M3 protester "has enough food to stay in tunnel for a month".
Tara protester Lisa Feeney has enough food to sustain her for one month
By Shane Hickey
Saturday March 15 2008
THE stand-off between construction workers, gardai and protesters at the site of the M3 motorway continued yesterday with a young woman remaining holed up in a tunnel at the site.
Lisa 'Squeak' Feeney (26) stayed in the 10-metre tunnel constructed at the Rath Lugh national monument, some 2.3 miles north-east of the Hill of Tara, in the second day of her protest over work on the site.
The Kerry woman, who has lived in Dublin for the past eight years, started her protest at about 7am on Thursday, when demonstrators were served with a notice to move from the area to allow for construction works.
A group of protesters demanded that the route of the M3 be moved away from the national monument at Rath Lugh, claiming the current route contravened the preservation order on the site.
Yesterday, a Department of the Environment inspector said the order was not being contravened after a site visit.
A group of protesters called Rath Lugh Direct Action have set up camp at the site and continued their protest there yesterday.
"She is quite happy, very calm and relaxed, not too claustrophobic or fearing the cabin fever just yet," said Ms Feeney's boyfriend Paddy O'Kearney, who is staying in a tent at the entrance to the tunnel -- which is surrounded by gardai and security officers.
Supplies
Ms Feeney's supporters claim that she has enough dried food to last a month. She is communicating with the surface through a two-way walkie-walkie system.
A safety officer saw her yesterday, and she was also passed additional supplies by colleagues.
It is understood that a tunnelling expert has been engaged by the building contractors, and will travel to the site tomorrow from the UK.
There were violent scenes on Thursday afternoon after workers hammered posts into the ground near the tunnel.
The protesters argue that the action is being carried out to illustrate how unstable the area around the monument is, and the threat of damage to it by the movement of construction equipment. Five demonstrators, who had secured themselves to rigid objects at the scene, removed themselves after a tent was constructed around the entrance to the tunnel.
A spokesman for the National Roads Authority (NRA) said Ms Feeney's action was not having any immediate impact on the construction of the M3, describing it as a "health and safety issue" which was in the hands of the gardai.
"We are still hoping that this young lady will be safe and will exit the tunnel safely and the issue will be resolved through discussions," the spokesman added.
"This is a very serious matter and she could cause herself a lot of harm and we are concerned about her."
A High Court bid to halt work on the motorway failed on Thursday. It claimed there was a risk of damage to the national monument but this was dismissed by Ms Justice Mary Laffoy.
- Shane Hickey-
0
Tara Watch........risking Her Life
Started by shiny, 16-Mar-2008 01:32
45 replies to this topic
#2
mullien
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- Registered
- 13 posts
Pebble Tripper
Posted 16 March 2008 - 18:37
[quote name='shiny' date='16 March 2008, 2:32' post='7072']
M3 protester "has enough food to stay in tunnel for a month".
In actual fact she came out yesterday her father was very worried about her...
"The tunnel protest of Lisa "Squeak" Feeney at the site of the M3 building works ended last night following an appeal from her father, Jim, and the successful conclusion of protracted negotiations between the protesters and the National Roads Authority.
Speaking to the Sunday Independent from the Rath Lugh campsite last night, Mr. Feeney expressed his "profound relief" that his daughter had brought her tunnel protest to an end.
"The protest has just ended I'm glad to say. I'm very, very relieved", said the former hotel manager.
Asked if his daughter had abandoned the tunnel protest at his pleading or because the tunnel was deemed to be unsafe, Mr. Feeney said: "She came out because I asked her to, and following negotiations with the NRA in which a number of things were clarified. I understand a statement will be issued by them [the NRA] shortly. But you're the first with the news again".
Asked if the tunnel was deemed to be safe, Mr. Feeney said: "By its very nature, it's unsafe".
Mr. Feeney told the Sunday Independent that he was looking forward to having his daughter return home with him to Tralee this morning.
Lisa's family are known to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who had added his voice to earlier appeals yesterday to end her protest for the good of her health.
Mr. Ahern has been a regular guest at the Parknasilla Hotel in Kenmare for more than two decades, where Jim Feeney was formerly a manager. Mr. Feeney had led the appeals to his daughter to end her dangerous stunt for the sake of her family."
M3 protester "has enough food to stay in tunnel for a month".
In actual fact she came out yesterday her father was very worried about her...
"The tunnel protest of Lisa "Squeak" Feeney at the site of the M3 building works ended last night following an appeal from her father, Jim, and the successful conclusion of protracted negotiations between the protesters and the National Roads Authority.
Speaking to the Sunday Independent from the Rath Lugh campsite last night, Mr. Feeney expressed his "profound relief" that his daughter had brought her tunnel protest to an end.
"The protest has just ended I'm glad to say. I'm very, very relieved", said the former hotel manager.
Asked if his daughter had abandoned the tunnel protest at his pleading or because the tunnel was deemed to be unsafe, Mr. Feeney said: "She came out because I asked her to, and following negotiations with the NRA in which a number of things were clarified. I understand a statement will be issued by them [the NRA] shortly. But you're the first with the news again".
Asked if the tunnel was deemed to be safe, Mr. Feeney said: "By its very nature, it's unsafe".
Mr. Feeney told the Sunday Independent that he was looking forward to having his daughter return home with him to Tralee this morning.
Lisa's family are known to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who had added his voice to earlier appeals yesterday to end her protest for the good of her health.
Mr. Ahern has been a regular guest at the Parknasilla Hotel in Kenmare for more than two decades, where Jim Feeney was formerly a manager. Mr. Feeney had led the appeals to his daughter to end her dangerous stunt for the sake of her family."
#5
mullien
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- Registered
- 13 posts
Pebble Tripper
Posted 18 March 2008 - 08:15
The following letter written by John Farrelly in The Emigrant, gives some idea of the whole issue over the motorway build that is destroying the Tara landscape, it is a lucid account of complicated events that have happened over the past few months.....
The future of Tara
Dear Sir Or Madam,
As a Meath man and independent environmentalist I have been involved for
a long time in the struggle to highlight the destruction that the M3
motorway has caused.
The Tara complex has been at the centre of Irish life since antiquity.
There is evidence of ritual gatherings there going back five thousand
years and its hill has been revered and mentioned in all our historical
and mythological literature. The complex can be best imagined as a sort
of shield, with the hill as the middle hub and with forts, enclosures,
henges and burial places laid out in concentric circles around it.
