his own accord they would let them both go, and having been true to their word before in similar situations he decided that he would do this. However they lied and refused to de-arrest the other and took him off to the station. He was given bail conditions and will appear in Navan court with the 12 others on the 24th October . The other five warriors sat and watched the destruction of the tripod. The bulldozers then moved on to fill in the archaeological dig holes on the site, and by the end of the day the whole site was destroyed. (*During
the action the security managed to steal a mobile phone and have
made
Kathy Sinnott, MEP for Munster , Ireland Dear Friends,
SOS Tara! Dear Friends, I am writing this in earnest and hoping to be able to touch your hearts and gain your support with this message. The valley beside the Hill of Tara is and the surrounding archaeological landscape is is in immediate danger of being destroyed forever. This whole area is a complex megalithic landscape with raths, forts, cairns, tombs, standing stones, and springs, containing a rich wealth of history, myth and magic. It is the largest and most significant ancient archaeological treasure in the Celtic world. Despite objections from the EU, and general outcry from many prominent politicians, academics, celebrities and the people of Ireland – a motorway is being cut directly thru it right NOW. I spent a few days at Tara very recently. Diggers are systematically clearing the tract thru the mounds and thru the recently discovered woodhenge. I have seen this for myself - it's absolutely heartbreaking. And I spent time with the protesters, ordinary people who simply want to preserve our shared cultural heritage. Their commitment to Tara is humbling. But their numbers and resources are scarce. And they will not be able to stop the desecration without help. Each and every one of us has something unique to offer to Tara – even the smallest amount of time, energy or action is a huge contribution. And the more people who lend something of their time, energy or skills to this cause – the more the tide will turn in Tara's favour. A happy solution for everyone is possible – the M3 can be easily rerouted to avoid the sacred valley. And road plans show many possible alternative routes. What you can do: SPREAD THE WORD. Pass this email to everyone you know. Or send your own message. At Tara: Visit the
vigil camp in Tara – for an hour, a day, a week, whatever
you can. I strongly urge you to do this – you will see and
understand the enormity of this situation for yourselves. Be an observer. Bring a camcorder and simply watch and record what is happening. Winter is fast coming – protestors need bedding, blankets, thermals, raingear, food, tarpaulins, firewood, tents, anything that will make their vigil easier. They are burning out and the elements will get the better of them soon. You can help at the camp by cooking a big meal, collecting firewood, helping to build better shelters, greeting new visitors, sing songs round the fire etc etc etc. No job is too small. They need people to keep visiting – not only for supplies and to lend a practical hand - but also to help morale and offer support. At home: Voice your
objections to your local TDs, companies involved etc. The more
people that make this phonecall, email, or letter, the bigger
the impact and the more likely the powers that be will have to
bend to the will of the people. All kinds of skills have a place in this campaign – writers, carpenters, musicians, legal reps, administrators, nurses, website updaters, photographers, poets, event organisers, tree surgeons, healers etc etc etc. Each one of you has something unique to give…… Fundraise / donate money…. Or get your wealthy friends to donate money, or your influential friends to influence….. Buy the Tara CD (contributions by various well known musicians): www.myspace.com/taracompilationcd Organise an event at Tara; e.g. children's art workshop, group walk, re-enact Irish myths etc etc Remember Tara in your prayers and healing groups. The situation is CRITICAL. Time is running out. Please help to save Tara.
Websites and numbers: www.tarasolidarityvigil.net www.tarapixie.net http://www.indymedia.ie/article/84352 http://www.beyondpluto.net/TARA/Tara_photos/index.html Tara vigil
lines: 086 1758557 / 086 1537146
Friday 5th
October 2007
*********************************************
October 2nd
2007 MOTORWAY THREATENS ANCIENT SITE OF TARA The henge
was declared a national monument in April and the EU have told
the Irish Government to stop work as it is illegal. Work has been
focused either side of the wooden henge clearly showing the intentions
of the road builders to illegally tarmac over the top of this
National Monument. Archaeologists are under huge time pressures
to finish gathering data which they are obliged not to release
the results of until 2010. Diggers have been hard at work. Unfortunately,
their progress is being slowed by the daily actions of pesky protestors,
such as jumping on top of diggers and lying on roads in front
of trucks delivering hardcore for the road. Security respond by
filming protestors in order to hand over “evidence“
to police, as well as the usual thuggish racist, sexist comments.
