Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 10:39:01 -0800 (PST)
From: Vincent Salafia <uatuathal@...>
Subject: 13 March - Tara Symposium - Flyer

SAVE TARA / SKRYNE VALLEY

www.taraskryne.org

IN AUGUST 2003 An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission for a 50-km,
?680 million motorway scheme through the valley between the Hill of Tara and
the Hill of Skryne, in Co Meath, Ireland. This valley is "chock-a-block"
with monuments.

This is "one of the most important and famous archaeological sites in the
world," according to expert Dr Conor Neman.

Test trenching through the valley is set to begin before the end of March
2004 - and could involve up to two hundred archaeologists - digging up what
should never be excavated.

Save Tara/Skryne Valley Campaign was formed to oppose the M3 motorway
alignment through this valley. It is comprised of local, national and
international members - including Meath Archaeological and Historical
Association.

In February 2004 - the committee met with UNESCO - with a view to gaining
protection under the Convention for the Protection of Word Heritage.
Submissions are being made to UNESCO and the EU.

A letter was written by the committee was signed by an international array
of twenty-nine academics and published on 23 February in The Irish Times
(below).

We need immediate pressure on this administration in order to force a
settlement - Nobody wants another Carrickmines - and this promises to make
Carrickmines look like a picnic

Time is ticking, and we need your help - please.

Tara, Skryne and the M3 Motorway

SYMPOSIUM
To be held on
SATURDAY, 13TH MARCH 2004
AT
ST COLUMBAN'S COLLEGE, DALGAN PARK,
NAVAN, CO. MEATH (3 miles south of Navan on N3)
From 2.00pm to 5.30pm
(optional pre-seminar visit to Hill of Tara: 11.30am-12.30)

The Meath Archaeological and Historical Society and the Save the Tara/Skryne
Valley Campaign are holding a Symposium on the impact that the proposed M3
will have on the Tara Skryne Valley. It will take place on Saturday the 13th
of March in Dalgan Park just south of Navan on the N3. The talks will take
place from 2.00 pm. - 5.30 p.m. and those in attendance are invited to visit
the Hill of Tara in the morning between 11.30 and 12.30 where there will be
guides to explain where the road will be and its visual impact on the area.
Admission is ?10 with a ?5 concession for students with a student card.

This event is intended as an information opportunity for the general public
and for specialists alike and to this end there are three different sessions
with a coffee break at 4.00 p.m.

The speakers in the first session, between 2.00 and 2.45 p.m., will be
Professor Alfred Smyth who is now Dean of Humanities in the University of
Canterbury but originally a native of Tara. The second speaker will be Dr
Edel Bhreathnach who worked on Tara as part of the Discovery Programme, a
government sponsored programme to explore Tara from the archaeological,
historical and literary points of view. Both speakers are experts in their
field and will explain the historical and cultural importance of the
Tara/Skryne area. Dr Bhreathnach is currently doing research in the Ó
Cléirigh Institute of Irish History, National University of Ireland, Dublin.

The second session will feature the two archaeologists who also worked on
the Discovery Programme and who now work in University College, Galway - Dr
Conor Newman who made a submission at the Oral Hearing and his colleague Dr
Joe Fenwick. The session will also include Mary Deevy who is the Meath
County Council project archaeologist.

These will be the pivotal talks as they will include a presentation by Dr
Fenwick of the geophysical surveys and the evidence for the sites on the
proposed route.

The Plenary session will be an open forum where the public may ask questions
of the various speakers. It is expected that there will a large number of
other academics present with an interest in archaeology, history and
literature.

The sessions will be chaired by Dr Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin, National
University of Ireland, Maynooth, Dr Brian Lacey, CEO of the Discovery
Programme. The Plenary session will be chaired by Professor Vincent
Comerford, National University of Ireland, Maynooth - a renowned historian.

If people wish to book their place they can write to Ann O'Reilly, Hon.
Treasurer, Rathfeigh, Tara, Co Meath.