Instead of treasuring, protecting and promoting this complex, and
against all rational advice from many and varied experts, the M3
motorway was allowed cut through it and destroy it forever.
From where the M3 landtake intersects the old N3 just north of
Dunshaughlin and before returning to dissect the N3 again at
Blundelstown it cuts into the Tara- Skryne valley, destroying as it did
many ancient sites including those at Trevet, the woods and burial sites
at Collierstown, the site at Baronstown which was the historic place of
gatherings for the harpers of Ireland, the great Fort of the Gabhra
known today as Rath Lugh and a protected national monument, the Henge at
Lismullen, Soldiers Hill, and the Bronze Age burial place at Ardsallagh.
These are the sites which Seamus Heaney links to the dead generations,
they are separate from the hill but part of its historic complex and
within its view. That these monuments and sites have been bulldozed,
their ancient graves dug up and the remains taken away in plastic bags
to be deposited in warehouses without acknowledgement or ceremony and
that the landscape has been ruined forever is without question. All one
has to do is go there and look.
The planners and the promoters of the M3 have never tired of saying that
there were five alternative routes considered and that in the end the
best route was chosen. However the fact that the widening of the old N3
was never given any real consideration has been allow slip from the
argument. Why was an area that could easily have been designated a world
heritage site, thus promoting the spiritual origins of the Irish race,
the origins of the aptly named Royal County of Meath and the
mythological beginnings of Ireland, destroyed, when all that was needed
to safeguard it was the removal of fewer that 30 nondescript,
non-historic houses which line the side of the old N3. This would have
been cheaper than the route chosen, it would have provided a straight
road, secured sites of immense mythological and spiritual importance and
avoided the flyovers and interchange at Blundelstown, which is going to
be a large and permanent scar on the landscape and just 1500m from the
Hill of Tara. Fields and farms were compulsory purchased when they got
in the way so why not these houses? Would any other European people of
pride and dignity allow their past be bulldozed in such a way? No; this
is why we protest, this valley belonged to us and the future generations
and as we are now embedded in Europe it also belongs to them. We as a
country have signed up to protect and promote such sites as our European
duty.
The media coverage of this has been scandalous, the Daily Mail in
particular laugh at it and egg it on. On Monday March 3 Dr Mark Dooley,
writing in the Dail, Mail took issue with the protests about this
destruction and accused everyone of being crazies, crusties and the poet
Séamus Heaney of promoting pure propaganda. He said that we should
investigate both sides of the argument, something we have done since
this road was planned. I felt obliged to reply but my right of reply, as
expected, was not published. I also wrote to Dr Dooley and pointed out
the facts, and in a personal reply to me he stated that "You make a
compelling argument but my brief was to rebut the utterly ridiculous
suggestion by Séamus Heaney et al, that the M3 will destroy, cut
through, desecrate, obliterate etc., the sacred sites on the Hill.
Nonsense, of course. It seems to me that yours is a quite separate
issue, and one that should command considerably more respect and
attention that the emotive non-argument posed by Professor Heaney and
those like him".
I have read the transcripts of what Séamus Heaney said on that BBC radio
programme and nowhere did he mention that the M3 cuts through the Hill
of Tara or destroyed its monuments. It is Dr Dooley and the paper which
he writes for which uses this non-argument and distortion of reality to
promote their views. The rest of the Irish media have not been much
better. This heritage and ancient culture, traces of which are still
visible around Tara, are indeed the reminders of the dead generations
which the proclamation of the Irish Republic in 1916 talked off. It's
equally true that if ever there was a place that deserved to be
preserved in the name of these same dead generations from prehistoric
times, through historic times and up to the present it is Tara, as
Séamus Heaney said. As the last phase of the M3 starts and the ancient
Fenian burial place and druidic centre of Rath Lugh faces destruction, I
call on someone to do their duty and at least highlight the M3 saga, the
land deals behind it, the shortcuts taken and the subsequent destruction
of much of what was of value in our country and its past.
The media of the South constantly push and promote the cultural rights
of others but when it comes to the cultural rights of our own they look
away. Some of these cultural rights involve the right to sustainability,
respect for our heritage, past, burial places, environment and wildlife.
These rights are ignored, ridiculed and destroyed. The politicians of
the South who have done this are expanding outwards and seem destined to
have more input into the life and rights of people in the North of
Ireland and indeed in Europe. They attend all the meetings, sell the
Lisbon Treaty yet break every environmental law that Europe places
before them, what they have done at Tara should set all the bells
ringing and they should be made answer for it while there is still time.
John Farrelly BSc.
The future of Tara
Dear Sir Or Madam,
As a Meath man and independent environmentalist I have been involved for
a long time in the struggle to highlight the destruction that the M3
motorway has caused.
The Tara complex has been at the centre of Irish life since antiquity.
There is evidence of ritual gatherings there going back five thousand
years and its hill has been revered and mentioned in all our historical
and mythological literature. The complex can be best imagined as a sort
of shield, with the hill as the middle hub and with forts, enclosures,
henges and burial places laid out in concentric circles around it.
Instead of treasuring, protecting and promoting this complex, and
against all rational advice from many and varied experts, the M3
motorway was allowed cut through it and destroy it forever.
From where the M3 landtake intersects the old N3 just north of
Dunshaughlin and before returning to dissect the N3 again at
Blundelstown it cuts into the Tara- Skryne valley, destroying as it did
many ancient sites including those at Trevet, the woods and burial sites
at Collierstown, the site at Baronstown which was the historic place of
gatherings for the harpers of Ireland, the great Fort of the Gabhra
known today as Rath Lugh and a protected national monument, the Henge at
Lismullen, Soldiers Hill, and the Bronze Age burial place at Ardsallagh.
These are the sites which Seamus Heaney links to the dead generations,
they are separate from the hill but part of its historic complex and
within its view. That these monuments and sites have been bulldozed,
their ancient graves dug up and the remains taken away in plastic bags
to be deposited in warehouses without acknowledgement or ceremony and
that the landscape has been ruined forever is without question. All one
has to do is go there and look.
