‘M2/N2/A5 Dublin-Derry Motorway Community Groups to Co-Operate on MotorwayCampaign’

Three campaign groups, working on different sections of the proposed M2/N2/A5 motorway, which will eventually run from Dublin to Derry, have agreed to work co-operatively.

Save Newgrange will work in co-operation with the Alternative A5 Alliance, based in Northern Ireland, and the Don’t Bypass the Bypass campaign group in Monaghan, to share information and assist the public in participating in the different consultations under way.

The Alternative A5 Alliance is challenging the need for the upgrade of the A5 primary route, from the Border to Derry, which at 55 miles will be the longest single road project ever undertaken in Northern Ireland. Northern and Southern roads authorities are planning this section of the road together, and the Irish Government has committed to pay for a share of it.

Don’t Bypass the Bypass are challenging the need to for the new N2 Clontibret to the Border plan, which will bypass the N2 Monaghan bypass, opened just four years ago’ by Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey.

Save Newgrange is opposing the N2 Slane Bypass route, which runs just 500m from the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site, and will impact over 44 archaeological sites. We have challenged the public consultation process as being flawed, since the people of Northern Ireland were excluded.

All three groups are currently asking the public to make submissions to Monaghan County Council on the route selection process for the N2 Clontibret to the Border project. Due to public outcry locally, the deadline for submissions has been extended to 31 of August. The cost of making submissions is free, and they can be emailed to the council’s Roads Division. (lmcdonal@monaghancoco.ie)

Lynne Smyth, Secretary of the Alternative A5 Alliance, said:

“The Alternative A5 Alliance is delighted to be able to cooperate with the other campaign groups along the route of this proposed road. Together we must alert the people of Ireland to the catastrophe these ‘ghost roads’ will cause.

“This is not the time to be tarmacing over our farmland and natural habitat. It is time to seek a sustainable transport option which will serve our future needs as well as that of our grandchildren – as they will be paying for it.

Noel Murphy, a spokesman for Don’t Bypass the Bypass, said:

“Its great to be working in co-operation with the other groups, and we need to remain so going forward. We are calling on all members of the public to make submissions to Monaghan County Council, and challenge this outrageous waste of taxpayers’ money.”

Vincent Salafia of Save Newgrange said:

“We are delighted to have North-South co-operation between our community groups
along the proposed M2/A5. The people of Northern Ireland should have a say in
what happens to the Brú na Bóinne Unesco World Heritage Site, since they are
paying for part of the road that will severely impact it.”

“We welcome the intervention of Dr Edgar Morgenroth, associate economist with
the ESRI, who said the N2/M2 plans are “idiocy’, and called for the HGV ban to
be implemented in Slane.

ENDS

Contact: Vincent Salafia 087-132-3365
http://www.savenewgrange.net
http://twitter.com/savenewgrange

Lynne Smyth +44-(0)7515 066970
http://www.alternativea5alliance.com

Noel Murphy 087-656-0363
http://www.dontbypassthebypass.com

The Irish Times – August 26, 2010
FRANK McDONALD, Environment Editor

PLANS FOR a dual-carriageway to bypass the village of Slane, Co Meath, have been described as “idiotic” by Dr Edgar Morgenroth, associate professor at the Economic and Social Research Institute. Dr Morgenroth, who is the institute’s programme co-ordinator for research on transport and infrastructure, said he would be making a formal complaint to the Comptroller and Auditor General if An Bord Pleanála approved the current proposal.

He also said plans by the National Roads Authority for a 27- kilometre dual-carriageway between Clontibret, Co Monaghan, and the Border at Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone, amounted to “total overkill, especially since Monaghan has already been bypassed”. In a blog posted yesterday on the irisheconomy.ie website, Dr Morgenroth said a wide, two-lane road bypassing the village of Emyvale, Co Monaghan, as had been done already in the case of Carrickmacross, would be “perfectly sufficient”.

“I am not against motorways but I am against the sort of gold-plating that has been going on – building a motorway where something more appropriate would have served the purpose,” he said. Dr Morgenroth added that he was “sceptical” about the cost-benefit analysis being used by the the authority. Referring to claims in such analyses that reductions in road fatalities were entirely due to road improvements, Dr Morgenroth said this was not correct. “There are many factors including road improvements, the points system, road safety campaigns, safer cars, etc. “We keep making the same mistake of comparing a project with a ‘do nothing’ benchmark. It is hardly surprising that ‘do something’ is better than ‘do nothing’. “We need to include the ‘do something else’ scenarios into the analysis including the ‘no investment but appropriate pricing’ scenario.”

Dr Morgenroth cited Dublin City Council’s “grand plan” to pipe water to the city from the river Shannon, at the cost of  €540 million, as an example. He said that the introduction of metered water charges for all households “would make that project redundant”. “While the project website refers to a number of alternatives, all of them involve construction, including the hair-brained idea to build a desalination plant”, he said, adding that this was probably due to a fascination for, or “addiction”, to construction in Ireland.