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

2.00pm Introductions and welcome

2.05 - 2.45pm: Session I: Historical and cultural perspectives
Chaired by Dr Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin (NUI, Maynooth)
Speakers: Prof. Alfred Smyth (Dean of Humanities, Canterbury Univ)
Dr. Edel Bhreathnach (Ó Cléirigh Institute for Irish History, UCD)

2.50 - 4.00pm Session II: Archaeological perspectives
Chaired by Dr. Brian Lacy, CEO Discovery Programme
Speakers: Dr. Conor Newman, (Dept. of Archaeology, NUI, Galway)
Mary Deevy (Meath Co. Council Project Archaeologist)
Joe Fenwick (Dept. of Archaeology, NUI Galway)

4.00-4.15pm Tea/Coffee break

4.15-5.30pm Session III: Plenary discussion. Chaired by Prof. Vincent
Comerford (Dept. of History, NUI Maynooth)

Entrance charge 10.00 euro. Students and Senior Citizens: 5.00
Booking advisable

Booking form for symposium: "Tara, Skryne and the M3 Motorway"

Saturday, 13th March 2004, at St.Columban's College, Dalgan Park, Navan, Co.
Meath (2.00pm to 5.30pm). I/we would like to attend the symposium on Sat.
13th March.

Name(s) --------------------------------------------------------------------
-------. Tel/email: --------------------


Address --------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------

I/we enclose payment of ...... (10.00 euro; students and OAPs: 5.00)
Cheques to be made out to Meath Archaeological and Historical Society and
sent with completed booking form to: Mrs. Ann O'Reilly, Hon. Treasurer,
M.A.H.S., Rathfeigh, Tara, Co. Meath (tel. 041-9825135). Note: For those
wishing to take part in the visit to the Hill of Tara please meet outside
Tara church at 11.30am. Bring packed lunch or purchase locally.
Disclaimer: In accepting the invitation to visit any property it is
understood that neither Meath Archaeological and Historical Society, the
Save Tara-Skryne Valley Group nor the owners of properties visited shall
have any liability whatsoever for any injury, damage or loss sustained by
you or any person on whose behalf you are accepting.

PETITION at http://www.taraskryne.org

CONTACT:

Julitta Clancy, Secretary of STSV
Meath Archaeological and Historical Society

01 825 9438 julitta1@...
Vincent Salafia, STSV Public Relations Officer
salafiam@... 087-132-3365

Dr Muireann Ni Bhrolchain, Spokesperson STSV
NUI Maynooth
01 708-3711 Muireann.NiBhrolchain@...

