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TARA na Ri
8pm In the deconsecrated church on Tara Hill.
A lot happened at this talk but at the same time nothing visibly changed. Perhaps some guilt may have been felt by the greedy for a brief moment or two but their hunger for big bags of Euros is deep inside. The following essay is in many parts. This is in an attempt to share a comprehensive understanding of the complicity of the majority on the night. Cameo sections have had to be used to present the best report for the evening. http://www.m3motorway.ie/FAQ/ is the NRA site for the M3 troll road at Tara.
When we arrived at the church three of my group went to the Solstice Vigil Camp as currently held on the west slopes of Tara near the Fairy Tree and I sat on the wall of the graveyard. It was only a few days since we had held our Solstice Drumming and Barefoot Dancing celebrations in this same spot. Fools had made issue afterwards that we had danced on the grave of Dessie Maguire (father of Michael who runs the café on Tara) but this was completely untrue as his grave from Feb 06 is far away in the other corner of the grave yard altogether and untouched. As the Solstice Vigil group came out of the west to the church they looked like warriors with a purpose carrying the flame from the 21st of June 06. Their choice was a simple quiet protest outside the church with one poster that said "Save the Tara Valley". We chatted briefly exchanging humours and recent events and then I went into the church for the lecture.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) had six staff present as if they were expecting trouble. Clare Tuffy was to facilitate the talk and make the introductions. The OPW staff team were all on overtime and this adds up to maybe E700 or E800. I have met Clare Tuffy many times at Brú na Boinne (Newgrange) and on Tara where I have lectured in the same deconsecrated church and we exchanged casual greetings. Some of her staff acknowledged me with a nod but others just turned away.
My partner Niamh had it in her mind to sit at the front and to ask pointed questions at the start of the lecture. Her story is below. I sat at the back near the middle of the aisle. The big screen was down and the slide equipment was on when we all entered. As the church (small c because it is not really a church anymore as it is deconsecrated and used for tourist presentations) filled up it got quite warm. Two Priests from the Columban Fathers at Dalgan Park, Dowdstown chose to sit beside me. This is not a surprise, as I know one of them - Father Pat quite well as we both have attended many talks on Tara. The proposed troll road crosses their lands. I had a little inner smile. It is usually the ones who leave the church first who sit at the back and here I was - a well-known outspoken Celtic Druid with two Catholic Priests for company. A little small talk went between us and then - quiet as we waited for the lecture.
Vincent Salafia then entered the church. Last week this man had accused me on a public forum of spitting of the statue of St Patrick in an attempt to draw me into his downward spiral of negativity. I have to share the story to stop further lying about me by this sick man. I quote what he said below -
Quote "An even more damaging character has been Con Connor, who was in my opinion the character that caused the implosion of the Save Tara Skryne Valley group. He formed http://www.druidschool.com - a web site largely off the back of the Tara mailing list, and advertised his classes on the list, for upwards of 1,000 to 2,000 euros. He never actually did one piece of real work, but performed his ceremonies, spat on Saint Patrick's statutue and berated the 'fluffy' druids who gathered for Midsummers, which used to be a bright, happy, family event. This year, it was dark, ominous and sinister. He has argued and split with everyone he meets, and continues to this day to attack the people doing the real campaign work. The post above concerning eduction is clearly his work, but he is has refrained from putting his name to it. Am I wrong Con?" End Quote
Full article at http://www.indymedia.ie/article/77077
I did not respond to that mudslinging and wont now, as none of it is true. I have never spat at St Patrick's statue and would not do so. I have on occasion said words in Gaelic that may translate to "Go now Patrick, you have finished your work, be banished from Tara". But Mr Salafia was never in my company on Tara when I said this.
