International opposition to M3 motorway

International voices have joined in opposition to the campaign to save the Hill of Tara from being bissected by the M3 motorway planned for Co Meath.

The Archaeological Institute of America said the medieval site has been used since 4000BC for burials.

Once the seat of the Irish Kings, campaigners say the entire area is being put at risk for the sake of a road.

A statement from the AIA, which has 8,000 members, said: "The Hill of Tara is one of the most important archaeological sites in Ireland.

"It stands in the midst of a larger landscape containing a wealth of related sites and monuments.

"Now, Tara and the surrounding landscape are threatened by a proposed major Highway that will cut through the highway and divorce Tara from the related sites that surround it”.

It follows the publication of AIA President, Jane C. Waldbaum’s letter in one national newspaper.

The campaign is also supported by a number of leading British archaeologists.