NRA should change planned route to avoid destruction of Carrigaphooca Castle

HAVING occasion to visit Cork for a family wedding, I decided to undertake my own small version of a grand tour during the few days I had and was, once again, overwhelmed by the rich cultural heritage we are lucky to possess in this country.

Visiting, among others, Blarney, Barryscourt, Carrigadroghid and Carrigaphooca castles It was abundantly obvious that this part of the country could boast a number of important national monuments.

I was therefore gravely disappointed to learn that one of these, Carrigaphooca Castle, and its adjoining stone circle and manor house/demesne could face destruction or at the very least have its visual amenity and historical integrity decimated by the NRA’s inexplicable decision to widen the existing N22 to such an extent as to bring it within yards of the castle.

Nearby Macroom, a mart and heritage town, boasts its own impressive castle and the nearby area a rich legacy of monuments, just one of which is Carrigaphooca Castle. In a right-thinking and respectful nation this area would be exploited, but not to run busy highways through, but rather to take advantage of such a historical area by opening up cultural trails for native and visitor alike. The Rathleigh Estate near Carrigaphooca was home to Art Ó Laoire the Catholic aristocrat, soldier and adventurer, who married Daniel O’Connell’s niece Eibhlín, and who was killed aged 26 nearby.

Eibhlín’s lament for his passing “Caoineadh Art Ó Laoire” is a famous Irish poem which has been indeed performed on the stage of our national theatre as a play.

The lack of vision displayed by local politicians in this case echoes the same type of thinking that created the raging Tara/M3 debacle.

Carrigaphooca Castle and demesne represents a circuit of Ireland’s history, encompassing an early Stone Circle, a 14th Century castle and a monument to Civil War (1922) victims. That there are two alternative and eminently more sensible — and non-destructive — routes open to the NRA also echoes the Tara situation. The national monument of Kilcrea Abbey, which also lies along this proposed route, was selected for an archaeological impact assessment by the NRA, who then decided against routing the motorway close to it, yet, inexplicably the monuments at Carrigaphooca weren’t afforded any assessment at all.

Manor houses are protected structures incurring very sharp penalties for those owners who interfere with an aspects of their structure, yet, in this case the State is implementing a CPO which will amount to the same thing. These manor houses also represent Ireland’s age of enlightenment. This contrasts sharply with the greedy, grasping actions of the political forces advocating the construction of this road which cuts through the heart of such an important historical landscape

What kind of legacy are we bequeathing to future generations? David Marlborough

103 Kenilworth Park

Dublin 6W