Bertie making snail’s progress at history
This is the latest in a series of such ludicrous remarks made, in particular, on the proposed M3.
Other countries do not knowingly plough motorways through their irreplaceable history and, even if they did, this does not mean we should blindly follow suit.
In Spain, if they find something, they move the road. Even in Gran Canaria, possibly the tourist capital of the world, when a native Guanche graveyard was found in the path of a road development, they moved the road to avoid it.
In Ireland, however, graveyards, unless of a very recent provenance, are no longer considered sacred.
If one had taken a pencil and drawn the straightest, most logical route for the proposed M3, it certainly would not have taken the present meandering ramble around Tara and through the Gabhra (Tara/Skryne) Valley.
Archaeology is not the only consideration in this area. Tara is the ancient historic capital and all our saga cycles intersect in the valley.
How ironic that it is Fianna Fáil who are encouraging the destruction of the presumed final resting place of the Fianna and of the King of Tara, Cairpre Lifechair, son of Cormac mac Airt, in the shadow of the Lia Fáil?
The Taoiseach has previously declared that if he knew the high kings were there, he would go around them. Any schoolchild could have told him stories of the high kings and Tara. With this level of knowledge of our past, how can we trust this man with our future? With this level of destruction, we will have no past to hand over to future generations.
Dr Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin
PRO
Save the Tara/Skryne Valley Group
58 Laurence Avenue
Maynooth
Co Kildare
