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030309

Protesters' disgust at ongoing construction of M3 at time of economic recession

As Galway has a huge support network for the Tara M3 protest, a few buskathons were held to fundraise for a coach of Cultural Protecters to visit the Gabhra Valley. So on the 03/03/09, young and old turned up bright and early to catch the Tara Bus. A few showers of rain and a cold wind could not dampen the spirits as the good people of Galway converged in Eyre Square. There was plenty of time to get to know one another as the land between Galway and Tara flew past the windows. On the bus music was played, leaflets were handed out and a talk was given on Tara's history and the damage the illegal and unnecessary M3 is doing to the Gabhra Valley

Once we arrived in the valley it was decided to pay a visit to the main Eurolink and Ferrovial offices in Cooksland, just outside Dunshaughlin. Much to the dismay of the Irish nation, in a time of global financial crisis, work on the M3 is continuing. We wished to convey our absolute disgust to the co ordinators of this illegal toll-road about the blatant waste of money, the corruption, the environmental damage and the cultural vandalism. The long convoy of buses and cars departed from the Hill of Tara and pulled up outside the compound. The gates were closed as we were approaching, so we climbed under and over the fence. In flooded the tide of indignant men, women and children, wanting to know why had this travesty been allowed? Why had the love of so many generations been so affronted after all this time; its relics so lovingly woven into the landscape over previous ages and left as a reminder for our future. They are now cast aside like an embarrassment, Tara is bulldozed debris, swept under the rug of mass consumer culture. Commuters have not been informed that this double tolled road will not solve the traffic problems. Protesters demanded to see those responsible for working on this abominable road, but the only answer the ignorant thugs of SIAC Ferrovial could give us was to slam the office doors in our faces, yet again offering the people more violent thuggery. There was nothing unusual about this, it was typical of what we have seen of SIAC Ferrovial over the last few years. The most abusive, racist and violent workers on the M3 are worth naming and shaming – Mark Cleary, Marcus Hargreaves and MD Security. It is also worth noting that not one single member of the M3 staff could justify the construction of the motorway, and turned their heads away with embarrassment. Luckily some of the protesters had managed to get inside the site offices and as they went in search of the answers so many of us now demand, others stayed in support outside. The security guards and office workers reacted in the only way that they know how, scuffles broke out both inside and outside the offices. As protesters tried to calm the workers down, one of the protesters had his mobile phone stolen by security. No one was shocked, and when we were told that the phone was now in the hands of the Garda Siochana we didn't believe it for a moment. The Sargent on the site seemed to doubt the theft ever happened, and was most rude and unhelpful. So, instead we mounted a peaceful protest outside the compound to demand its return. Once more we saw the devious tactics of the SIAC Ferrovial “security advisor” at work - as construction vehicles were summoned to the compound; a pretence was made by their drivers that they could not get into the compound because of our group, thus upsetting the public in a traffic jam behind the construction vehicle. This is a tactic that protesters have seen before on the Tara M3 project, it is the form of entrapment used in July 2007 at Soldier's Hill, now the Blundelstown interchange. 7 peaceful protesters were arrested and 4 of them were imprisoned for "obstructing" the public highway even though the obstruction was in fact caused by SIAC Ferrovial vehicles refusing to take reasonable measures to keep traffic moving. Eventually the mobile phone was returned and protesters decided to leave.

Later that afternoon the convoy of buses and cars was brought up to an M3 construction site ,and, like much of this section of the M3, the road is currently being surfaced. There are many overhead bridges in place and steam rollers, tarmac machines, jeeps, vans, diggers; many huge Volvo 6 wheel dump trucks transporting stone back and forth. Construction workers were shocked to see so many concerned members of the public enter the site at this stage of construction, they hung their heads in shame. Perhaps they had mistakenly believed that objections to their disgusting road and its savage scarring of the face of Irish heritage would just fade away. But as we see, they have grievously underestimated the strength of the people's love for Tara, and the continued depth of feeling against the abominable M3 through the Tara Skryne Valley. Irish citizens and their friends from around the world felt moved to blockade the site, halting all construction work. It took a long time for the Gardai to arrive, eventually they did and ordered us to depart from the construction site.

Once back on the Hill of Tara, a guided tour was given by a fully qualified and experienced archaeologist. He explained the value of the sacred Gabhra Valley, and how Tara is not just the hill but a massive archaeological complex, one of the most unique and important in the world. It was obvious from this the M3 is doing very serious damage to Tara, the heart of Ireland.

The security men were completely dazzled by the day's events and so when we visited the National Monument in Lismullin – The Woodhenge, they became extremely frustrated and childlike. We were almost finished our job of measuring the monument by marking the circumference of The Woodhenge when Mark Cleary and Marcus Hargreaves arrived to us, without a hardhat on a construction site I would like to add!

No arrests were made on this day, we maintained a peaceful and cheerful presence amongst the violence, verbal abuse, theft and stench of corruption all around us. It is particularly galling to witness the so called Guardians of the Peace (Garda Siochana) aid the construction of this illegal motorway in every way possible, whilst ignoring the pleas of the protesters to uphold the law and end the violence and destruction of this beautiful landscape.

When the Day of Action was over, the protesters arrived back at the Tara Solidarity Vigil beside Rath Maeve for a music session. There were guitars, drums, whistles and may it be known the Tara crew are an incredibly talented group of bards and musicians alike. There is usually a crowd of people at the camp, a great atmosphere and the kettle is always on. Supporters of Tara are always welcome.

It is late in the day. Lots of damage has been done both inside and outside the Gabhra Valley. But as promised, protesters continue to bring their message of defiance and dignity to the thugs of SIAC Ferrovial and sub contractors, benefactors, supporters and suppliers alike such as:

Noel Dempsey

Dick Roche

John Gormley

Navan Shopping Centre

MD Security

Coillte

Navan Hire

Wills Bros

Fallons

Keating's Oil

Shell

Conform

ACS (Archaeological Consultancy Services), Drogheda

Ford

OPW (Office of Public Works)

Michael Slavin's Bookshop on Hill of Tara

Garda Siochana

Howley's

We urge you all now to boycott the above list, and organise peaceful demonstrations at their premises, write letters of complaint regarding their deliberate direct contribution to the violent destruction of the ancient Tara complex. Contact details of all of these companies can be found on the internet.

We will continue to campaign for the only solution to the Tara/M3 disaster – the “Turning Point” or the”Meath MASTER (Meath Archaeological Sustainable Transport Economic Region) Plan”. Tara Protesters will not cease until the entire Tara complex is preserved.

We look forward to seeing many successful Tara Days of Action over the coming months from every corner of the world. If you feel you would like to see such a bus from your town and may like to help organise one please contact (00 353) 86 1537 146 or (00 353) 86 1758 557. See www.tarapixie.net for more details.

It is never too late to show our love of Ireland's heritage, our respect for the spirit of our this sacred land.

It is never to late for Tara .

Come to Tara, Come to Tara, Come to Tara, Come to Tara, Come to Tara, Come to Tara, Come to Tara

tarapiXie Blog from August 2007 - September 2008