The planners and the promoters of the M3 have never tired of saying that
there were five alternative routes considered and that in the end the
best route was chosen. However the fact that the widening of the old N3
was never given any real consideration has been allow slip from the
argument. Why was an area that could easily have been designated a world
heritage site, thus promoting the spiritual origins of the Irish race,
the origins of the aptly named Royal County of Meath and the
mythological beginnings of Ireland, destroyed, when all that was needed
to safeguard it was the removal of fewer that 30 nondescript,
non-historic houses which line the side of the old N3. This would have
been cheaper than the route chosen, it would have provided a straight
road, secured sites of immense mythological and spiritual importance and
avoided the flyovers and interchange at Blundelstown, which is going to
be a large and permanent scar on the landscape and just 1500m from the
Hill of Tara. Fields and farms were compulsory purchased when they got
in the way so why not these houses? Would any other European people of
pride and dignity allow their past be bulldozed in such a way? No; this
is why we protest, this valley belonged to us and the future generations
and as we are now embedded in Europe it also belongs to them. We as a
country have signed up to protect and promote such sites as our European
duty.
The media coverage of this has been scandalous, the Daily Mail in
particular laugh at it and egg it on. On Monday March 3 Dr Mark Dooley,
writing in the Dail, Mail took issue with the protests about this
destruction and accused everyone of being crazies, crusties and the poet
Séamus Heaney of promoting pure propaganda. He said that we should
investigate both sides of the argument, something we have done since
this road was planned. I felt obliged to reply but my right of reply, as
expected, was not published. I also wrote to Dr Dooley and pointed out
the facts, and in a personal reply to me he stated that "You make a
compelling argument but my brief was to rebut the utterly ridiculous
suggestion by Séamus Heaney et al, that the M3 will destroy, cut
through, desecrate, obliterate etc., the sacred sites on the Hill.
Nonsense, of course. It seems to me that yours is a quite separate
issue, and one that should command considerably more respect and
attention that the emotive non-argument posed by Professor Heaney and
those like him".
I have read the transcripts of what Séamus Heaney said on that BBC radio
programme and nowhere did he mention that the M3 cuts through the Hill
of Tara or destroyed its monuments. It is Dr Dooley and the paper which
he writes for which uses this non-argument and distortion of reality to
promote their views. The rest of the Irish media have not been much
better. This heritage and ancient culture, traces of which are still
visible around Tara, are indeed the reminders of the dead generations
which the proclamation of the Irish Republic in 1916 talked off. It's
equally true that if ever there was a place that deserved to be
preserved in the name of these same dead generations from prehistoric
times, through historic times and up to the present it is Tara, as
Séamus Heaney said. As the last phase of the M3 starts and the ancient
Fenian burial place and druidic centre of Rath Lugh faces destruction, I
call on someone to do their duty and at least highlight the M3 saga, the
land deals behind it, the shortcuts taken and the subsequent destruction
of much of what was of value in our country and its past.
The media of the South constantly push and promote the cultural rights
of others but when it comes to the cultural rights of our own they look
away. Some of these cultural rights involve the right to sustainability,
respect for our heritage, past, burial places, environment and wildlife.
These rights are ignored, ridiculed and destroyed. The politicians of
the South who have done this are expanding outwards and seem destined to
have more input into the life and rights of people in the North of
Ireland and indeed in Europe. They attend all the meetings, sell the
Lisbon Treaty yet break every environmental law that Europe places
before them, what they have done at Tara should set all the bells
ringing and they should be made answer for it while there is still time.
John Farrelly BSc.
#6
Bettina
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- Registered
- 152 posts
Trilithon Connoisseur
- Location:Inishowen, County Donegal, Ireland
Posted 19 March 2008 - 21:40
Gormley says Rath Lugh Monument won't be damaged - 19/03/2008 13:33:58
The Minister for the Environment's guaranteeing that the national monument at Rath Lugh, near Tara, in County Meath will NOT be damaged.
Last weekend, a protestor spent several days in a tunnel at the site to prevent the building of the M3 motorway there.
Lisa Feeney, also known as Squeek emerged from the tunnel on Saturday evening, after coming to an agreement with contractors.
Building of the road has now been postponed until the middle of next month.
Minister Gormley says he respects people's right to protest.
But he says he's taken every step to protect the monument.
Diggers are back at the esker. Please go to indymedia article and scoll down. There are photos from yesterday as the diggers moved in despite an 'agreement'.
The esker on which Rath Lugh stands is in danger of collapsing. Works and heavy machinery got to close and cut off already a section on its base. The mistake was made by using incorrect/wrong maps for a Euro 900 million road project. A very expensive support has now to be constructed to hopefully keep the esker from collapsing. I am sure the taxpayer will fit the bill.
The Minister for the Environment's guaranteeing that the national monument at Rath Lugh, near Tara, in County Meath will NOT be damaged.
Last weekend, a protestor spent several days in a tunnel at the site to prevent the building of the M3 motorway there.
Lisa Feeney, also known as Squeek emerged from the tunnel on Saturday evening, after coming to an agreement with contractors.
Building of the road has now been postponed until the middle of next month.
Minister Gormley says he respects people's right to protest.
But he says he's taken every step to protect the monument.
Diggers are back at the esker. Please go to indymedia article and scoll down. There are photos from yesterday as the diggers moved in despite an 'agreement'.
The esker on which Rath Lugh stands is in danger of collapsing. Works and heavy machinery got to close and cut off already a section on its base. The mistake was made by using incorrect/wrong maps for a Euro 900 million road project. A very expensive support has now to be constructed to hopefully keep the esker from collapsing. I am sure the taxpayer will fit the bill.
#7
Bettina
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- Registered
- 152 posts
Trilithon Connoisseur
- Location:Inishowen, County Donegal, Ireland
Posted 19 March 2008 - 21:48
Also from the same Indymedia article and further down a correspondence between Dr. Muireann Ni Bhrolchain and Kathy Sinnott
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0845/08
by Kathy Sinnott (IND/DEM)
to the Commission
Subject: Calling formally on the Commission to act
In the ongoing situation in the Tara-Skryne Valley in Co Meath, Ireland,
the Commission is aware that Ireland has breached its environmental law,
the 2004 National Monuments Act. Due to a lack of action on the part of
the Irish Government, citizens have turned to the European Union for
assistance.
Is the Commission aware that it itself has funded €2.9million towards
the planning and design of the M3 Motorway, which has breached various
laws and held flawed archaeological examinations? In light of this, the
Commission should hasten its action on the matter and address the call
for an injunction.
How will the Commission respond to a formal call to act on the situation?
E-0845/08EN
Answer given by Mrs Hübner
on behalf of the Commission
(18.3.2008)
The Commission is fully aware of the prevailing situation in relation to
the proposed construction of the M3 motorway through the Tara-Skryne
valley. The Commission further notes that construction of the proposed
route is blocked.