Dealing with the proposed Slane bypass, he said it was “totally irrelevant” for access from Co Donegal to Dublin. “You only have to use the excellent and uncongested N33 [Ardee link road] to get on to the excellent and uncongested M1 to get to Dublin. “Facilitating toll dodgers by building a dual-carriageway parallel to the M1 is about the most stupid thing that the Government could do – worse still if those toll dodgers are ‘free-riding’ on the improved roads in the first place”, Dr Morgenroth added.

WRITE TO lettersed@irishtimes.com

The N2 Slane bypass

Save Newgrange group supports the Don’t Bypass the Bypass Campaign, and is encouraging the public to participate in the public consultation for the N2 Clontibret to Northern Ireland road scheme, by emailing objections to mcdonal@monaghancoco.ie before 31 August 2010.

We are also supporting the Alternative A5 Alliance, which is objecting to plans for the A5 Western Transport Corridor, which is the N2, from the border to Derry. Public consultation for that project is also under way, and information can be gotten from a5consultation@mouchel.com.

Objections to the N2 Slane bypass

Save Newgrange has objected to the N2 Slane Bypass on various substantive  legal grounds, relating to the impact on Bru na Boinne World Heritage Site (which contains the Battle of the Boyne Site) and EU candidate Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), which is also protected by the Ramsar Convention. Other procedural objections relate to flawed public consultation, which was wrongfully limited to the Republic of Ireland. The N2 Dublin to Derry is a single road, which crosses the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and becomes the A5 Western Transport Corridor.

“Starting at Aughnacloy on the Monaghan border, [the A5] slices its way through virgin countryside to join up with other schemes at Newbuildings, on the edge of Londonderry/Derry, and branches across into Letterkenny and East Donegal. With a total length of 55 miles it will be the longest single road project ever undertaken in Northern Ireland.” – see Slugger O’Toole,  Information on the ongoing public consultation for the A5 is available from the Northern Ireland roads service.

Grounds for Objections to the N2 Clontibret to Northern Ireland Border Road Scheme

Click here to download detailed copy of Route Options map

Grounds for objections by Save Newgrange to the Clontibert scheme (and the A5 scheme) include:

• Breach of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (Kyiv, 2003)
• Breach of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context – the ‘Espoo (EIA) Convention’
• Breach of the European Union Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) directive
• Breach of the European Union Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) directive
• Breach of the Irish Planning & Development Act, EIA and SEA Regulations

Specifically, we object on grounds that the N2 Dublin to Derry is a single road, with transboundary effects, that has been the subject of ‘project-splitting‘. A single public consultation, involving both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland authorities should have been held for the entire cross-border road, from Dublin to Derry, rather than subdividing it into sub-sections.

The public should to make submissions to Monaghan County Council, before 31 August 2010. Email your submission to Con McCrossan, Senior Engineer, cmcross@monaghancoco.ie C/O Leona McDonal mcdonal@monaghancoco.ie

• Map: Stage 1 Preliminary Options Assessment Route Corridors Progressing to Stage 2
• Constraints Study Report, January 2010
• Route Corridor Options – Public Consultation
• Public Consultation Brochure, with Submission Forms
• Further documentation at bottom of page

[The following is the text of the Guide to Public Consultation, by Monaghan County Council]

N2 Clontibret to Northern Ireland Border Road Scheme

Route Corridor Options – Public Consultation – July 2010

Need for the Scheme

The N2 National Primary Route is a strategic corridor which links Dublin to Northern Ireland and the border counties. The N2 joins the A5 route at the border to provide linkage with Derry and Donegal. The N2 also links many towns and villages along its route. Transport 21, the capital investment framework for transport development over the period 2006 to 2015, identifies this section of the N2 as a strategic route to be upgraded.

Benefits of the Scheme

This Scheme will:

• Improve road safety;
• Reduce travel times;
• Reduce congestion and traffic volumes, particularly in Emyvale and around Monaghan Town;
• Improve access between Donegal, Monaghan and Dublin, facilitating business, trade and tourism; and
• Improve links between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Consultation Objectives

Following on from the first public consultation held in July 2009 for the Constraints Study, the main objectives of the second public consultation are:

• Increase public awareness in the Scheme;
• Present the route corridor options which are being considered;
• Allow early involvement of the public in developing the proposals;
• Highlight the key factors which play a role in the choice of route options; and
• Explain what happens next.

The information displayed at the consultation event will also be available to view and download on the Monaghan County Council website www.monaghan.ie.

