Work stopped on the N3

[ludermor]

Is this a new record, 1 day after work started
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1822781&issue_id=15575

Discovery of prehistoric site hits Tara M-way work

ADVERTISEMENT

 
 
Archeologists digging at the new find on the M3 near the Hill Of Tara 





ENVIRONMENT Minister Dick Roche has ordered that work be stopped on the controversial M3 motorway near the Hill of Tara, because of the discovery of an important national monument right in its path.

Just 24 hours after Transport Minister Martin Cullen turned the sod on the €850m Meath road project, tools have been downed after archaeologists discovered a pre-Christian site in the Tara/Skreen Valley.

The large circular enclosure, about the size of three football fields, is clearly visible and was probably used for rituals in the Iron Age or Bronze Age.

Yesterday, Environment Minister Dick Roche said he was consulting with the National Museum after the National Monuments Service inspected the site.

The discovery of the first national monument along the M3 route is vindication for opponents of the motorway who claimed it should have been rerouted to avoid the Hill of Tara and risk damaging the country's richest archaeological landscape.

The National Museum had also opposed the route.

Yesterday, the Department of the Environment confirmed that during the course of excavations two circular enclosures were found with evidence of an entrance and passageway from the outer enclosure to the inner enclosure.

"The monument has been heavily truncated by ploughing in the past and the surviving features are shallow and fragile," a statement said.

"No works which would interfere with the monument may be carried out, except works urgently required to secure its preservation, carried out in accordance with measures specified by the minister."

But the statement added: "The minister is advised the surviving elements of the monument are extremely fragile, underlining the need for an early decision on how to proceed."

Yesterday, the Campaign to Save Tara said it was "jubilant" at the find, adding surveys carried out as part of the route selection process for the M3 should have found the artefact.

"It had been the Save Tara Campaign that first alerted the National Museum to the potential significance of the Lismullen site, which is within 100 metres of the Rath Lugh monument and directly within the path of the proposed motorway," spokesman Michael Canny said.

"The Lismullen site had not been accurately identified during the initial archaeological survey of the route and the discovery of a henge, almost 80 metres in diameter and comprising of two concentric circles, caused surprise to the archaeological contractor and near-apoplexy at the National Roads Authority."

Another group, Tarawatch, said it was 'legally incumbent' on the minister to halt works, place a preservation order on the site, and reroute the M3 motorway like he did in Waterford in 2005 when he rerouted the N25 to avoid a large Viking site in Woodstown.

It is understood the director of the National Museum, Pat Wallace, will respond to the minister on the submission from the National Monuments Service by the end of this week.

The National Roads Authority said that it would meet all its statutory requirements and was liaising with the department and the National Museum.

[Declan]

There's a surprise. Go digging around Tara and discover an ancient monument!!!

The obvious solution was to link the N3 south of Navan to the N/M2 as the proposed N/M3 is less than 5 miles from the route of the N/M2 but sure that'd be called planning.

Route selection had nothing to do with the developers buyng up all the land around the proposed interchanges though!!

[Gnevin]

The minister said yesterday on newstalk that it was only a small section where the work had stopped but with this route it was always going happen

[magpie seanie]

To be honest what the f**k use are these monuments? Newsflash: People lived thousands of years ago - WOW!

Ah, don't mind me. Just have some previous with this type of thing.....

[Gnevin]

To be honest what the f**k use are these monuments? Newsflash: People lived thousands of years ago - WOW!

Ah, don't mind me. Just have some previous with this type of thing.....

If it's a pile of rocks like Carickmines Castle , then it should be documented but not stop the road but if they are of historical importance its a whole different story

[cavanmaniac]

Why couldn't they just keep all sides happy and re-route the thing in the first place? How did they think they'd get through that area without hitting on some sort of site that needs preserving?

Am I right in thinking that a 'safe' alternative route was drawn up but decided against, in favour of going through sensitive areas instead? Madness. Move the f**king thing a few miles to one side and get on with it, and less of the bollocksing about thanks very much.

[Bord na Mona man]

Perhaps this could be a stage managed find, to allow the road to be moved without an embarrassing u-turn?

It's hard to know what to do with the M3. Is it going to end up being more delayed, costly and hassle to pursue the current route? Perhaps just taking the hit and moving it elsewhere would save time and money in the long run.

While I'm all for preserving important heritage, I don't always trust the people who object to every development, sometimes on spurious grounds. They've cried wolf so often at this stage, that I have my doubts that anything of great importance is being lost by this motorway.

[Pangurban]

The predictable result of what was a stupid and disgraceful decision to allow this Road follow this route

[stephenite]

Just 24 hours after Transport Minister Martin Cullen turned the sod on the €850m Meath road project, tools have been downed after archaeologists discovered a pre-Christian site in the Tara/Skreen Valley.

The large circular enclosure, about the size of three football fields, is clearly visible and was probably used for rituals in the Iron Age or Bronze Age.

Am I mising something - surely to f**k if it's the size of three football fields and the sod was only turned 24 hours previously, then the whole thing was visible since, well the Iron age or Bronze age. Ergo - someone would've pulled the entire project or delayed the "turning of the sod" until it was investigated ??

Something stinks here

[turk]

Perhaps this could be a stage managed find, to allow the road to be moved without an embarrassing u-turn?

I thought that too BnM Man, yea, good man

[blast05]

Perhaps this could be a stage managed find, to allow the road to be moved without an embarrassing u-turn?

I would agree completely. There is no way given the surveying techniques that such a significant find could have been missed. However, and maybe some of the Meath lads could calrify, the site at Lismullen where this was found is a good few miles from the Hill ofTara and is outside the range of the extended Hill ofTara complex. Is Lismullen not between Waterstown and Johnsotwn and thus at least 3 to 4 miles from the Hill of Tara.

Regardless, just document it, excavate it and move on. Those that matter, the people commuting from Navan etc, don't i am sure give a sh*te about monuments and with new traffic lights in Dunshaughlin their life is only going to get worse

[Hardy]

I don't know where exactly in Lismullen the site is, but the townland of Lismullen would extend from about a mile and a quarter to nearly two miles from the Hill of Tara (as the crow flies).

[Declan]

the site at Lismullen where this was found is a good few miles from the Hill ofTara and is outside the range of the extended Hill ofTara complex. Is Lismullen not between Waterstown and Johnsotwn and thus at least 3 to 4 miles from the Hill of Tara.

Not sure exactly where the find was but Lismullen is a couple of miles east of the Hill of Tara and would have been regarded as in the general Tara/Skryne valley area. The whole area is archaelogically rich and the obvious route was east along the N2 route and then link up to the N3/M3 south of Navan.

new traffic lights in Dunshaughlin their life is only going to get worse

No they're great - at least I can get out onto the main road now!!!!

[blast05]

http://spailpin.blogspot.com/

The Spailpin on the case

[his holiness nb]

The obvious solution was to link the N3 south of Navan to the N/M2 as the proposed N/M3 is less than 5 miles from the route of the N/M2 but sure that'd be called planning.

Feck off Declan, the queues around the snailbox are bad enough in the mornings without the entire N3 joining in!