Issues arising from the proposed construction are currently the subject
of an infringement procedure being dealt with by the Directorate-General
responsible for Environment. The infringement procedure concerns
possible non-compliance by the Irish authorities with the Environmental
Impact Assessment Directive as it applies to the discovery of sites of
archaeological importance at a late stage in the construction
authorisation process. Because of unresolved differences of legal
opinion concerning the degree of compliance of national legislation with
the requirements of European law, the Commission has decided to launch
proceedings in the European Court of Justice.
The Commission acknowledges that ERDF (European Regional Development
Fund) funding was granted for the design and planning of the proposed
section of the motorway. There is nothing to suggest, however,that the
expenditure concerned has been improperly incurred in terms of Article
12 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 .
Footnotes: Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the
assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the
environment, OJ L 175, 5.7.1985. Amended by Council Directive 97/11/EC
of 3 March 1997, OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.
Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general
provisions on the Structural Funds, OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0845/08
by Kathy Sinnott (IND/DEM)
to the Commission
Subject: Calling formally on the Commission to act
In the ongoing situation in the Tara-Skryne Valley in Co Meath, Ireland,
the Commission is aware that Ireland has breached its environmental law,
the 2004 National Monuments Act. Due to a lack of action on the part of
the Irish Government, citizens have turned to the European Union for
assistance.
Is the Commission aware that it itself has funded €2.9million towards
the planning and design of the M3 Motorway, which has breached various
laws and held flawed archaeological examinations? In light of this, the
Commission should hasten its action on the matter and address the call
for an injunction.
How will the Commission respond to a formal call to act on the situation?
E-0845/08EN
Answer given by Mrs Hübner
on behalf of the Commission
(18.3.2008)
The Commission is fully aware of the prevailing situation in relation to
the proposed construction of the M3 motorway through the Tara-Skryne
valley. The Commission further notes that construction of the proposed
route is blocked.
Issues arising from the proposed construction are currently the subject
of an infringement procedure being dealt with by the Directorate-General
responsible for Environment. The infringement procedure concerns
possible non-compliance by the Irish authorities with the Environmental
Impact Assessment Directive as it applies to the discovery of sites of
archaeological importance at a late stage in the construction
authorisation process. Because of unresolved differences of legal
opinion concerning the degree of compliance of national legislation with
the requirements of European law, the Commission has decided to launch
proceedings in the European Court of Justice.
The Commission acknowledges that ERDF (European Regional Development
Fund) funding was granted for the design and planning of the proposed
section of the motorway. There is nothing to suggest, however,that the
expenditure concerned has been improperly incurred in terms of Article
12 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 .
Footnotes: Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the
assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the
environment, OJ L 175, 5.7.1985. Amended by Council Directive 97/11/EC
of 3 March 1997, OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.
Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general
provisions on the Structural Funds, OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.
#8
Bettina
-
- Registered
- 152 posts
Trilithon Connoisseur
- Location:Inishowen, County Donegal, Ireland
Posted 19 March 2008 - 21:57
Irish independentTara protester Squeak says she feared for her life
By Anne-Marie Walsh
Wednesday March 19 2008
THE WOMAN who abandoned a tunnel protest against the construction of
the M3 at the weekend has admitted she "feared for her life" at one
stage.
Speaking for the first time since her ordeal, Lisa 'Squeak' Feeney (26)
said she lost her nerve when she felt movement at the top of her
makeshift bunker.
She said she feared earth would tumble down the shaft of the tunnel
when she heard a commotion overhead.
Lisa, from Kerry, was holed up in the subterranean hideaway, which she
built with other eco-warriors, for three days before surfacing last
Saturday night.
The Dublin-based bicycle courier was eventually persuaded to leave the
tunnel near the slopes of the historic Rath Lugh fort following
emotional pleas by her father.
As a result of her action, she secured agreement from the National
Roads Authority (NRA) that construction work at the site will be
postponed until April 17.
Lisa occupied the tunnel in protest at the construction of the
motorway, which she claims poses a risk to the ancient monuments which
dot its route.
Rath Lugh Direct Action has demanded that the route be moved from Rath
Lugh, claiming it contravenes a preservation order on the site.
Lisa's protest tunnel at Rath Lugh was over two miles to the north-east
of the Hill of Tara in Co Meath. "I was never worried for my life and
felt fully confident until I feared there was movement near the
entrance to the tunnel," she said.
She went into the tunnel equipped with a Padraig Pearse book and
supplies of dried food to last two months.
"It was a challenge and I had candles and a head torch," she said.
"There was 15 metres of earth above me. I couldn't stand up in the
chamber but I could stand up in the shaft.
"I didn't feel like I was being buried alive. I was down there a couple
of times before and was well used to it."
She said the turning point in her decision to abandon her dangerous
protest came when her father arrived.
"My poor dad," she said. "The officials at the site worried him silly.
They really did.
"They kept making sensational remarks to make him worry, like telling
him I was going to die."
Ms Feeney plans to rejoin protesters this morning.
- Anne-Marie Walsh
==
Eco-warriors say road authority broke promise
By Anne-Marie Walsh
Wednesday March 19 2008
THERE were angry scenes at the M3 construction site yesterday as
eco-warriors accused the National Roads Authority of breaking an
agreement with tunnel activist Lisa 'Squeak' Feeney.
Protesters clashed with workers and police when a digger moved on to
the slopes near Rath Lugh.
The eco-warriors claimed that the NRA had breached an agreement with Ms
Feeney to postpone construction work at the site until April 17.
But the National Roads Authority said that the work being carried out
was not construction work, but measures to ensure health and safety
legislation was upheld on the site.
A spokesperson said a fence was erected near the motorway construction
works to ensure the safety of the public.
"This is a standard procedure on road schemes," he said.
"The land required for a road is always fenced off as early as
possible.
A protester claimed that the weekend agreement had been breached when
the digger drove near the esker.
- Anne-Marie Walsh
By Anne-Marie Walsh
Wednesday March 19 2008
THE WOMAN who abandoned a tunnel protest against the construction of
the M3 at the weekend has admitted she "feared for her life" at one
stage.
Speaking for the first time since her ordeal, Lisa 'Squeak' Feeney (26)
said she lost her nerve when she felt movement at the top of her
makeshift bunker.
She said she feared earth would tumble down the shaft of the tunnel
when she heard a commotion overhead.
Lisa, from Kerry, was holed up in the subterranean hideaway, which she
built with other eco-warriors, for three days before surfacing last
Saturday night.