Route Corridor Development

The development of route corridors forms part of a 3-stage route selection process as prescribed by the National Roads Authority (NRA) Project Management Guidelines (2010):

• Stage 1 – Preliminary Options Assessment
• Stage 2 – Project Appraisal of Route Options
• Stage 3 – Selection of Preferred Route Corridor

The purpose of this process is to review the feasible route corridors at increasing levels of detail resulting in the selection of the Preferred Route Corridor for the Scheme. During Stage 1 feasible route corridors were identified and developed whilst avoiding significant constraints identified during the Constraints Study. The assessment of the preliminary options utilised the criteria of Engineering, Environment and Economy. This resulted in the number of options being refined to 4 primary corridors (coloured yellow, green, red and blue) along with 7 further composite corridor options generated through cross over links (shown in purple).

Please consider the route corridors shown overleaf along with the information on display and let your views be known.

Route Corridor Options

It is proposed to realign the N2 over a distance of approximately 28km between the recently constructed N2 Clontibret to Castleblaney ‘2+1’ Scheme to the south of Monaghan Town and the Northern Ireland border to the north in the vicinity of Aughnacloy.

Route corridor options have been identified commencing from the existing roundabout on the N2 at Clontibret in the townland of Kilcrow. From this point the corridors run in a northerly direction passing east or west of Castleshane (depending on the option). Continuing northwards the corridors cross the N12 and Ulster Canal east of Monaghan Town. Further north, the corridors cross the River Blackwater and the disused Ulster Railway to the east of the existing N2. The corridors then pass to the east of Corracrin and the west of Glaslough. From here the red and blue corridors run west of Emyvale whilst the green and yellow corridors pass east of Emy Lough. All the corridors cross the Mountain Water near Emyvale where after they converge at the termination point on the Northern Ireland border in the vicinity of Aughnacloy.

What Happens Next?

A detailed route selection study will commence and the route corridors being presented here will be assessed in accordance with the Stage 2 Project Appraisal procedure using the 5 common appraisal criteria of:

• Economy;
• Safety;
• Environment;
• Accessibility & Social Inclusion; and
• Integration.

A Preferred Route Corridor has not been identified at this stage. It is envisaged that the Stage 2 appraisal will be complete by the end of 2010 at which time the Preferred Route Corridor will be announced and a public display will be held. It must be emphasised that the Preferred Route Corridor may be one of the proposed route corridors, an amalgamation of parts from more than one route option or an altered alignment involving one or more options.

Your Views are Important

Monaghan County Council wishes to consider all viewpoints in relation to the Scheme and the route corridors being examined. This is your opportunity to take part in the planning of the N2 Clontibret to Northern Ireland Border Road Scheme and your time spent on communicating your views would be appreciated. Detailed consideration shall be given to the comments and submission received.

Please examine the route corridors and let your views be known. You can either complete the accompanying comment sheet or write to the address shown using the freepost envelope provided by 7th August 2010.

All submissions received are a matter of public record, and as such are liable to be accessed and inspected by any member of the public under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1997 & 2003.

The Act, however, provides that such a record may be exempt from disclosure and access, if there is an understanding between the local authority and you, that the information supplied is given in confidence and on the understanding that it would be treated as confidential. If you wish to have your submission treated in this manner please clearly indicate this using the selection box provided on the comment sheet.

Further Enquiries on the N2 Clontibret to the border scheme:

All queries, questionnaires or comments in relation to this project may be addressed to:

Con McCrossan
Monaghan County Council
Roads Department (N2 Clontibret to NI Border),
Mtek 2 Building,
Knockaconny,
Monaghan,
Co. Monaghan
Tel. +353 (0)47 30558
cmcross@monaghancoco.ie
C/O Leona McDonal mcdonal@monaghancoco.ie

PUBLIC CONSULTATION DOCUMENTATION – MONAGHAN COUNTY COUNCIL

1st Public Consultation

Please see below documentation to download (pdf format) relating to the first public consulation. Some original files are large and it is advised only to download them if you have broadband access.

Brochure & Comments Sheet

• Public Consultation Brochure (Irish) web version – (pdf 586kb)
• Public Consultation Brochure (Irish) Original – (pdf 20MB) (broadband recommended)

• Public Consultation Brochure (English) web version – (pdf 591kb)
• Public Consultation Brochure (English) Original – (pdf 20MB) (broadband recommended)

• Public Consultation Comment Sheet (Irish) – (pdf 57kb)
• Public Consultation Comment Sheet (English) – (pdf 55kb)

Maps & Further information

1. Master Study Area (pdf 20MB) (broadband recommended)
2. Need and Benefits (pdf 70kb)
3. Constraints Study Report (pdf 120kb)
4. Environmental Constraints (pdf 15MB) (broadband recommended)
5. Route Corridor Options Development (pdf 99kb)
6. Route Corridor Options (Discovery Series) (pdf 19.9MB) (broadband recommended)
7. Route Corridor Options (Aerial Photo) (pdf 2.8MB)
8. What Happens Next (pdf 73kb)

Don’t Bypass the Bypass

Press Release: 16th August 2010

Irish State will pay close to €1billion for 25km of unnecessary Motorway

A major public information campaign, Don’t Bypass the Bypass, is raising awareness of a proposed major infrastructural project which will cost close to €1billion of Irish Taxpayers money. We are calling on the Government to exercise commonsense leadership and stop this flawed road project before any more money is wasted.