There had been a total of 13 arrests from the beginning of protests
to the time we left. A curious incident occurred one evening when
a protestor’s car tyres were slashed. The car was parked
next to 24hr security headquarters but amazingly security didn’t
see a thing! Leafleting campaigns, banners and demonstrations
have been informing local people of the matter as regional press
seem disinterested in covering the issue.
Tuesday October 2nd 2007 This is the
recently adopted UN Declaration of Indigenous Rights. URL below
and also attached. Of particular relevance to Tara is Article
11, Paragraph 1. http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/LTD/N07/498/30/PDF/N0749830.pdf?OpenElement
Monday September 24th 2007 On Monday September
24th, thirty brave cultural conservationists donned face paints
and headed off on a route walk from the Rath Lugh direct action
camp. Film director and actor Stuart Townsend, fresh from the
highly successful aerial photograph on the hill attended by an
estimated 3,000 people on Sunday, arrived with four massive bags
of shopping for Tara’s soldiers before everyone set off.
Stuart’s continuing support is massively appreciated! 20/09/07
“PART
IIA ‘Commissioner’ means the Commissioner of the Garda Síochána; ‘consent duly given’ means consent given by— (a) in the case of lands referred to in subsection (2)(a), the relevant statutory body, (b) in the case of lands referred to in subsection (2)(b), the relevant trustees, and (c) in any other case, the owner concerned; ‘health board’ means (a) a health board established under the Health Act, 1970 , (b) the Eastern Regional Health Authority, or (c) an Area Health Board established under the Health (Eastern Regional Health Authority) Act, 1999 ; ‘local authority’ means a county council, a city council or a town council for the purposes of the Local Government Act, 2001 ; ‘object’ includes any temporary dwelling (within the meaning of section 69 of the Roads Act, 1993 ) and an animal of any kind or description; ‘owner’ means— (a) in relation to land, the person lawfully entitled— (i) to possession, and (ii) to the immediate use and enjoyment, of the land as the owner, lessee, ten-and or otherwise, or any person acting on behalf of that person; (b) in relation to land referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) of subsection (2), the relevant statutory body or trustees, as the case may be; ‘statutory body’ means— (a) a Minister of the Government, (b) the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland, (c) a local authority, (d) a harbour authority within the meaning of the Harbours Act, 1946 , or a company established pursuant to section 7 of the Harbours Act, 1996 , (e) a health board, (f) a vocational education committee within the meaning of the Vocational Education Acts, 1930 to 1999, (g) any other body established— (i) by or under any enactment (other than the Companies Acts, 1963 to 2001), or (ii) under the Companies Acts, 1963 to 2001, in pursuance of powers conferred by or under another enactment, and financed wholly or partly by means of moneys provided, or loans made or guaranteed, by a Minister of the Government or the issue of shares held by or on behalf of a Minister of the Government, and subsidiary of any such body. (2) In this part a reference to land includes— (a) land provided or maintained by a statutory body primarily for the amenity or recreation of the public or any class of persons (including any park, open space, car park, playing field or other space provided for recreational, community or conservation purposes) or is land within the curtilage of any public building, (b) land held by trustees for the benefit of the public or any class of the public, and (c) land
covered by water. (2) This
Part is without prejudice to any other enactment (including any
other provision of this Act) or any rule of law. (a) enter and occupy any land, or (b) bring onto or place on any land any object, where such entry or occupation or the bringing onto or placing on the land of such object is likely to— (i) substantially damage the land, (ii) substantially and prejudicially affect any amenity in respect of the land, (iii) prevent persons entitled to use the land or any amenity in respect of the land from making reasonable use of the land or amenity, (iv) otherwise render the land or any amenity in respect of the land, or the lawful use of the land or any amenity in respect of the land, unsanitary or unsafe, (v) substantially interfere with the land, any amenity in respect of the land, the lawful use of the land or any amenity in respect of the land. (2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence. (3) Where a member of the Garda Síochána has reason to believe that a person is committing or has committed an offence under subsection (1) the member— (a) may demand of the person his or her name and address, (b) may direct the person to leave the land concerned and to remove from the land any object that belongs to the person or that is under his or her control, and (c) shall