Vincent Salafia, on entering the church caused a negativity tingle in my Aura and I cast a peripheral glance to check my sense warning. He then tried to walk to stand in the little gap behind my church seat that I was sharing with the two Priests, even though there were many other seats available. I would not allow this to happen. I turned (still sitting) and said out loud "Do not attempt to stand behind me". He then walked away a little bit but like a Hyena he tried to slink back to a place where he could stand behind me. This time I said even louder - loud enough for every one on the church to know that there was a potential situation happening - "Do not stand behind me, go away now" and grabbed some of his Aura and threw it away back towards the door. He walked away and sat on the other side of the aisle about three rows up. It may seem amazing but while this mini event was in process - the facilitator for the evening quickly sat down beside Niamh. He did not contribute to the proceedings. My words were strong, loud and direct and if I'd had to say it a third time I would have stood up and caused a major scene. I'm usually quiet enough but I was not going to let that man stand behind me in my Aura. The church was quiet for the minutes of this mini event.
Then Clare Tuffy OPW began to introduce the lecture and the speaker - this caused a reaction from Niamh that is shown in her letter to the Irish Times below and supported by a more detailed mini essay afterwards -
Dear Editor,
Having just returned from a lecture in the (decommissioned) church on Tara Hill where the archaeologist Mary Deevy MCC/NRA gave a lecture on artefacts found on the planned M3 toll road route, I feel I must share my utter dismay with your readers.
We were told we could not talk about the M3 toll road, as the lecture and discussion would centre on the archaeological finds. I had an emotional outburst at this point because many of these finds came from the destruction of Tara Valley to facilitate this planned route for the M3 toll road.
I asked the church full of people to stand up for our heritage at Tara. One individual (who was supported by shouts and claps) replied, "Shut your gob". As I walked out of the church on Tara Hill I was shaken by their callous attitude and I said to them, "It seems the funeral has already begun". What hope is there for our unique Gaelic heritage and culture when so many local people stand to make big money from its destruction?
Regards
Niamh Eustace
More on this from Niamh -
Clare Tuffy got up to introduce the talk, in her intro she said we're not here to discuss whether the M3 should go ahead. I couldn't help myself the emotion came up - "why not?" I asked, "Sure the only reason we have these archaeological finds is because they're digging up the earth for a toll road". "We're on Tara now so why not talk about it". Con shouted to Mary Deevy - "when you were learning archaeology did you use a 22 ton digger?" (This is a reference to the fact that huge mechanical diggers were used to remove the topsoil on the route and that up to 80% of artefacts are usually found in the topsoil) No answer was given and Niamh was on the boil. Clare Tuffy said that Mary Deevy has no say in whether the road goes ahead. I (Niamh) replied "no, but she does have a choice" I looked Mary Deevy in the eye and asked how she as an Irish woman could work for a company destroying our heritage. She did not answer; she sat to the side and let Clare Tuffy handle me. All the time the audience, respectable Meath people, the older farmers of the Valley, tried to shout me down, told me to "shut your gob", give it a rest etc.
I agreed with Clare Tuffy to leave it till the Q&A section at the end of the lecture. But as soon as the lecture started something was said that made me boil again and I can't really remember what happened next as the emotion took over. Almost the whole crowd was shouting at me, some said that they didn't want the road either but that they wanted to see the presentation. When the Meath historical society person made a statement to me she told me that for years they have been petitioning against the toll road, I said to her that its not working and being nice or polite about it isn't working either. I remember saying that excavation by its very nature is destructive and that Tara Valley is being destroyed. I pleaded with the crowd to think of their heritage, their culture but they told me to get out. I was given the choice to stay quiet or leave. I shouted for Tara…TARA!!
I left saying that it seems the funeral had already begun. I left shaking, sad with the realisation that many Irish people have abandoned the love of their land.
I sat outside after the lecture on my own and if anyone had come up to me I would have said, yes I got emotional but you know what, what is happening is wrong, its just wrong, everyone has a choice. I am so sad that everyone chooses money over our glorious Gaelic heritage.
If myself and Con hadn't have been there everyone inside may have had a lovely lecture on the beauty of the artefacts and the protestors outside may have had a lovely chat about saving Tara and everyone would have gone home happy.