The project relates to a proposed 25km Motorway from North Monaghan (Clontibret) to the Border (at Aughnacloy Co Tyrone),announced by Mr Bertie Ahern in 2007 as part of the N2 Dual Carriageway initiative from Derry to Dublin. Our concerns with this project are as follows;

• · Large sections of the N2 have recently undergone major road improvements and towns along the route have already been by-passed. The new road is expected to replace a 32km section of road of which:

• This new road proposal will bypass the recent Monaghan Town Bypass.
• €500million (£400stg million) was pledged by the Irish Government to the Northern Ireland Executive to improve the northern section of the Derry – Dublin route with no return to the Irish exchequer.
• The proposed stretch of road will carve through complicated ‘Drumlin’ country costing up to €12 million/km –a total of €300 million before taking account of any budget overruns.
• No official costings or cost benefit analysis have been published to justify this expenditure.
• This proposed project is being advanced at a vigorous pace by the Monaghan County Council and Grontmij, Consulting Engineers despite the fact that the country is in the depth of a deep and prolonged recession.
• Traffic flow analysis taken from the NRA statistics show 8.7% decrease in volumes from peak in 2007 to 2010 on this road. The maximum recorded volumes of 6,029 vechicles/day in 2007 fall well short of 10,000 required to justify investment in a motorway.
• A new motorway north of the border, linking Ballygawley to Newry and then the
• M1/Dublin is already the preferred route for Derry/Donegal motorists travelling to Dublin and this will not change even with the proposed new motorway.
• Householders and families will face eviction and negative equity to facilitate a motorway that is not required.
• Farming enterprises, including many small holdings will have their lands divided by this proposed roadway and this will adversely affect the viability of the farming unit.
• Some farmers will lose homes and farm buildings that have been farmed by the family for generations.
• Consultants have failed to adequately explore the option of utilising and upgrading the existing road framework as outlined in the “Public Consultation in relation to the Constraints Study – July 2009” as per NRA guidelines.
• Very poor consultation techniques and misleading documentation have kept this project hidden from the general public since 2007.
• To date, no communication has taken place with landowners/householders and business owners that may be affected.
• This road, a proposed Dual Carriageway, will connect to large sections of newly constructed Single Carriageway along this route.
• This proposed road goes through densely populated communities and villages with devastating consequences.
• This proposed road will have detrimental effects on Monaghan’s tourism industry, its lakes, forests and historic/picturesque villages.
• Inadequate timeframes have been given to the general public to make informed submissions. Public pressure has resulted in the closing date being extended to 31st Aug 2010.
• Due to holiday commitments of senior Monaghan County Council Road Section Executives during the month of August, citizens wishing to make enquiries before making their submissions are not getting answers.

The improvements to the 14km stretch of road (Monaghan/Emyvale bypass to Aughnacloy) were announced by the Government and NRA in September 2006 and heralded by them as ‘the main arterial cross border connection from Derry to Dublin’. It was expected to cost €50m. By 2007 it was shelved in favour of a new motorway project and the cost to the Irish Taxpayer has ballooned to €800 million. This country is in deep recession and the main focus of any Government spending should be Value For Money.

We are calling on the Irish Government to stop this unnecessary project now and we are urging ALL citizens to respond to a public submissions period by sending their views to:

Closing date for submissions is 31st Aug 2010

For further information contact:

Noel Murphy, Spokesperson; dontbypassthebypass@hotmail.com

Mobile: 087 6560363

www.dontbypassthebypass.com
DBB Facebook

THE A5 WESTERN TRANSPORT CORRIDOR

According to the Roads Service of Northern Ireland:

“The A5 Western Transport Corridor (A5WTC) is the longest single roads project ever undertaken in Northern Ireland. The new route is one of five key transport corridor upgrades identified in the Regional Transportation Strategy (RTS) for Northern Ireland. The scheme also represents a significant link in longer-term plans to improve connections between Dublin, Londonderry and Donegal. The Irish Government have pledged a contribution of £400m to help fund major roads programmes in Northern Ireland, including the A5WTC.

In July 2009 Transport Minister Conor Murphy announced the Preferred Route for the scheme, marking the achievement of the second key milestone for the project agreed between the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government. Following this, the Minister recently outlined how the project would be moving forward and explained the next important steps:

“Currently we are gathering information from the landowners on land use and livestock and machinery movements. Most landowners have been helpful in giving ground investigation contractors access to their land to carry out tests. This information will by key in helping the designers reduce landtake, mitigate the impacts on land owners, reduce the footprint of the dual carriageway and help assess the suitability of alternative alignments.”