HILL OF TARA AND M3 MOTORWAY
The Irish Times Letter to the Editor 23.02.04
Madam, - The Hill of Tara constitutes the heart and soul of Ireland. Our
ceremonial and mythical capital, its very name invokes the spirit and
mystique of our people, and is instantly recognisable worldwide.An Bord
Pleanála's recent approval of the Government's scheme to divide the
Tara/Skryne valley with the M3 motorway spells out a massive national and
international tragedy that must be averted.This narrow valley is one of the
most culturally and archaeologically significant places in the world. Many
monuments predate the Egyptian pyramids. The chamber within Tara's Mound of
the Hostages is perfectly aligned with the full moon of Lughnasa and the
rising sun of Samhain and Imbolg.The Hill of Tara has been a sanctuary for
every generation since. It is precisely because it has remained intact,
unlike many comparable Continental sites, that it holds a special key to
understanding the continuous progression of European civilisation.We are
only just beginning to understand and appreciate
how the Mound relates to the hundreds of other monuments in this
archaeological complex, many of which will be destroyed if the valley is
sliced in two.The Hill of Skryne, containing the 12th-century Skryne Castle,
is also a national monument and an early religious and ritual centre. Both
Tara and Skryne are part of the same cultural and natural landscape of The
Boyne Valley and cannot be separated from the River Boyne, or from each
other.Let us be clear: excavation is destruction, not "preservation" in the
true sense. Moreover, serious questions have now been raised in the Dáil as
to the standard of "preservation by record", with over 1,500 excavation
reports currently missing.Every effort should be made to preserve national
monuments in situ, according to stated Government policy, as well as the
Council of Europe's Valetta Convention (The European Convention on the
Protection of the Archaeological Heritage), to which Ireland is a
signatory.The Convention Concerning the Protection
of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, signed by Ireland in Paris, in
1972, resolved to protect parts of the cultural or natural heritage that are
of outstanding universal value and therefore need to be preserved as part of
the world heritage of mankind as a whole.Tara warrants UNESCO protection, if
ever an Irish site did.We call on the Government, particularly the
Taoiseach, the Minister for Transport and the Minister for the Environment,
Heritage and Local Government to review this decision and choose one of the
many intelligent options that are still available. These include: improving
the existing N3, as per the original advertised scheme; re-opening the
Navan-Dublin railway line, which is widely supported in the locality; or
simply moving the M3 away from this delicate archaeological landscape.In the
alternative, we ask our public servants to place these viable options before
the Irish nation, openly and democratically, and let Irish taxpayers decide
for themselves if their
money should be spent destroying this singular element of Irish identity. -
Yours, etc.,Dr EDEL BHREATHNACH, Mícheál Ó Cléirigh Institute, University
College, Dublin;
FRANCIS JOHN BYRNE, Early Irish Historian;
NICHOLAS CANNY, Department of History, University College, Galway;
MÁIREAD CAREW, Archaeologist and writer;
PROF THOMAS CHARLES-EDWARDS, Faculty of Modern History, Oxford University;
JULITTA CLANCY MBE, Meath Archaeological and Historical Society;
Prof THOMAS OWEN CLANCY, Department of Celtic, University of Glasgow;
Dr HOWARD CLARKE, School of History, University College, Dublin;
Dr MARK CLINTON, Archaeologist and writer;
Prof CHARLIE DOHERTY, Department of History, University College, Dublin;
Dr SEÁN DUFFY, FTCD, Department of History, Trinity College, Dublin;
MÁIRE HERBERT, Department of Old Irish, University College, Cork;
Prof BART JASKI, Celtic Department, University of Utrecht;
Dr RAIMUND KARL, Department of History and Welsh History, University of
Wales, Bangor;
Prof MÍCHEÁL MAC CRAITH, Department of Modern Irish, NUI, Galway;
Prof KIM McCONE, Department of Medieval Irish Studies, NUI Maynooth;
Prof NEIL MCLEOD, Murdoch University, Australia;
Prof JOSEPH NAGY, Department of English, University of California, Los
Angeles;
Dr MUIREANN NÍ BHROLCHÁIN, Department of Medieval Irish Studies, NUI
Maynooth;
Dr MÁIRE NÍ NEACHTAIN, Department of Irish, University of Limerick;
KENNETH NICHOLS, Retired statutory lecturer, University College, Cork;
Prof TOMÁS Ó CATHASAIGH, Irish Studies, Harvard University;
DONNCHADH Ó CORRÁIN, Department of History, University College, Cork;
DÁIBHÍ Ó CRÓINÍN, Department of History, NUI Galway, ;
VINCENT SALAFIA, Save Tara/Skryne Valley Campaign, PO Box 30, Tara, Co
Meath;
Prof RUAIRI Ó hUIGINN, Department of Modern Irish, NUI Maynooth;
Prof ALFRED SMYTH, Chair of Medieval History, Canterbury University;
PÁDRAIGÍN RIGGS, Department of Modern Irish, University College, Cork;
Dr NANCY STENSON, Department of Linguistics, University of Minnesota,
Minneapolis;
Rev Dr R. STIEFEL, University of New Hampshire.


_____________________________________________
Ellen Evert Hopman, herbalist, author and Druid Priestess
See her books,videos and audio tapes at
http://saille333.home.mindspring.com/willow.html
"To see God everywhere you have to have special eyes, otherwise you cannot
bear the shock."
- Neem Karoli Baba