The beauty of Tara.
Two years ago, the Irish government approved a plan for a 37-mile stretch of highway to ease commuting to and from Dublin that will cut a swath through the landscape only a mile from Tara, the traditional seat of the Irish high kings. Since then the road-building has been delayed by protests–from archeologists, historians, cultural critics, and local citizens–as well as the discovery of a major prehistoric site in May that may date back to the Stone Age.
But the delays were temporary. In August, Irish planning authorities gave the okay for work to continue right through the recently uncovered ruins, once they were excavated and recorded.
Many opponents are calling this new stretch of the M3 “the road to ruin,” and fear that important historical artifacts–not to mention the panoramic face of the landscape–will be lost in the march of progress so close to the spot where St. Patrick reputedly began his conversion of the Irish to Christianity.
For more information on the project and how you can help stop it, visit www.tarawatch.org. Look for the “Save Tara” button on this site which will take you there.
Other things you can do:
Sign an online petition at www.petitiononline.com/hilltara/
Send a letter to a newspaper. Instructions at: www.hilloftara.info
Write to politicians. Instructions at: www.hilloftara.info
Join the discussion group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hilloftara/
To read about a planned protest by a group of Irish harpers (the harp is part of Ireland’s coat of arms) on September 22, go to www.myspace.com/TaraHarpers