Gormley signs order to protect monument near Tara

Minister for Environment John Gormley has signed a temporary order to preserve a prehistoric monument that campaigners say is being threatened by the M3 motorway in Co Meath.

The controversial motorway was supposed to be 100 metres away from the Rath Lugh promontory fort, but opponents of the road say the fort was being directly impacted by levelling works.

Mr Gormley has now signed an order to protect the site on the recommendation of archaeologist Conor Newman, an expert on the Tara valley.

The move has been welcomed by the TaraWatch group, which says it shows the minister was wrong when he claimed previously that no important sites were being improperly interfered with.

Meanwhile Vincent Salafi of Tara Watch says despite what the Minister has said in the past, he does have power to act, and that power should be exercised.