“Maintaining access to all areas of their land is essential. Minor realignments of the route are already being considered in response to the information being provided. Public consultation has been and will continue to be, an important part of the scheme developments and all suggestions and comments will continue to be fully considered.”

The information gathered through future meetings with landowners will inform the development of the Preferred Route to the Emerging Specimen Design, which will be presented at Public Exhibitions in summer 2010. This will be followed by the publication of Draft Statutory Orders and an Environmental Statement in autumn 2010, with a Public Inquiry in 2011. There will also be a formal consultation process in advance of the Public Inquiry, during which all affected parties and others may make comments and lodge objections to the Draft Orders and Environmental Statement. These comments and objections will then be heard at the Public Inquiry in 2011. It is anticipated that work will commence in 2012 and be completed in 2015.

Further information on the A5 Western Transport Corridor:

LandAspects
The Consultation Manager
Shorefield House
30 Kinnegar Drive
Holywood
County Down
BTI8
9JQ

Telephone 0845 602 6422
+44 (0)28 9042 3954 (outside UK)

Email: a5consultation@mouchel.com

Alternative A5 Alliance statement of purpose

The group of individuals, formed at a meeting on December 5^th 2009, met together for the first time on Saturday January 9^th, at the Newtownstewart 2000 Centre.

The meeting was arranged to involve other interested parties including legal, political and farming interests and a number of concerned members of the public were present.  The object of the group—now called the ‘Alternative A5 Alliance’—is to oppose the massive overkill proposal for a limited-access dual carriageway and to propose the sustainable alternative of a 3-lane road from Aughnacloy to L’Derry, coupled with a reinstated railway, from L’Derry to Portadown.

It was agreed that the present proposals offer an outdated approach to the modern transport needs of the North-West region.  The present proposals totally neglect the need to bring transport projects in line with current EU and international thinking and for responsible requirements of cutting CO₂ emissions and protecting the environment.

The Alternative A5 Alliance Committee discussed the following action points:

• co-ordinating the active opposition to the present wasteful and destructive proposed A5 dualling project;
• mobilising land-owners, business owners, and householders affected adversely by the proposals;
• bringing on board environmental groups, animal and wildlife protection, rural amenity and human rights groups to promote the sustainable alternative;
• putting in place lobby groups to seek political support at the highest level;
• advising on the legal challenges to be made on the obvious dereliction of legal responsibility by the government authorities pursuing the present damaging proposal;
• establishing funding for the campaign;
• seeking a professional consultancy to prepare a report on the actual transport needs of the north-west;
• providing economic and engineering basis for the sustainable alternative ie. The re-establishment of a modern user-friendly rail link between L’Derry and Portadown and thus with connections to Dublin and Belfast, with all the attendant real economic and environmental benefits and the upgrade of the existing A5 to a 2+1 modern road.
• organising public information events.

Support the Alternative A5 Alliance on Facebook

SAVE NEWGRANGE – PRESS RELEASE – 20 August 2010

“Boyne Valley Ranking in ‘Top Ten Hidden Beauty Spots in Ireland’ Welcomed”

Save Newgrange welcomes the publication today of the list of ‘Top Ten Hidden Beauty Spots in Ireland’, by the main Irish-American media outlet, Irish Central. All ten sites are described as being “Off the beaten track but more beautiful than ever.”

The article states: “We all know the Ireland of Saints and Scholars, Book of Kells, Guinness Storehouse and Dublin Castle, not to mention the Ring of Kerry and Cliffs of Moher. But what about a trip to the hidden Ireland, where few tourists go? Here are the top ten hidden beauty spots that will make your vacation there very special.”  Ranking at No. 10, the Boyne Valley is described as:

“Stretching through large parts of counties Louth and Meath an unparalleled area of great historical importance, minutes North from Dublin Airport.  Following the path of the Boyne River, Newgrange and other historical sites, including the Battle of the Boyne heritage site can be seen. Helpful road signs direct you to the highlights.”

The ranking shows how important the Boyne Valley is to both Irish tourism and the Irish abroad, and reinforces how every effort must be made to preserve the delicate natural beauty and cultural sites in the area.

Vincent Salafia of Save Newgange said:  “We are delighted that Irish Central has recognised the importance of Newgrange, since this supports our arguments for preservation.  Save Newgrange will use this ranking as evidence at the An Bord Pleanala hearing for the N2 Slane bypass, expected to take place in the coming months.  Save Newgrange is also asking Irish Central to publicize the Irish Heritage Rights survey, which is being promoted during Heritage Week, so Irish abroad have an opportunity to have their say with the UN.

SAVE NEWGRANGE – PRESS RELEASE – 20 August 2010

‘Critics Invited to Fill out UN Heritage Rights Survey Online During Heritage Week’

To mark the beginning of Heritage Week tomorrow, Save Newgrange is launching an online survey drive today, asking both critics and supporters for their viewpoints on their heritage rights.  The survey was drafted in co-operation with lawyers at the 2048 Project in University of California, Berkeley, and asks people how they feel about their human rights to heritage, particularly with regards to controversial sites like Brú na Bóinne, Carrickmines Castle and the Hill of Tara, and asks whether the legal protections and public consultations in Ireland are adequate.