The Dublin-based bicycle courier was eventually persuaded to leave the
tunnel near the slopes of the historic Rath Lugh fort following
emotional pleas by her father.
As a result of her action, she secured agreement from the National
Roads Authority (NRA) that construction work at the site will be
postponed until April 17.
Lisa occupied the tunnel in protest at the construction of the
motorway, which she claims poses a risk to the ancient monuments which
dot its route.
Rath Lugh Direct Action has demanded that the route be moved from Rath
Lugh, claiming it contravenes a preservation order on the site.
Lisa's protest tunnel at Rath Lugh was over two miles to the north-east
of the Hill of Tara in Co Meath. "I was never worried for my life and
felt fully confident until I feared there was movement near the
entrance to the tunnel," she said.
She went into the tunnel equipped with a Padraig Pearse book and
supplies of dried food to last two months.
"It was a challenge and I had candles and a head torch," she said.
"There was 15 metres of earth above me. I couldn't stand up in the
chamber but I could stand up in the shaft.
"I didn't feel like I was being buried alive. I was down there a couple
of times before and was well used to it."
She said the turning point in her decision to abandon her dangerous
protest came when her father arrived.
"My poor dad," she said. "The officials at the site worried him silly.
They really did.
"They kept making sensational remarks to make him worry, like telling
him I was going to die."
Ms Feeney plans to rejoin protesters this morning.
- Anne-Marie Walsh
==
Eco-warriors say road authority broke promise
By Anne-Marie Walsh
Wednesday March 19 2008
THERE were angry scenes at the M3 construction site yesterday as
eco-warriors accused the National Roads Authority of breaking an
agreement with tunnel activist Lisa 'Squeak' Feeney.
Protesters clashed with workers and police when a digger moved on to
the slopes near Rath Lugh.
The eco-warriors claimed that the NRA had breached an agreement with Ms
Feeney to postpone construction work at the site until April 17.
But the National Roads Authority said that the work being carried out
was not construction work, but measures to ensure health and safety
legislation was upheld on the site.
A spokesperson said a fence was erected near the motorway construction
works to ensure the safety of the public.
"This is a standard procedure on road schemes," he said.
"The land required for a road is always fenced off as early as
possible.
A protester claimed that the weekend agreement had been breached when
the digger drove near the esker.
- Anne-Marie Walsh
#9
Bettina
-
- Registered
- 152 posts
Trilithon Connoisseur
- Location:Inishowen, County Donegal, Ireland
Posted 20 March 2008 - 21:36
Breaking News
NRA pledges to continue Rath Lugh work
>From ireland.com
16:58
Thursday, 20th March, 2008
The National Roads Authority (NRA) has rejected accusations it breached
an agreement with Tara protesters to cease work temporarily on the
planned M3 site at Rath Lugh in Co Meath and has insisted it will
continue with construction work.
Tara protester Lisa 'Squeak' Feeney, who emerged after spending 60-hours
in a tunnel at the construction site last weekend, claimed she was given
a "signed and dated" agreement by the NRA's Kevin O'Rourke that all work
would cease for one month at Rath Lugh.
However, construction workers resumed work on the site this week despite
the 10-point agreement which Ms Feeney said promised a work stoppage
until April 17 th.
Tara campaigners have described the move as "extremely provocative".
They said the fact that construction workers were accompanied by
security personnel and between 50-100 gardaí after the departure of
Minister for the Environment John Gormley from a site visit this morning
was "aggressive" and "an affront to democracy".
NRA spokesman, Sean O'Neill told ireland.com construction workers had
returned to the site to dig a "box cut" into the land to show exactly
where the planned road will lie, providing physical evidence to
protesters that the planned route will not impinge on the monument at
Rath Lugh.
A "significant portion" of the box-cut will be complete in the next 24
hours and work on the M3 will then go ahead, he said.
Mr O'Neill said the 10-point agreement reached with Ms Feeney included
good-behaviour conditions on protesters to carry out a "civil" protest.
He claimed campaigners had breached the terms of the agreement by
throwing stones at construction workers and spitting on them and
insisted the NRA had "absolutely not reneged on an agreement" with
protesters.
Mr O'Neill said the NRA had agreed with Ms Feeney to "hold off doing
works if she could reassure us that people would stop interfering".
However, he said a violent protest had ensued last Tuesday as
construction workers attempted to erect fencing outside the perimeter of
the Rath Lugh site and An Garda had told the NRA to "alleviate the
situation".
Mr O'Neill said the necessary action had been taken and said no other
negotiations would now be undertaken with protesters.
"You can't negotiate with people who can't be reasonable," he said. "We
have to ensure the safety of workers and protesters on the site," he added.
Labour Party environment and heritage spokeswoman Joanna Tuffy
criticised the Minister for the Environment for failing to speak to
protesters during his visit to the Rath Lugh site this morning and said
it was "surprising and disappointing".
She said the number of gardaí and security personnel at the road works
site was "disproportionate" to the numbers of protesters.
"A far more effective focus of State efforts could be put into a process
of liaison and communication with all stakeholders that could help allay
their concerns about the future of Rath Lugh," she added.
Some of todays photos are here
NRA pledges to continue Rath Lugh work
>From ireland.com
16:58
Thursday, 20th March, 2008
The National Roads Authority (NRA) has rejected accusations it breached
an agreement with Tara protesters to cease work temporarily on the
planned M3 site at Rath Lugh in Co Meath and has insisted it will
continue with construction work.
Tara protester Lisa 'Squeak' Feeney, who emerged after spending 60-hours
in a tunnel at the construction site last weekend, claimed she was given
a "signed and dated" agreement by the NRA's Kevin O'Rourke that all work
would cease for one month at Rath Lugh.
However, construction workers resumed work on the site this week despite
the 10-point agreement which Ms Feeney said promised a work stoppage
until April 17 th.
Tara campaigners have described the move as "extremely provocative".
They said the fact that construction workers were accompanied by
security personnel and between 50-100 gardaí after the departure of
Minister for the Environment John Gormley from a site visit this morning
was "aggressive" and "an affront to democracy".
NRA spokesman, Sean O'Neill told ireland.com construction workers had
returned to the site to dig a "box cut" into the land to show exactly
where the planned road will lie, providing physical evidence to
protesters that the planned route will not impinge on the monument at
Rath Lugh.
A "significant portion" of the box-cut will be complete in the next 24
hours and work on the M3 will then go ahead, he said.