inform the person of the nature of the offence in respect of which
it is suspected that person has been involved and the statutory
consequences of failing to comply with a demand or direction under
this subsection. (a) refuses or fails to give his or her name and address to a member of the Garda Síochána when demanded under section 19C, or gives to the member a name or address that is false or misleading, or (b) fails to comply with a direction under that section, he or she
shall be guilty of an offence. (a) who fails or refuses to give his or her name and address when demanded under section 19C(3)(a) or gives a name or address which the member has reasonable grounds for believing is false or misleading, (b) who fails to comply with a direction given under section 19C(3)(b), or (c) whom
the member finds committing an offence under section 19C(1). (2) Any person who obstructs or impedes or assists a person to obstruct or impede a member of the Garda Síochana in the execution of his or her duty under this section shall be guilty of an offence. (3) Where an object has been removed under this section without the presence or knowledge of any person claiming to own, occupy, control or otherwise retain it, the Commissioner shall serve or cause to be served upon each such person whose name and address can be ascertained by reasonable enquiry, a notice informing the person where the object may be claimed and recovered, requiring the person to claim and recover it within one month of the date of service of the notice and informing him or her of the statutory consequences of his or her failure to do so. (4) An object removed and stored under this section shall be given to a person claiming possession of the object if, but only if, he or she makes a declaration in writing that he or she is the owner of the object or is authorised by its owner to claim it or is, for a specified reason, otherwise entitled to possession of it and, at the discretion of the Commissioner, the person pays the amount of any expenditure reasonably incurred in removing and storing the object. (5) The Commissioner may dispose of, or cause to be disposed of, an object removed and stored under this section if— (a) the owner of the object fails to claim it and remove it from the place where it is stored within one month of the date on which a notice under subsection (3) was served on him or her, or (b) the name and address of the owner of the object cannot be ascertained by reasonable enquiry. (6) Where
the Commissioner becomes entitled to dispose of or cause to be
disposed of an object under subsection (5) and the object is,
in his or her opinion, capable of being sold, the Commissioner
shall be entitled to sell or cause to be sold the object for the
best price reasonably obtainable and upon doing so shall pay or
cause to be paid to the person who was the owner of the object
at the time of its removal, where the name and address of the
owner can be ascertained by reasonable enquiry, a sum equal to
the proceeds of such sale after deducting therefrom any expenditure
reasonably incurred in its removal, storage and sale. (2) In any
proceedings for an offence under this Part it shall be presumed
until the contrary is shown that consent under this Part was not
given. (2) Where
in summary proceedings in relation to an offence under this Part
a question of title to land is brought into issue, the decision
of a justice of the District Court in the proceedings or on the
question shall not operate as an estoppel in, or a bar to, proceedings
in any court in relation to the land.”.
Tara Pixie
Blog
The camp
phone got an anonymous phone call to say bones were being taken
out of the site at Rath Lugh. We decided to go to Soldier’s
Hill instead, we thought it was a set up which was later confirmed
by the construction workers, 15 security guards were waiting for
us at Rath Lugh. Only 2 security were present at Soldier’s
Hill, the machinery was working right beside the main road so
all the public could see what was going on. We had no problem
entering the site; the first machine approached was a bulldozer.
Faced with one protester in front and one clearly behind with
a video camera, the driver chose to persevere with work with severe
risk to the safety of both protesters involved. This was a severe
breach of all health and safety regulations in place for any country
within the EU. The security, who only have the rights to physical
contact in the case of an emergency (for the person’s own
protection) then assaulted a female protester, carrying her by
the stomach, off to the side of the site, this was caught on film.
