The Hill of Tara complex is a major part of the cultural heritage of the Irish people, yet it's being destroyed by those in the government who have been entrusted with protecting it. In stark contrast, governments of third world countries are going to great lengths to excavate, restore, preserve and protect their monuments, and prosecute those who injure or deface them.
The Anam Cara for Tara arts action campaign is a world-wide gathering of liberal, performing and visual artists dedicated to protecting Ireland's Hill of Tara environs from desecration and destruction by development of the M3 double-tolled freeway.
Over the past decade, there has been considerable controversy regarding construction of the M3 Motorway in County Meath, especially in light of the discoveries at Roestown, Lismullin and Soldier Hill. While those finds are extremely significant, they pale in comparison to a more recent discovery at Tara.
This short film, by award winning documentary filmmaker and musician Maireid Sullivan, shows that the complexity and importance of The Hill of Tara goes well beyond what we've known about the site for the past few millennia.
Destruction in the Tara Skryne valley goes on daily in spite of the fact that the Red C survey shows that 62% interviewed do not want the M3 to go through Tara Skryne and only 30% agree with that route. While 58% support World Heritage Site status.
The long term benefits of a Meath World Heritage Site should be weighed against the short term gain from not changing the route. Ireland's reputation as a Heritage tourist destination will be seriously damaged by the destruction of Tara.
Tara: Voices from Our Past ~ a recent discovery
a short film by Mairéid Sullivan
CORRUPTION: Thieves of Tara
Click here to read extracts and reports from the Irish Government's FLOOD / Mahon Tribunal into corruption related to property development in Co. Meath, along the chosen route of the M3 double-tolled freeway.
Focus on Tara
Can anyone doubt the profound cultural importance of Tara and its unique landscape?
A landscape honoured and revered by millions throughout the world today and countless generations of Irish people gone before us. Nowhere else in Ireland is there a landscape that can claim the Tuatha de Danann, Celtic Gods and Goddesses, St. Patrick, Daniel O’Connell, Thomas Moore, heroes and High Kings from Fionn MacCumhail to Brian Boru, an archaeological complex of temples, tombs, enclosures and henges spanning five millennia, and a continuous place at the centre of Irish spiritual, cultural, political and literary history, as part of it’s fabric.
Yet it is through the very heart of this landscape that the Irish Government has carved a motorway, impacting at least 141 known archaeological sites.
For those who don't know the significance of this plan to desecrate and destroy the Hill
of Tara environs, it would be like putting a speedway through Stonehenge, the alignments of Carnac, Machu Pichu, the Valley of the Kings, Lourdes, or the Vatican.w so perilously suffer. After all is said and done, this is about remembering to embrace our heritage of joy! Mairéid Sullivan, for the Anam Cara for Tara arts action campaign
[Anam Cara means "Soul Friend" in Irish Gaelic.]
In the meantime, Tara Calls!
Continuing help is needed to prevent further damage by determined construction contractors. People are needed to keep watch, to prevent wanton destruction, such as has occurred at Rath Lugh, and at the Baronstown monument, a massive Bronze Age settlement near Lismullen – destroyed by construction workers at 4am, on 4 July 2007!
What to do...
1. Write a friendly letter of appeal (a real letter will carry more authority) to the responsible Irish government Ministers:
Ask Minister Dempsey to follow EU Commission directives to reroute the M3, to the shorter and cheaper route to the west, along the old Navan rail line. Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey is directly responsible for the decision to route the M3 through the Tara / Skryne valleys. He was Minister for Environment when the M3 route was chosen. On his website, he celebrates the fact that he was the youngest Chairman of the Meath County Council -1986-87. Ask him why the Board of the National Roads Authority (NRA) includes real estate developers. For example, the Chairman of the Board is Peter Malone, Chairman of CB Richard Ellis, Ireland, self-proclamed the largest real estate development company in the world. Does the Irish government have laws regarding conflict of interest and vested interest?
Minister Noel Dempsey (Fianna Fáil Party)
Minister for Transport
Department of Transport
Transport House,
Kildare St., Dublin 2, Ireland.
Tel: + 353 1 670 7444
Or, his Trim office
Minister Noel Dempsey
2004 Newtown, Trim
Navan Phone: 046 9076989
Trim Phone: 046 9431146 Email: info@transport.ie www.noeldempsey.ie
Ask Minister John Gormley to fulfill his election promise to save Tara.
Minister John Gormley
Minister for the Environment (Green Party)
Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government,
Dáil Éireann, Leinster House, Dublin 2. johngormley@eircom.net
Tel: +353-1-6184247 www.johngormley.com
2. Write to your Irish Embassies and Consulates Abroad to tell them how you feel about the desecration and destruction surrounding the Hill of Tara.
Find Addresses here:
3. Write to blogs and newspapers and phone talk shows.
click here for Irish media address details
4. Join those keeping vigils to protect Tara for any amount of time–an hour, a day, a week.
5. Light a candle for Tara.
7. Contact family, friends, networks and ask them to help keep international attention on Tara.
The campaign must go on.
Arts practitioners in Ireland, Australia, Italy, Germany, Belgium, USA are continuing to raise awareness through the Save Tara Campaign (www.savetara.com) and the Anam Cara for Tara arts action campaign. Download the information flyers for family, friends, students, colleagues, audience members.
Click here to go to the download page.
Write Letters or Send an E-mail:
Click here for details.
Promoters, managers, cultural conservationists, and arts practitioners in the liberal, performing and visual arts, are invited to participate in the Anam Cara for Tara arts action campaign by dedicating events to raising awareness of the need to protect Tara: including concerts, film-screenings, workshops, lectures, exhibitions, trivia nights, etc. to raise awareness, or, simply hand out the flyers, which are here, on the download page.
Individuals are invited to organize their own awareness raising event, such as a theme party, house concert or film screening, where you can hand out the information flyers.
Across the world, people from all walks of life are organizing concerts and film screenings in their homes. Raise awareness by organizing a concert or a film screening in your home, or in a community center, library, religious / spiritual center, or school.
Host an awareness raising / fundraising eventto help cover costs of printing handbills and postcards for local distribution.
For example...Host a film screening of the inspirational award winning film,
Time after Time, a celebration of the great heritage of ancient Celtic, American and Australian peoples.
"Rich, embracing and informative ... an exhilarating example of visual world music at its best." Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times
Close the evening with a discussion on the significance of the Hill of Tara in Irish cultural heritage. (email us for historical notes.) DVDs available wholesale for sale at screening events. View film preview and extensive background information here.
Posters and Publicity Materials
The 'official' pre-press art for customizable posters, flyers and information handbills for the Anam Cara for Tara "arts action" campaign are available for download here. We will customize them for you - free of charge.
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Aerial view of the Hill of Tara. Click on the image below to enlarge.
This landscape has been zoned for freeway, shopping mall and housing development. To find out how this happened, click here to read extracts and reports from the Irish Government's FLOOD / Mahon Tribunal into corruption. Construction sites are being put in place, ancient oaks and elm trees have been cut down! Rare archaeological sites have been removed! Developers are determined to reap large profits from their harvest of increased property values along this winding route. We must protect Tara - the heart of Irish heritage!