Mr O'Neill said the 10-point agreement reached with Ms Feeney included
good-behaviour conditions on protesters to carry out a "civil" protest.
He claimed campaigners had breached the terms of the agreement by
throwing stones at construction workers and spitting on them and
insisted the NRA had "absolutely not reneged on an agreement" with
protesters.
Mr O'Neill said the NRA had agreed with Ms Feeney to "hold off doing
works if she could reassure us that people would stop interfering".
However, he said a violent protest had ensued last Tuesday as
construction workers attempted to erect fencing outside the perimeter of
the Rath Lugh site and An Garda had told the NRA to "alleviate the
situation".
Mr O'Neill said the necessary action had been taken and said no other
negotiations would now be undertaken with protesters.
"You can't negotiate with people who can't be reasonable," he said. "We
have to ensure the safety of workers and protesters on the site," he added.
Labour Party environment and heritage spokeswoman Joanna Tuffy
criticised the Minister for the Environment for failing to speak to
protesters during his visit to the Rath Lugh site this morning and said
it was "surprising and disappointing".
She said the number of gardaí and security personnel at the road works
site was "disproportionate" to the numbers of protesters.
"A far more effective focus of State efforts could be put into a process
of liaison and communication with all stakeholders that could help allay
their concerns about the future of Rath Lugh," she added.
Some of todays photos are here
#11
mullien
-
- Registered
- 13 posts
Pebble Tripper
Posted 21 March 2008 - 10:24
If you are in England there is nothing much you can do, I believe the protestors want another laptop and topups for their mobiles, but I'm sure that will be done by people in Ireland.
If you were a pessimist, it would seem that the motorway will go on and there is nothing to be done, but there are a few brave optimists out there fighting. The injunction failed, perhaps the case will go to the Appeal court.
In a way it was unfortunate that the girl capitulated so quickly, but you can understand the reasons why, the tunnel looked very shaky.
In the end all you can do is broadcast the news that the Irish Government are building a motorway across an extraordinary rich archaeological and historical landscape, they are desecrating their own Irish history so that commuters can knock 20 minutes of their daily commute.
If you were a pessimist, it would seem that the motorway will go on and there is nothing to be done, but there are a few brave optimists out there fighting. The injunction failed, perhaps the case will go to the Appeal court.
In a way it was unfortunate that the girl capitulated so quickly, but you can understand the reasons why, the tunnel looked very shaky.
In the end all you can do is broadcast the news that the Irish Government are building a motorway across an extraordinary rich archaeological and historical landscape, they are desecrating their own Irish history so that commuters can knock 20 minutes of their daily commute.
#13
Bettina
-
- Registered
- 152 posts
Trilithon Connoisseur
- Location:Inishowen, County Donegal, Ireland
Posted 21 March 2008 - 15:32
What can we do?; is a question that is haunting many minds and the answer and options seem only to clearly point out the futility of any possible actions. But then this question turns into a matter of can I really just let it go, pack in all the great values taught to me all through my life by truly magnificent and remarkable people. Values which are also still advertised by the very people who become strangely selective if it comes to the when and where you are allowed to apply these values.
Throwing the towel because it is hopeless and too late or to do nothing at all to begin with, if the issue concerned is the erosion of humankind’s journey and as such any possible future we may have, than I can hardly just opt out of this one.
If my own struggle to raise awareness for the collapse-bound, concrete restoration of the National monument Grianan Aileach in Donegal has taught me anything, than it would be, that the OPW would have gotten away with it, nearly unnoticed and most definitely undocumented. Grianan still got filled up with concrete, the motorway will still destroy unique history over a thousand years old but the decision of one person to act or not act can and will make a difference, because before the last drop can bring the well to overflow, it will require many in advance.
So what can be done?
Most of us can’t go in person and physically stand in the way of destruction, so writing and raising awareness is an option. It seems ineffective but only if not enough do it. The same goes for financially supporting those who are putting themselves in front of the diggers. 10 euros, pounds, dollars can be spared by most of us nearly unnoticeable.
And then there is the possibility of boycotting Ireland as tourist destination for it destroys the very characteristics it is advertising with - its unspoilt natural beauty and rich heritage.
A list of contacts is here.
How to get there and contact for OPW here.
Save Tara
Tara Foundation
Donations can be made into an account set up for and by the Direct Action Camp.
Contact: Heather Buchannan
Tara Solidarity Vigil Account
Allied Irish Bank
Navan Branch
Sort Code 93-21-83
Account Number 43326084
For International Banking
IBAN: IE96 AIBK 9321 8343 3260 84 (BIC:AIBKIE2D)
Throwing the towel because it is hopeless and too late or to do nothing at all to begin with, if the issue concerned is the erosion of humankind’s journey and as such any possible future we may have, than I can hardly just opt out of this one.
If my own struggle to raise awareness for the collapse-bound, concrete restoration of the National monument Grianan Aileach in Donegal has taught me anything, than it would be, that the OPW would have gotten away with it, nearly unnoticed and most definitely undocumented. Grianan still got filled up with concrete, the motorway will still destroy unique history over a thousand years old but the decision of one person to act or not act can and will make a difference, because before the last drop can bring the well to overflow, it will require many in advance.
So what can be done?
Most of us can’t go in person and physically stand in the way of destruction, so writing and raising awareness is an option. It seems ineffective but only if not enough do it. The same goes for financially supporting those who are putting themselves in front of the diggers. 10 euros, pounds, dollars can be spared by most of us nearly unnoticeable.
And then there is the possibility of boycotting Ireland as tourist destination for it destroys the very characteristics it is advertising with - its unspoilt natural beauty and rich heritage.
A list of contacts is here.
How to get there and contact for OPW here.
Save Tara
Tara Foundation
Donations can be made into an account set up for and by the Direct Action Camp.
Contact: Heather Buchannan
Tara Solidarity Vigil Account
Allied Irish Bank
Navan Branch
Sort Code 93-21-83
Account Number 43326084
For International Banking
IBAN: IE96 AIBK 9321 8343 3260 84 (BIC:AIBKIE2D)
#14
Bettina
-
- Registered
- 152 posts
Trilithon Connoisseur
- Location:Inishowen, County Donegal, Ireland
Posted 21 March 2008 - 15:34
Irish Times, Good Friday, 21st March 2008
NRA restarts work claiming M3 protesters broke truce
TIM O'BRIEN, and ADAM HARVEY at Rath Lugh
THE NATIONAL Roads Authority (NRA) has withdrawn its commitment to
refrain from work on the M3 near Rath Lugh in Co Meath, after what it
said was continual "violent protests", and damage to fencing and
equipment.