The digital camera of one of the protesters was then stolen by
the security, who proceeded to attempt to escape by car with the
camera, forgetting, however to stop or delete the recording, filming
their own faces and crimes in the process, later to return the
device. A female protester stood by the water pump to stop them
draining by the ditch, another protester climbed onto the bulldozer.
A lorry load of gravel and hardcore tried to enter the site, but
was blocked by a protester. The Gardai arrived, took some of our
names and instructed us to leave the site.
The camp
phone got an anonymous tip-off to say lorry loads of gravel was
on the way to the Lismullen to Baronstown site. 2 diggers were
at the north side of the woodhenge, digging out the land, rerouting
the Gabhra River and building a temporary road over it. This was
confirmed by Donald Murphy of Archaeological Consultancy Services.
The archaeologists were working away on the Henge in the background,
dismantling it. Local men, women and children were looking at
the destruction work. The teenagers explained they had been scared
away from the woods, that security at shouted at them to stay
out of Rath Lugh woods. Later in the day, the security intimidated
the same local teenagers, telling them if they come down this
cul de sac to have a look, (a public road) they would be treated
like protesters. Around 20 protesters arrived, 3 went on site
and stopped the diggers working by standing in front of them,
or climbing on top of the machine. One of the digger drivers was
wearing a mask. Lorry loads of gravel came down the cul de sac,
but 4 protesters lay down in front of and behind the lorries preventing
them entering the site. The Gardai arrived and asked the protesters
to stop blockading, or they would be arrested. 2 lorries entered
the site, and dumped in gravel and hardcore. More lorries came
down the cul de sac but we couldn’t blockade because the
Gardai were still present. The Gardai eventually left, 2 protesters
went back on site and climbed onto the machinery, stopping the
work immediately. The security offered one of the protesters E20
to get off the machine. The Gardai came back and arrested one
of the protesters for trespass; he was led off in handcuffs. He
was later released with no bail conditions except to appear in
court. A jeep drove very slowly down the cul de sac, a lowloader
reversed into the cul de sac immediately after the jeep leaving
very little space between the 2 vehicles. The lowloader was carrying
huge concrete pipes, a female protester blockaded the road, with
2 security standing between her and the jeep. The jeep had stopped
driving. The 2 male security attempted to move her, so she sat
down. During this time the driver of the lowloader failed to stop
and reversed into the jeep three times. There wasn’t anybody
directing the lorry at the time. The Gardai arrived and took the
protester’s details, explaining she would be summoned to
court. The female protester returned to her car to find the tyres
slashed. The Gardai were called to report this criminal damage.
05/09/07 The Celtic Tigger strikes again? 05/09/07 Protesters put their lives “on the line” At the Significant World Heritage site of Rath Lough, in an effort to halt the work on the M3 motorway, which under EU law has been deemed illegal. A group of peace-full protesters have built a construction of their own. By 6 am this morning both workers and security where confronted by a tripod structure made of wood, with a 100 foot line supporting a 40 foot tree house in which a protester dressed as Tigger now sits. If the tripod or the line that runs to the tree house is removed the platform where the protester sits will fall. We are seeking media
coverage to draw attention to this illegal motorway development
on this World Heritage Site. 27/08/07 We got a
call from Rath Lugh about 9am saying there was machinery moving
in towards the rath. It was a good wake up call because we thought
Rath Lugh was directly under threat, we all bundled into cars
immediately. We went down as a group and naturally split up, some
went onto the rath, whoever was remaining there was used
31/08/07 A little poetry inspired by time in the tree at Rath Lugh. Oh Tara, Sacred Land. On this land of the ancient kings, Morning Raaa! With love and blessings to Tara Valley, Larissa.