The results will be sent to the Human Rights Committee in the United Nations, which monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
We are asking the Committee to issue recommendations to the Republic of Ireland concerning its human rights obligations to protect Irish peoples’ rights to family, privacy, judicial remedy, religion, peaceful assembly and freedom of expression in conjunction with ancestral heritage sites.  A full range of viewpoints is essential, in order to give an accurate picture of the the factors that have led to the heritage controversies in Ireland, including the recent bulldozing of two ring-forts in Macroom, Co. Cork.

Matt Schwoebel of UC Berkeley said:

“We have been watching dispute after dispute over heritage in Ireland, for the last decade, and want to help prevent such disputes from taking place in the future.  We welcome the full range of opinions, in order to better understand the reasons they keep happening, and why people get so entrenched on both sides of the issues.

Vincent Salafia of Save Newgrange said:

“It is important that these issues are debated openly during Heritage Week. Anyone can fill out the survey at savenewgrange.org.  We have written to our critics on the Bypass Slane Campaign Facebook group, and invited them to participate in the survey.  Over 10,000 supporters on our own Facebook group have been asked to mobilize online and spread the word about the survey during Heritage Week.

ENDS

CONTACT: Vincent Salafia 087-132-3365

Locals bid to halt plans for new Monaghan dual carriageway

The Irish Times – Thursday, August 19, 2010

A CAMPAIGN has been launched in Co Monaghan against plans for a new dual carriageway to replace the N2, from Clontibret to the Border at Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone. The new road would replace the existing Monaghan bypass, which was opened just four years ago. None of the route options being examined by Monaghan County Council and the National Roads Authority (NRA) incorporates the bypass, built at a cost of €26 million, or other large sections of the existing N2 that were also improved in recent years.

The proposed 25km route, which is the subject of public consultation, would link up with a new A5 dual-carriageway between Aughnacloy and Derry for which the Government has pledged to contribute £400 million (€487 million).  A spokesman for the NRA, for which the county council is acting as agent, said the new N2 was “part of a cross-Border initiative with the Northern Ireland Roads Service” to improve links between Dublin and Derry. “We’re looking to incorporate a bunch of little road schemes into one big one”.

Noel Murphy, spokesman for the Don’t Bypass the Bypass campaign, said the pledge had been made in 2007 “at a time when we thought we were flush with money” and needed to be reviewed in the light of changed economic circumstances.  “The proposed stretch of road [in Co Monaghan] will carve through complicated drumlin country, costing up to €12 million per kilometre – a total of €300 million,” he said.  “We are calling on the Government to exercise commonsense leadership and stop this flawed road project.”  Mr Murphy said large sections of the N2 had recently undergone major road improvements, with towns along the route bypassed. This included the “brand new” 3km Monaghan bypass completed in 2006 and 13km of “excellent quality highway” in the county.  “The remaining 14km section between Monaghan and Aughnacloy was granted planning permission in 2004 and substantial consultancy work has been carried out on this proposed roadway, which was expected to cost €50 million [and] now seems to be shelved.

“Traffic flow analysis taken from the NRA statistics show an 8.7 per cent decrease in volumes from a peak in 2007-2010 on this road. The maximum recorded volumes of 6,029 vehicles per day in 2007 fall well short of 10,000 required to justify investment in a motorway.”  Mr Murphy, whose family home is located in one of the route corridors being studied, said the latest plan “is being advanced at a vigorous pace by the Monaghan County Council and Grontmij consulting engineers despite the fact that the country is in the depth of a recession”.

He claimed that there had been no real communication or consultation with landowners, householders and businesses that may be affected by the plan. “Some farmers will lose homes and farm buildings that have been farmed by the family for generations,” he said.
Inadequate time had been given to the general public to make informed submissions on the route options being studied, which did not include upgrading the existing N2 route, but Mr Murphy said public pressure had resulted in the closing date being extended to August 31st.

The NRA spokesman said three public meetings were held last year and a consultation last month in Monaghan town on route corridor options, which 348 people attended. A further round of consultations would take place after a “preferred route” was chosen later this year.  Last February, Taoiseach Brian Cowen said the N2/A5 was “an obvious project that is of mutual benefit to everybody. We have interests in the northwest. We want to ensure that the people in Donegal and that part of the world have proper transport access . . .”  The proposed road “will proceed because it is strategically important. It is not something that should be done based on a whim or just as an optional extra. It is important that it be completed and there shall be no more about it as far as I am concerned”, he added.