Instead the NRA yesterday instructed contractor Eurolink to bring
forward work on a "box cut" - an outline for a future road - within
the construction zone at Rath Lugh.
The authority said the outline would demonstrate that the M3 would not
encroach on the national monument or the protection zone around it.
Protesters reacted with dismay at the move, saying they had been
trying to stop work on the Rath Lugh "esker" - a glacial ridge - since
last September, on the grounds that it is an integral part of the
2,000-year-old fort.
Gardaí moved on to the site yesterday to allow workers to build a
two-metre tall spiked steel fence to separate the construction site
from a protest encampment.
At the same time, gardaí searched tents in the protest encampment.
By early afternoon excavators and trucks had removed the portion of
the hillside that had stood in the motorway's path. The esker was the
last obstacle in the path of the motorway through the Gabhra Valley,
which runs close to the Hill of Tara.
Three protesters were arrested at the site yesterday, said Insp Pat
Gannon from Navan Garda station. He said gardaí had searched the
protesters' tents to look for weapons. None were found.
In a separate move yesterday, Minister for the Environment John
Gormley visited the national monument and inspected maps and plans for
the new road before declaring himself satisfied that the NRA
proposals, if implemented as proposed, would result in the protection
of the monument.
A spokesman for the NRA acknowledged that it had made a commitment on
Saturday last to protester Lisa Feeney to have a one-month moratorium
on construction work near Rath Lugh in order to persuade Ms Feeney to
leave the tunnel she had occupied for more than 60 hours.
However, the authority said it understood that in return the
protesters would not interfere with a "haulage road" and fence being
constructed to allow the contractor to move plant and equipment past
Rath Lugh.
The NRA said matters worsened last Tuesday when the contractor "sought
to erect fencing on the project boundary line, which is outside the
area covered by the national monument preservation order.
"In addition the contractor sought to commence the construction of the
haul road that had been clarified with the tunnel protester on
Saturday evening. In both areas violent protests ensued and the
contractor ceased work due to safety concerns for his operatives and
the protesters".
The NRA also said contractor's equipment had been daubed with
excrement and urine, something which was later confirmed by the Garda
press office, which added that such daubing had been going on for the
last week.
However, Ms Feeney said yesterday she had no knowledge of violent
demonstrations and said her fellow protesters were engaged in a
peaceful protest. She said she had heard nothing about vehicles being
interfered with in any way.
Ms Feeney also maintained that the creation of a fence was never
agreed with the NRA. The only contact protesters had with the fence
that she had been aware of was in relation to people crawling under
it, she said.
Ms Feeney said she could not see why the NRA had reneged on its
commitment to a moratorium on construction work "as I have kept my
side of the bargain, I came out of the tunnel".
Dr Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin of the Save Tara Campaign also said she have
not heard anything about such incidents, adding that she sincerely
hoped they had not happened.
Paddy O'Kearney, a spokesman for the Rath Lugh Direct Action group,
said it was very upset that its efforts had failed.
"There isn't anything we can do," he said, gesturing towards dozens of
gardaí lining the newly-built fence.
Of the claims that protesters threw excrement, or damaged construction
fencing, he said: "It's absolutely not true".
A few protesters tried to run on to the construction site yesterday
afternoon but were held back by workers and gardaí.
Others stood in a circle as a robed "druid" conducted a memorial
service for the esker.
....................................
10-point plan:what was agreed
According to the NRA, it agreed the following with protester Lisa Feeney
last Saturday.
• Crib walling to be constructed using preserved timber.
• Works to be supervised by an archaeologist and engineer.
• Landscaping: all exposed areas on Esker to be planted with semi-mature
trees.
• Crib wall to be planted with semi-mature vegetation.
• Road alignment to be gauged to move as far south as possible.
• Spoil heap south east of Rath Lugh to be removed or planted with
suitable vegetation.
• No additional lands to be purchased in the vicinity of Rath Lugh for
road construction.
• A reduction in land available to contractor by up to 7m and a further
reduction subject to realignment review.
• Low-noise surfacing to be used between Roestown and Ardsallagh
(Skryne-Tara Valley).
• No work to take place on a marked-out space between Baronstown side of
the site and Lismullin until April 17th.
NRA restarts work claiming M3 protesters broke truce
TIM O'BRIEN, and ADAM HARVEY at Rath Lugh
THE NATIONAL Roads Authority (NRA) has withdrawn its commitment to
refrain from work on the M3 near Rath Lugh in Co Meath, after what it
said was continual "violent protests", and damage to fencing and
equipment.
Instead the NRA yesterday instructed contractor Eurolink to bring
forward work on a "box cut" - an outline for a future road - within
the construction zone at Rath Lugh.
The authority said the outline would demonstrate that the M3 would not
encroach on the national monument or the protection zone around it.
Protesters reacted with dismay at the move, saying they had been
trying to stop work on the Rath Lugh "esker" - a glacial ridge - since
last September, on the grounds that it is an integral part of the
2,000-year-old fort.
Gardaí moved on to the site yesterday to allow workers to build a
two-metre tall spiked steel fence to separate the construction site
from a protest encampment.
At the same time, gardaí searched tents in the protest encampment.
By early afternoon excavators and trucks had removed the portion of
the hillside that had stood in the motorway's path. The esker was the
last obstacle in the path of the motorway through the Gabhra Valley,
which runs close to the Hill of Tara.
Three protesters were arrested at the site yesterday, said Insp Pat
Gannon from Navan Garda station. He said gardaí had searched the
protesters' tents to look for weapons. None were found.
In a separate move yesterday, Minister for the Environment John
Gormley visited the national monument and inspected maps and plans for
the new road before declaring himself satisfied that the NRA
proposals, if implemented as proposed, would result in the protection
of the monument.
A spokesman for the NRA acknowledged that it had made a commitment on
Saturday last to protester Lisa Feeney to have a one-month moratorium
on construction work near Rath Lugh in order to persuade Ms Feeney to
leave the tunnel she had occupied for more than 60 hours.
However, the authority said it understood that in return the
protesters would not interfere with a "haulage road" and fence being
constructed to allow the contractor to move plant and equipment past
Rath Lugh.
The NRA said matters worsened last Tuesday when the contractor "sought
to erect fencing on the project boundary line, which is outside the
area covered by the national monument preservation order.