01/08/07 [
Watch
Video ] |
as
a diversion. Some more appeared at the glacial cove, more security
arrived to try and stop protesters entering, but they didn’t
succeed. I went down to the CPO fence at the actual cove itself
to get a few shots of what was happening initially. As the security
approached I dived back into the woods and followed parallel with
the fence onto farmer’s land, staying on the left side of
the CPO fence. When I got onto the farmer’s land, the protesters
had occupied the tractor and trailer, which I informed them is
a futile situation. Meanwhile a few more protesters had occupied
the JCBs, one big dozer, one mediocre dozer, and a few more were
surrounded by the security in the usual manner. Those sitting
on the ground managed to duck and dive under the legs of the security
and broke free, then occupied one of the vehicles. 3 vehicles
were stopped, but refused to shut off their engines, which is
in breach of Health & Safety. A few more security arrived
to deal with the situation of all the people onsite. At one stage,
a JCB was held by 3 people, one on the jib, one on the cab, one
the ground at the blade. The blade protester was surrounded by
security and moved forward, Mark Cleary gave the go ahead to move
the bucket upwards, there was someone still on the jib at this
stage, and on the cab. This is in complete disregard of health
and safety, violation of a person’s life, and obviously
in breach of the worker’s contract, being asked to commit
a felony. Meanwhile on the other dozer, a young activist was crouching
in the blade of the other dozer, surrounded by 4-5 security personnel,
they had their backs to the camera, they leaned in towards her,
she asked them to move, they were kneeling on top of her. Mark
Cleary then realised he was being filmed, he didn’t recognise
me, did the usual introduction, he cleared the CPO fence with
another worker while already 2 security had come over the CPO
fence and made their way towards me. I promptly told them they
had crossed the CPO fence and they were out of their jurisdiction,
I asked them if it was their first day on the job. One of them
was about to answer me, Cleary started heckling me, saying they
had me on profile. I told him I was a legal observer for the courts,
so he asked me to produce my ID. He accused me of being here last
week, and getting a warning from him about not to film him, I
corrected him “I’ve not been in the county the last
2 weeks. If you want to see my ID, what about your profile of
me, it must be fairly fragmented”. The Gardai arrived on
site in a security land rover. As the Landover approached the
JCBs, the machinery shut down. As soon as the machinery shut down,
I called over to everyone “as the machinery has been officially
shut down, the Gardai must be here, if you want to avoid arrest,
leave the site now”. Obviously the Gardai had hopped out
while protesters were leaving the machinery. From the distance
I was at, the Gardai seemed to be quite reasonable, taking everyone’s
names and addresses. After ten minutes of that, the Gardai pointed
towards Rath Lugh, for the protesters to leave. I stayed around
for another five minutes, the machinery started up again, I eventually
retreated into the rath, torn between protesting again and leaving
the camera rolling. The whole action took about three hours. 
A
concerned active citizen, Danny, climbed onto the jib of a digger
at approx 6.30am this morning on the M3 construction site off
the N3, just opposite Soldier's Hill at Garlow Cross, Dublin Road
going into Navan. He had an Irish tricolour flag with him, covered
his face with a T-shirt, and he wore his own hard hat, high visibility
jacket and site boots. At the same time approx 8 supporters gathered
around the entrance of the site, bearing banners and placards.
A lot of the rush hour traffic beeped support as they drove down
the N3. Then, Sword security arrived, along with Wills Bros and
SlAC Ferrovial workers as per their usual working day. Security
surrounded the digger, along with construction workers. The Gardaí
arrived, and spoke to the protester, taking his personal details.
2 dump trucks parked in front of the digger, and tilted their
earth mover, so the digger was not visible to us, or the general
public. We expressed our concern about Danny's welfare to the
Garda, and he said he didn't personally want to be present, he
was just doing his job, and it was his job to get Danny down safely.
A cherry picker was made out of a forklift and a palate and was
placed on one side of the digger arm. A real cherry picker was
placed on the other side of the digger, a Garda and a worker (one
of whom we can confirm is Marcus Hargraves) was placed in each
cherry picker. They proceeded to drag Danny off the arm of the
digger by force, first taking his Irish tricolour from him. Once
in the cherry picker, they lowered him down to the ground, where
the Gardai then linked him, handcuffed him, and escorted him off
site in the squad car. The Garda station in Navan is unable to
answer our questions satisfactorily, and in fact have tried to
prevent us finding out all the details relating to this case.
All we know is Danny has now been taken by the Gardai to some
court in Dublin 7. We have phoned our solicitor on his behalf.