RATH LUGH UPDATE — updated

THURS MORNING 20th MARCH
Bull­doz­er plough­ing into Esker. Gar­da Riot Van with shields on win­dow at Lis­mullin and cement mix­er on road from Lis­mullin approach. Pro­tec­tors have not react­ed yet.

Sit­u­a­tion tense. Sup­port­ers need­ed. Bring phone cred­it, cam­era and video equip­ment etc. Stand­by.

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There are 50 secu­ri­ty at rath lugh, and secu­ri­ty walk­ing through the camps in the woods prepar­ing for the evic­tion, we need more peo­ple urgent­ly!!!!
Please bring, poly prop, for walk ways in the trees, batteries,video equip­ment, cam­eras., warm blan­kets and food, any sup­port would be grate­ful­ly recieved thanks

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Mas­sive pres­ence of Secu­ri­ty and Work­ers esti­mat­ed now at 100.
3 Riot Vans in the vicin­i­ty.
2 Dig­gers work­ing on the Esker.
2 Fer­rovial tak­ing pho­tographs of tents and ben­ders.
Jour­nal­ist talk­ing to Squeek.

Help need­ed urgent­ly.

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FRI 21ST MARCH

8.30am — at least 8 dig­gers
6 Gar­daí and about 40 Con­struc­tion Work­ers bring­ing in top­soil and earth at Rath Lugh.
They are not work­ing on shoring up the esker but on actu­al con­struc­tion.
Over 40 Secu­ri­ty are lin­ing BOTH sides of the route at RL.

…

NRA con­trac­tors cut into Rath Lugh Mon­u­ment near Tara

The mound upon which ancient Rath Lugh rests is now being sliced for the M3 Motor­way.

Good Fri­day News­flash from the Tara Foun­da­tion:

The mound upon which ancient Rath Lugh rests is now being sliced for the M3 Motor­way.

The Nation­al Roads Author­i­ty has stat­ed work is advanc­ing on the M3 motor­way in the area close to Rath Lugh where pro­tes­tors have set up camp. Up to fifty Gar­daí are said to be at the scene.

The NRA says it is putting in place what is known as a ‘box cut’, which out­lines the road’s route. It is also build­ing a quib wall and secu­ri­ty fenc­ing. It says the steps are being tak­en for health and safe­ty rea­sons, and with the advice and con­sent of the Gar­daí.

The NRA alleges that work­ers at Rath Lugh are being intim­i­dat­ed by pro­tes­tors, and that a civ­il under­stand­ing reached with Lisa Feeney allow­ing for the fenc­ing to be put in place has not been hon­oured. Pre­vi­ous­ly the NRA had claimed that no agree­ment was reached with the tun­nel pro­tes­tor.

Pro­test­ers say Ms Feeney only agreed to come out of the tun­nel on the night of 15th March 2008, after a deal was struck on with the Nation­al Roads Author­i­ty to halt work at the mon­u­ment for a month.
On 17th March, St. Patrick­’s Day, Lisa Feeney stat­ed that she had a “whale of time” under­ground and was pleased to have won a month-long mora­to­ri­um on work at the site.

Work will not begin at Rath Lugh until April 17th, Lisa Feeney stat­ed, giv­ing M3 oppo­nents enough time to mount fur­ther legal chal­lenges to this con­tentious sec­tion of the road, which they say is too close to impor­tant her­itage sites.
“There is a Supreme Court chal­lenge in three weeks, so that will give us enough time to pre­pare for that”, said Ms. Feeney.

Min­is­ter for the Envi­ron­ment and Green Par­ty mem­ber John Gorm­ley vis­it­ed the Rath Lugh mon­u­ment on March 20th, where he dis­cussed preser­va­tion issues around the site with the Department’s archae­ol­o­gists. Min­is­ter Gorm­ley did not vis­it the M3 site or speak with pro­tes­tors. A spokesman for the Depart­ment said that the Min­is­ter is sat­is­fied that mea­sures being pro­posed by the NRA will pro­tect the nation­al momu­ment at Rath Lugh.

On March 1st, Poet and Nobel lau­re­ate Séa­mus Heaney described the M3 motor­way as a ruth­less des­e­cra­tion of the sacred land­scape around the Hill of Tara.
Dr Jonathan Foyle, British chief exec­u­tive of the World Mon­u­ments Fund, which placed Tara on its endan­gered sites list last year, likened the M3 motor­way near the Hill of Tara to the destruc­tion by Afghanistan’s Tal­iban regime in 2001 of the Bamiyan Bud­dhas.

Scrap the M3 Motor­way, which will increase Car­bon Emis­sions. Sup­port a com­pre­hen­sive rail­way sys­tem for Dublin and Meath!!!

Emer­gency call-out: Protests are ongo­ing on Rath Lugh and Sol­diers Hill near Tara. As many peo­ple as pos­si­ble are need­ed for the protests:
Protest Every Day at Sol­diers Hill — but espe­cial­ly every Fri­day at 3pm

Direc­tions to the Rath Lugh Camp:

By Car: Take the N3 from Dublin. Tara is halfway between Dun­shaugh­lin and Navan. At Ross Cross, there is a pub on the left called “Tara na Ri”, a yel­low build­ing with flat roof. Turn right here towards Skryne and Duleek. Go straight, and take the first right towards Skryne. This is a very windy road, and wood­lands will be on the right hand side. Go straight through the crossoroads. Rath Lugh camp is on the right, on the sharp bend on the road. The entrance is a gap in the woods, usu­al­ly with a few cars parked on the side of the road.

By Bus: Dai­ly bus­es from Busáras, Dublin City Cen­tre. Take the N3 towards Navan. Ask to get off at the Tara Na Ri Pub and fol­low direc­tions above.
For fur­ther infor­ma­tion: 0035386 1537146

Direc­tions for the Tara Camp:

By Car: Take the N3 and then turn left at the Tara sign­post

By Bus: Take either the Navan, Kells or Cavan bus, depart­ing Busáras. Ask to get off after Tara Cross at the Lis­mullen bus stop and it is a short walk from there.

The vig­il camp is locat­ed near the car-park at the Hill of Tara, about 200 metres on the right and a lit­tle in from the road. There are sign posts from the car-park.
For fur­ther infor­ma­tion: 0035386 175 8557

To ring from NI or UK- replace first zero with 00353