"In addition the contractor sought to commence the construction of the
haul road that had been clarified with the tunnel protester on
Saturday evening. In both areas violent protests ensued and the
contractor ceased work due to safety concerns for his operatives and
the protesters".
The NRA also said contractor's equipment had been daubed with
excrement and urine, something which was later confirmed by the Garda
press office, which added that such daubing had been going on for the
last week.
However, Ms Feeney said yesterday she had no knowledge of violent
demonstrations and said her fellow protesters were engaged in a
peaceful protest. She said she had heard nothing about vehicles being
interfered with in any way.
Ms Feeney also maintained that the creation of a fence was never
agreed with the NRA. The only contact protesters had with the fence
that she had been aware of was in relation to people crawling under
it, she said.
Ms Feeney said she could not see why the NRA had reneged on its
commitment to a moratorium on construction work "as I have kept my
side of the bargain, I came out of the tunnel".
Dr Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin of the Save Tara Campaign also said she have
not heard anything about such incidents, adding that she sincerely
hoped they had not happened.
Paddy O'Kearney, a spokesman for the Rath Lugh Direct Action group,
said it was very upset that its efforts had failed.
"There isn't anything we can do," he said, gesturing towards dozens of
gardaí lining the newly-built fence.
Of the claims that protesters threw excrement, or damaged construction
fencing, he said: "It's absolutely not true".
A few protesters tried to run on to the construction site yesterday
afternoon but were held back by workers and gardaí.
Others stood in a circle as a robed "druid" conducted a memorial
service for the esker.
....................................
10-point plan:what was agreed
According to the NRA, it agreed the following with protester Lisa Feeney
last Saturday.
• Crib walling to be constructed using preserved timber.
• Works to be supervised by an archaeologist and engineer.
• Landscaping: all exposed areas on Esker to be planted with semi-mature
trees.
• Crib wall to be planted with semi-mature vegetation.
• Road alignment to be gauged to move as far south as possible.
• Spoil heap south east of Rath Lugh to be removed or planted with
suitable vegetation.
• No additional lands to be purchased in the vicinity of Rath Lugh for
road construction.
• A reduction in land available to contractor by up to 7m and a further
reduction subject to realignment review.
• Low-noise surfacing to be used between Roestown and Ardsallagh
(Skryne-Tara Valley).
• No work to take place on a marked-out space between Baronstown side of
the site and Lismullin until April 17th.
#15
Bettina
-
- Registered
- 152 posts
Trilithon Connoisseur
- Location:Inishowen, County Donegal, Ireland
Posted 21 March 2008 - 15:38
The motorway will be tolled - twice.
M3 route likely to open
- ahead of 2010 deadline
By - Tim O'Brien.
The controversial M3 motorway in Co. Meath is more than one-third complete and likely to open well in advance of its autumn 2010 deadline, the National Roads Authority (NRA) said yesterday.
Speaking at the announcement of NRA spending provisions for 2008, authority chairman Peter Malone revealed construction of the 60km motorway had been divided into four distinct projects by builders the Eurolink consortium. Each of the projects was bidding against the others to be the first to deliver a completed section of motorway, said Mr. Malone.
While Mr. Malone declined to say exactly when the €900 million M3 was now expected to be completed, he said he had been told this week that 36 per cent of the work had been done.
Construction contracts were signed last March and work began in earnest almost immediately. Extrapolating only on the basis that 36 per cent had been completed in 10 months, construction would take about 27 months altogether, leaving the motorway complete sometime in mid- to late 2009.
However, opponents of the route of the M3 said the battle was far from over yesterday. Vincent Salafia, who took a High Court challenge in a bid to stop the road going ahead, accused the NRA of engaging in "propaganda" instead of addressing the ongoing issues with regard to national monuments and an EU case against Ireland.
"It seems they are basically admitting they have rushed ahead when there is one case before the courts, the serious prospect of a second case and pressure on [Minister for Environment] Mr. Gormley to intervene".
Mr. Salafia referred to a case being taken against Ireland in the European Court of Justice claiming that a new environmental impact assessment should have been undertaken when the Lismullin archaeological site was discovered.
The motorway will have two tolls and will link Clonee on the Dublin and Meath border with Lisduff on the Cavan side of the Meath/Cavan border. It will include 50km of ancillary roads at a construction cost of €650 million. Funding is provided by the Eurolink shareholders which includes Irish firm SIAC and Concesiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte SA (Cintra). Cintra is a subsidiary of Grupo Ferrovial which was involved in building the N4 motorway, which opened about one year ahead of schedule.
© The Irish Times, 26th. January 2007.
M3 route likely to open
- ahead of 2010 deadline
By - Tim O'Brien.
The controversial M3 motorway in Co. Meath is more than one-third complete and likely to open well in advance of its autumn 2010 deadline, the National Roads Authority (NRA) said yesterday.
Speaking at the announcement of NRA spending provisions for 2008, authority chairman Peter Malone revealed construction of the 60km motorway had been divided into four distinct projects by builders the Eurolink consortium. Each of the projects was bidding against the others to be the first to deliver a completed section of motorway, said Mr. Malone.
While Mr. Malone declined to say exactly when the €900 million M3 was now expected to be completed, he said he had been told this week that 36 per cent of the work had been done.
Construction contracts were signed last March and work began in earnest almost immediately. Extrapolating only on the basis that 36 per cent had been completed in 10 months, construction would take about 27 months altogether, leaving the motorway complete sometime in mid- to late 2009.
However, opponents of the route of the M3 said the battle was far from over yesterday. Vincent Salafia, who took a High Court challenge in a bid to stop the road going ahead, accused the NRA of engaging in "propaganda" instead of addressing the ongoing issues with regard to national monuments and an EU case against Ireland.
"It seems they are basically admitting they have rushed ahead when there is one case before the courts, the serious prospect of a second case and pressure on [Minister for Environment] Mr. Gormley to intervene".
Mr. Salafia referred to a case being taken against Ireland in the European Court of Justice claiming that a new environmental impact assessment should have been undertaken when the Lismullin archaeological site was discovered.
The motorway will have two tolls and will link Clonee on the Dublin and Meath border with Lisduff on the Cavan side of the Meath/Cavan border. It will include 50km of ancillary roads at a construction cost of €650 million. Funding is provided by the Eurolink shareholders which includes Irish firm SIAC and Concesiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte SA (Cintra). Cintra is a subsidiary of Grupo Ferrovial which was involved in building the N4 motorway, which opened about one year ahead of schedule.
© The Irish Times, 26th. January 2007.
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