Save Newgrange and TaraWatch, in co-operation with Matt Schwoebel of the 2048 Project at University of California, Berkeley, are launching an online petition drive on Friday, 21st August, to mark the beginning of Heritage Week in Ireland. We are asking people to complete the Irish Heritage Rights Survey, which will be sent to the Human Rights Committee in the United Nations, which monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. If you are concerned that Irish heritage is not getting adequately protected, particularly when it comes to majorly important sites like Bru na Boinne and the Hill of Tara, then please fill out the survey and pass it on to your friends and contacts. Thank you.

The Irish Times - Monday, July 12, 2010

FIRST LIGHT, it is early, not quite 5am, if even that. We’ve come out to photograph one of several herds of deer of which we have had many privileged glimpses, just never before with a camera. This herd might be gathered among the trees in the river fields. A very light mist is becoming fainter. The landscape is mid-summer green and, where the fields have been cut and the hay is in, contrasting shades of tawny yellow to pale brown. The river is quiet, the water no louder than a murmur when it passes bands of stone.

Stillness. The ubiquitous heron, a surreal statue, one leg bundled beneath him, is standing across the river. He may be sleeping or perhaps he too is listening. A steady, thrumming sound, like a heart beat is beginning to assert itself. It is not that it is becoming louder; it is too constant for that. It is as if it is becoming more important. That is what’s happening; this militaristic, tribal boom is merely consolidating its presence. Cattle doze in some fields, mares and a few foals are peaceful in another; even the sheep seem quieter than usual, the drum beat continues. It is as if it were always there; resonating, consistent, the sound of war – except there is no war. It’s an early morning in July; the beautiful stone bridge at the historic estate village of Slane, Co Meath is free of traffic.

Scanning the land along the river, from the south bank, there is no one in sight. But this is the Boyne, one of Ireland’s great rivers. Suddenly, there is movement. There, just opposite Knowth, the Neolithic complex slightly upriver from the great monument of Newgrange, a figure is visible. A lone drummer is standing side-on to the river at the ford of Rossnaree, just down from the lovely period mansion where nowadays artists gather for painting courses. The man doesn’t seem all that big, but then the drum, strapped to his neck is huge; it covers most of his body. He is beating it with curved Malacca canes to create that distinctive, baritone sound, that sound that is a history lesson, history itself.

Named after a village in Co Antrim, the Lambeg drum, with its strong oak shell and goat skin heads or drumming surfaces, is a reminder of what happened on this site 320 years ago, when the Battle of the Boyne was fought here. The lone drummer looks to be heading for 70, but he’s tough, as tough as the drum that hangs so heavily from his neck. This man comes here to hold a private ceremony honouring his ancestors, farmers and mercenaries, who came to fight for the Protestant William III of Orange, a Dutch man with a French title, an English mother – the sister of the man he was fighting, James II, and an English consort, Mary, the daughter of the same James.

For the drummer on the river bank this morning, July 12th (although according to the old Julian calendar only in use by then in Ireland and Britain the date was July 1st) the battle was a victory. But for the Catholic cause under King James it was a crushing defeat. James did not desert his army, but he did leave Ireland and hurried to France, aware that his only hope of regaining his English throne would be from there.

Three centuries later, the Battle of the Boyne, fought out mainly between Slane and Oldbridge, has become associated in the popular imagination with the marching season, traditionally a time of frayed tempers between the two main communities in Northern Ireland. Something approaching peace – or should that be, a new acceptance of cultural differences? – has recently done much to ease tensions so that a lone Orange man travels down to honour his family and his tradition with his morning vigil. A dramatic study of the battle painted by an eye witness, the Dutch artist, Jan Wyck, hangs in the National Gallery of Ireland. But such is the bitter legacy, this episode, one of the great land battles of European history, is never fully acknowledged in Ireland as that. A tall obelisk commemorating William’s victory was erected at Oldbridge ford in 1736, but it was blown up in 1923, leaving only a part of the base. A statue of William on horseback, unveiled in 1701 in College Green, Dublin, was finally destroyed in 1929, after several failed attempts.

More than 60,000 soldiers, one of the largest combined forces ever assembled on an Irish battlefield, faced each other from opposite banks of the River Boyne, itself cutting its passage through an ancient landscape first settled by late Stone Age farmers. Their ghosts must have watched in wonder as the pike men and musketeers fought to the death, canons thundered while men and horses screamed.

In Irish the battle is called Cogadh an Dá Rí, or the War of the Two Kings – there were in fact three kings involved. In addition to the deposed James II, intent on recovering the throne he had lost in 1688 to his Dutch nephew/son-in-law, William of Orange, there was also the vital psychological, though not physical, presence of King Louis XIV, who was supporting James, not only out of hatred for William, but because the French king genuinely believed in James’s cause.

