Demo @ Fine Gael HQ, re M3/Tara, Wed 23 May@11am

glen.girl

On Wednesday, 23 May at 11am, TaraWatch will stage a demonstration outside Fine Gael party headquarters at 51 Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2, in response to Enda Kenny's failure to state his party's position with regard to the M3 motorway.

To date, the Greens, Sinn Fein and Labour have issued statements in support of a reroute of the M3 motorway out of the Tara-Skryne Valley. With polling day imminent, TaraWatch believes that the electorate has the right to know where Fine Gael stands on this issue.

"Enda Kenny needs to step up to the plate and show some creative
problem-solving and leadership ability here, particularly in light of
the fact that 70 per cent of people surveyed nationally want the M3
re-routed." , stated activist Vincent Salafia, speaking at a TCD conference this week.

At this Wednesday's demonstration, TaraWatch shall invite Fine Gael to state their position on the matter, so that the public be fully informed when casting their vote on Thursday.

All are welcome to attend, bring banners, friends and enthusiasm!

Related Link: http://www.tarawatch.org

Dave!

hmmm you picked a bad day to hold this demonstration, because tomorrow from 7.30am the media have a 24-hour blackout where they can't discuss the election, the candidates, or the parties on TV or radio. Your demonstration won't be heard by many I'm afraid.

stepbar

glen.girl wrote:

On Wednesday, 23 May at 11am, TaraWatch will stage a demonstration outside Fine Gael party headquarters at 51 Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2, in response to Enda Kenny's failure to state his party's position with regard to the M3 motorway.

To date, the Greens, Sinn Fein and Labour have issued statements in support of a reroute of the M3 motorway out of the Tara-Skryne Valley. With polling day imminent, TaraWatch believes that the electorate has the right to know where Fine Gael stands on this issue.

"Enda Kenny needs to step up to the plate and show some creative
problem-solving and leadership ability here, particularly in light of
the fact that 70 per cent of people surveyed nationally want the M3
re-routed." , stated activist Vincent Salafia, speaking at a TCD conference this week.

At this Wednesday's demonstration, TaraWatch shall invite Fine Gael to state their position on the matter, so that the public be fully informed when casting their vote on Thursday.

All are welcome to attend, bring banners, friends and enthusiasm!

Related Link: http://www.tarawatch.org

In fairness should you not be camping outside FF HQ? or even better the Election HQ?

Then again one has to wonder how it was missed in the first place....

DaveMcG

DaveMcG wrote:

hmmm you picked a bad day to hold this demonstration, because tomorrow from 7.30am the media have a 24-hour blackout where they can't discuss the election, the candidates, or the parties on TV or radio. Your demonstration won't be heard by many I'm afraid.

Yeah, I was wondering if they knew about this. How very silly.

athtrasna

stepbar wrote:

In fairness should you not be camping outside FF HQ? or even better the Election HQ?

Absolutely! Enda Kenny isn't based at HQ so you'll achieve absolutely nothing while getting minimal if any press coverage. Looks like the NRA weren't the only people not exactly clued in.....

What is this Tara thing?

athtrasna

In a nutshell it's history/heritage v infrastructure.....the M3 is badly needed according to most of the population of Meath but they've found ancient ruins along the path of the road. Which wins?

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

AidoCQS

All I am going to say is....

Thats going to be some roundabout

Winters

daveirl wrote:

This post has been deleted.

As 99% of the locals want the road built.

If you look, most of the people that complain about the road or protest about it do not live in the aera. Another thing is if you put a shovel anywhere in Meath you will dig up some sort of ainchent relic. The place is full of them.

thelepo

daveirl wrote:

This post has been deleted.

Archeaological digs have been ongoing in Tara for quite some time now. The digs are a very costly affair and have thus been less frequent than people would like. Peopleare studying it. I'm doing medieval Irish and Celtic Studies in Maynooth, so I'm studying it.

The post with regard the choice between the M3 and Tara is a misrepresentation, the protestors, archaeologists and academics propose a rerouting of the motorway, not its complete halt. They are not so blind as to think that the area does not need the motorway. The original planning for the motorway included alternative routes that would not impinge upon the site.

Winters post is hardly factually sound. Tara's signifigance as an archaeological site is undisputed as the primary locaton for medieval (and pre-medieval) Irish heritage in the country. As I have said above, the protests are not about the road itself, but the proposed course that it will take.

Zaph

Winters wrote:

If you look, most of the people that complain about the road or protest about it do not live in the aera.

