Tara Awareness March

Monday November 06, 2006 17:37

by Muireann Ni Bhrolchain - Save Tara

Held Navan, Co Meath November 4 2006

The March began at the old railway station in Navan town at Railway Street to draw attention to the fact that this alternative mode of transport has not been seriously considered by the planners. A large crowd gathered, long time campaigners, new campaigners, families with small children who had their faces painted, sported Save Tara stickers and carried balloons.

People gathering

Mickey Mouse and Shrek added to the carnival atmosphere as the March wove its way through the streets of Navan to the car park at the Shopping Centre. The streets were filled with Saturday shoppers and curious onlookers who willingly took leaflets and contributed to the Save the TaraSkryne Valley Group who were collecting for their future activities on the day. There were reporters from various newspapers, video cameras and many photographers present to record the occasion.

Members of the Solidarity Vigil on Tara carried the flame that has been kept alight since before the Summer Solstice and one of the keepers addressed the crowd.
Ciarán Cuffe the Environment Spokesperson for the Green Party began the speeches and he spoke with great passion and conviction. He said that Tara had been a ‘holy place and a sacred space’ for thousands of years and that ‘Before Christ was born, Tara was sacred. In the 19th century, Tara was sacred, and in the 21st century we have to keep Tara as a sacred place.’ He said it would be ‘an act of sacrilege’ to drive a motorway through the Tara shrine valley. ‘It would be the most disrespectful act to our history, to our heritage and to future generations’. He re-iterated very strongly his Party’s support for the campaign that has been the case for the last number of years.

Among the others who spoke were Martin Hogan, an independent candidate for the upcoming Senate elections, Percy Jordan and Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin who said that the March was also supported by the Labour Party and that both Eamon Gilmore and M.D. Higgins has sent messages to the organisers. She asked that people boycott those politicians who were responsible for this decision and singled out Minister Noel Dempsey who had been Minister for the Environment when the decision was taken.

M.D. Higgins gave his full support to the March and said: ‘I believe that this is an appalling decision which will affect not only this generation, but generations to come. There needs to be a change made in legislation to stop decisions being made which will have such an influence on future generations of Irish people. This has important implications not only for the people of Meath, but for people throughout Ireland’.
The Labour Party Environment spokesman, Eamon Gilmore said: ‘The Labour Party opposes the construction of a motorway through the Tara/Skryne Valley. In the Dáil, we have proposed that the contract for the M3 be split, to allow for the re-routing of the road, to avoid Tara. We believe that the transport needs of the people of Meath and beyond can and should be met, without irreparable damage to the country's heritage’.

Other present included Brian Flanagan and local members of the Green Party and people representing many of those groups who are working for Tara. Percy Jordan thanked Rosaleen Allen and Heather Buchanan who had organised the March and congratulated them on all their hard work and energy that they had given for the past number of months. The accompanying photographs tell more than a thousand words.

Anna with her face painted