Carrickminders step up protest against motorway construction

THE campaign against the construction of a motorway near the ruins of Carrickmines Castle in South Dublin was stepped up yesterday as protesters re-erected a blockade to prevent large diggers moving onto the site.

Preliminary work on the construction of the South-Eastern Motorway has started despite the protests made to Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. Those opposed to the development include historians, archaeologists, lawyers and students, as well as local residents.

Carrickminders, the group campaigning to have the route of the motorway changed to circumvent the historic medieval site, has issued a list of demands to both the council and the National Roads Authority. These include an immediate reassessment of all plans for the M50 motorway and adjoining lands in the Carrickmines Valley.

The Carrickminders say they will allow archaeological excavations to continue but will “peacefully prevent large diggers and machinery from entering a sensitive archaeological site.” Already the remains of a settlement and wooden buildings have been filled in and flattened, according to Vincent Salafia, the group’s spokesperson.

“Large diggers have been brought in to speed up archaeological work. It is a desecration of the site. If this goes ahead, nothing of the castle’s integrity will be left,” he said. The Carrickminders say it will be a “catastrophe” for the State’s archaeological heritage if the current plans are not altered. Last October Transport Minister Seamus Brennan agreed a compromise which he said would result in 60% of the site being saved. However, according to Mr Salafia, this will not happen: “He is jostling figures. If the construction goes ahead, 90% of the site will be lost. We believe 100% of the site can be saved with minor adjustments. We’re not against the motorway and we’re not insisting that the dig go on indefinitely, but we want it done properly, with due regard for the importance of this site. We won’t allow ourselves to sit and watch should an attempt be made to destroy our heritage.”

Twenty-eight-year-old Gordon Lucas, from Rathfarnham, has been one of two protesters permanently on site since September. They live in a cowshed but remain cheerful, despite the conditions: “It’s a little bit rough at times but we have running water and a dry roof.” Although he has no knowledge of archaeology, he feels it is his responsibility to object.

A number of legal and other challenges to the construction of the motorway are pending and the Carrickminders have not ruled out the possibility of seeking a High Court injunction to halt construction. “We would prefer a negotiated settlement,” said Mr Salafi, “but we are prepared to go to court if necessary.”