That's true, just look at the idiot who was taking out all sorts of injunctions over the M50 at Carrickmines even though he lived in Kerry. There really should be some sort of restrictions put on that sort of thing.

thelepo

Yes, protecting ones national heritage shold have restrictios placed upon it. Read my previous post, the opposition is to the route and not to the motorway itself. Here is a pullout from the advocate student newspaper in Maynooth explaining the situation in Tara in full, I sugest you read it, http://www.minds.nuim.ie/~zero/theadvocate/Tara%20segment.pdf

thelepo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtdK6ytIBg0

Padraig Mor

zaph wrote:

That's true, just look at the idiot who was taking out all sorts of injunctions over the M50 at Carrickmines even though he lived in Kerry. There really should be some sort of restrictions put on that sort of thing.

You mean Vincent Salafia? From the OP, it seems that this luddite extraordinaire was organising this hilariously-timed demo. What a surprise!

thelepo

These are the findings of the RED C poll on the topic of the M3 motorway and the Tara/Skryne valley.,
The full results are available here, http://www.savetara.com/Download/SurveyResults.pdf

 1 in 3 of all adults 18+ claim to have ‘No knowledge before today’ of the proposed new M3 tolled Motorway routed through the
Tara/Skryne Valley. This increases to 2 in 3 females under 25, those who are unemployed and 1 in 2 of all those who are single and
those aged 18-24.

 Over 1 in 2 (55%) agree that the proposed new motorway ‘Should not go through the Tara/Skryne Valley’. However only 1 in 4
disagree with this statement, those aged 55+ particularly males, those retired and those aware of the proposal are more likely than the
average to be in favour of the motorway with a higher proportion disagreeing with the statement.

 ‘Proposed new motorway should go ahead but outside the Tara/Skryne Valley - almost 7 in 10 agree with this statement, this is
higher among the younger population, particularly males. Of those who believe the motorway should not go through the Tara/Skryne
Valley over 4 in 5 agree that the motorway should go ahead outside the Tara/Skryne Valley.

 ‘I believe the government gave enough consideration to alternative solutions such as Navan/Dublin rail link’ - Respondents are
split on this statement with 1 in 3 both agreeing and disagreeing and the remaining third not commiting. Those agreeing are more likely
to be males, 65+ and retired. Those who believe the motorway should go through the Tara/Skryne Vally are more likely to agree with
this statement. Those disagreeing are farmers, students and those fully aware of the proposal before today.

 Almost half of the adult population (47%) believe the new motorway ‘Should go ahead’, slightly higher among males, 55+, those
married/living as married, living in Rest of Leinster and those who agree that the motorway should go through the Tara/Skryne Valley.

 ‘I believe Tara/Skryne Valley should be made a world heritage site/national park’ – Over 2 in 3 of all adults 18+ agree with this.
This increases among males under 25, farmers, full time students, those living as married and those who feel the motorway should not
go through the Tara/Skryne Valley or should not go ahead.
Summary of key findings

Nevyn

Honestly the road needs to be built, but the amendend to the 2004 hertigage act needs to be recinded and the road rerouted slightly to take into consideration of the find of the 3 stone henges.

wow sierra

Preserving ones heritage is a complex issue - I am in favour of preserving our National heritage. In my opinion the most important aspect of our heritage to preserve is our native language, which I do by promoting it and speaking it. I am also a big supporter of GAA - a unique and vibrant part of our culture and I am involved in Irish dance. I have a degree in History and find it disturbing that the number of people studying history at leaving cert level is dropping. I holiday in Ireland regularly and have visited a huge number of our important heritage/historical sites. I often wonder if the people who object to every development under the sun are really that interested in our heritage or are they just anti establishment/anti development.

I think this road needs to be built urgently and I find the opposition to it to be an overreacation. Ireland is a country so rich in Heritage that it is just not possible to preserve it all. There have to be restrictions and some level of realism in what it is practical to achieve.

vallo

"... he acts for private business, as represented by the NRA"

I watched the vid, but this line jarred. Are the NRA not of govt body? Where is the private business link?

I fully agree that the M3 should be re-routed .. it seems like a no-brainer.

And speaking of no-brainers, I cannot abide minister Cullen - a complete tosser as far as I am concerned.

But can anyone explain to me why they won't re-route? Why not go for the win-win with conservation and progress?

vallo

... and jeeez I forgot to add, why the **** are you giving Fine Gael a hard time over this?
I think your campaign needs to hire a new strategic planner (someone who has a basic grasp of logic) and a new PR guy (who is aware of not planning protests that conincide with media blackout days).

And despite the aggressive tone of the preceding lines I genuinely support your ideals and wish you luck.

axer

thelepo wrote:

Tara's signifigance as an archaeological site is undisputed as the primary locaton for medieval (and pre-medieval) Irish heritage in the country.

You should read Hand of History, Touchstone of Truth which challenges Tara's significance in pre-medieval times.

athtrasna

Anyone hear anything about this demo today? Did anyone show up?