It was a cosmopolitan affair played out between the fords of the river; the generals present were career soldiers from France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and Britain who had seen action all over Europe, as well as Ulster Protestants and other Irishmen, including Patrick Sarsfield. The Duke of Schomberg (1615-1690) at 75, nearing the end of what had been a great career, was killed at Oldbridge, while his volatile son, Meinhard, led about 7,000 cavalry and dragoons across the Boyne at Rossnaree where Sir Neil O’Neil’s tiny force of 600 held their ground for almost an hour only to retreat as the Williamite field guns came into action.

The drums that sounded over the battlefield would have been smaller than the giant Lambeg – impossible to manoeuvre in the chaos of battle. Accompanying the steady, relentless drumming would have been trumpets and the shrill sound of the fife, a type of piccolo, played by Flemish soldiers under the command of Schomberg and the Duke of Würtemburg-Neustadt (1659-1701) who commanded the Danish contingent and had served at the Siege of Vienna in 1683.

Another veteran of that campaign known to have fought at the Boyne was the Byerley Turk, initially destined to be ridden in James’s army until his owner, Captain Robert Byerley changed sides and pledged himself to William. The Serbian-bred stallion not only survived the battle, he became one of the three foundation sires of the modern Thoroughbred and died in England, in 1703, at the age of 25.

Close your eyes and imagine the cavalry charges. Look at the spot described by the younger Schomberg as “a very fine plain”. Then think of the forthcoming destruction to this place and to the entire historic area when the National Roads Authority begins its extensive excavation when constructing a massive, overwhelmingly intrusive four-lane bridge across the Boyne, cheek by jowl with Knowth. Consider the wildlife settled in what is a EU- protected Special Area of Conservation. The devastation at Tara will seem nothing compared with the threatened upheaval, complete with roundabouts, planned for one of the most beautiful, panoramic historic sites in Ireland, in beleaguered Meath, a county already ripped asunder by excessive quarrying.

Neither the lone drummer, nor any other drummers, intent on celebrating the Battle of the Boyne will again be heard. The landscape will be obliterated by an incongruous bridge, the birds, deer, otters and badgers will be disrupted and once again, Government-approved vandalism will undermine Irish heritage. How about banning HGVs from the N2 through Slane? Or is that too simple and reasonable?

One thing’s for certain, no one will win the next Battle of the Boyne. If the Lambeg beats again here, it will be in lamentation, not celebration.

Meath Chronicle – Wednesday, 7th July, 2010 4:58pm
Profile by Ann Casey

As the controversy over the proposed Slane bypass continues to rage, Meath County Council is preparing to close Slane bridge next Monday night and Tuesday morning for a structural investigation.  The temporary road closure will allow the council assess the condition of the bridge and what repair works are necessary on the structure, which has been damaged over the years by traffic accidents and fallen trees in the river hitting it.

The bridge, which has been the scene of many fatal accidents over the years, will be closed from 9pm next Monday night to 6am on Tuesday morning. Northbound traffic will be diverted from the N2 through Kentstown and Navan, onto the Navan-Slane road and southbound traffic will be diverted along the same route. The investigation comes in response to visible damage to the arches of the bridge believed to have been caused by fallen trees being swept along in the current and striking the bridge over the years. The eastern wall of the bridge has also been repeatedly damaged over the years by traffic accidents.

Meanwhile, as Meath County Council continues to prepare its response to An Bord Pleanala to a further information request on routes to the west of the village, the owner of Slane Castle, Henry Mountcharles, said the western route identified runs in close proximity to the rear of the castle, cuts right through the heart of the estate and an area of special conservation near a national monument.  “It is ludicrous in the extreme. This route is twice the length of the submitted route and is vastly more expensive and would completely obliterate a hostel and farmhouse,” he said.

The western route was not included in the environmental impact study prepared for the current application and had been discounted by Meath County Council several years ago as a result of feasibility studies. Lord Mountcharles said that because the western route had not been included in the planning application or EIS, he had not made a submission on the issue to An Bord Pleanala. The deadline had passed and he was now denied the right to make a submission. His son, Alex Mountcharles, had made a submission, but only on the proposal before the planning board. Cllr Wayne Harding said there was no viable route to the west and the people of Slane had waited long enough. “The selection process has gone on for the past 10 years,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Save Newgrange campaign is calling on the Meath County Manager, Tom Dowling, to immediately implement a ban on heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in Slane. They point out that over 1,200 HGVs a day pass through Slane, destroying the fabric of the village, and posing a serious threat to local residents. “The HGV ban in Slane should be implemented immediately, in the interests of public safety, now that a final bypass decision has been delayed,” said Vincent Salafia of Save Newgrange.

“An Bord Pleanala may reject the Slane Bypass proposal outright, as it passes through a candidate Area of Special Convervation (SAC), which runs both east and west of Slane, along the Boyne. A final decision on the bypass could be years away, and public safety of local residents must take priority,” he said.  Mr Salafia claimed there was no logical reason for the council’s refusal to implement the ban, other than to “unfairly pressurise the planning authorities” into approving the bypass.

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