END
I had to stay quiet and cool. After Niamh had left it was clear from where I sat at the back that the majority were in support of the double troll road going through the sacred valley of the Royal City of Tara. I kept quiet and watched intensely. Mary Deevy gave a high quality professional presentation on the methodology, artefacts and the 160 monuments to be destroyed on the Planned M3 Route, 38 of these in Tara Valley. Same old story, I have heard this before and see it as candyfloss trivia for the uneducated. Michael Slavin ex journalist asked a question - "How many finds were for males?" This man has written "The Book of Tara" and is seen by locals as an expert. He supports the troll road going through the valley. He has a bookshop beside the café on Tara hill. He demonstrated his ignorance when he asked such a silly question because basic scholarship of the early and middle medieval period in Ireland repeatedly shows a unisex dress style.
Now I've been to many lectures and I have given many lectures and I know that sometimes questions are not answered. Because of this "smart questions" must make educational statements to the audience and not be used as spears against the presenter. I had about 4 "smart questions" but as I had shut up earlier when asked by Clare Tuffy (22 ton diggers etc) I reckoned I would be allowed maybe only one question. You try to phrase your question and to listen to current questions and dodgy answers and you have to know your subject matter well and focus on main issues and just have a go. I put my hand up and waited for Mary Deevy or Clare Tuffy to give me the nod. Mary knows I ask pointed questions with clarity and educational elements built in. Clare gave me the nod and Mary gave the nod to someone else. Fair play to Clare Tuffy as she gave me my opportunity to speak next. What follows is the question I asked with explanations and comment in brackets - Clare Tuffy gave me respect when she called me by my full name allowing me an opportunity to ask a question. This was my submission -
"I want to thank Mary Deevy for an interesting and nice lecture with lots of nice photos of artefacts and monuments. But I am saddened. By your own admission excavation is destruction and the intention is to destroy the sacred valley between Tara and Skreen Hills. I wonder why there hasn't been a public outcry over this road and how many people in this room stand to profit from this toll road" (At this point there was quiet with many people hanging their heads, one man was seen putting his hand to his head as if hiding his face)
"Now I know that Muireann Ni Brochalain (Prof Celtic Studies NUIM) was not allowed to talk about the motorway in Dail Eireann and that a recent seminar in Opus Dei (Lismullin Institute) in the valley the motorway was not allowed to be spoken about and now today the same toll road / motorway is not allowed to be spoken about here on Tara Hill" (Claire Tuffy then asked "do you have a question Con?" and I said to Mary Deevy -)
"If you were aware that Tara Valley is so rich in monuments then why don't you just move the toll road out of the valley" (a big round of applause by 1/3rd of the audience, the only applause of the evening) (Mary Deevy looked compromised and then Claire Tuffy tried to take another question). But I raised my voice and my energy levels cutting across them all and I said, "Could I not even have a bit of an answer?" Mary Deevy says, "in terms of the overall landscape Tara Valley does not have more monuments than any other place". This is untrue but I had had my go - the fact that one of these monuments in Tara Valley is as big as three football pitches and might contain maybe 50 or more 'hut' sites was professionally sidelined.
What I saw from my seat at the very back beside the two Columban Priests was that 2/3rds of the audience would make big money from the troll road. E20k / acre for the road take but maybe E0.5m / acre for the building land. The standard rule is a 1.5km zone along a toll road becomes easy planning. That's a lot of building land. On my way to Tara I had seen a For Sale sign for Future Development land of 60 Acres near Dunboyne. I know that just a few miles south and west of Tara is the new sewerage system for the Future Development Lands called Dunshaughlin Sewerage Works but Dunshaughlin is many miles away - these works are for the infrastructure for new houses in the Tara region but its being called Dunshaughlin….
Father Pat left with his colleague who gave a parting shrug of what can we do? Father Pat himself said to me "I can say nothing". I reached out to him touching his arm and I said - "Keep on praying, Father Pat, keep on praying".
Others presented weak questions that were easily bounced by Mary Deevy and I just got up and quietly left. I joined the Solstice Vigil Group on the lawn outside the church and shared some comments. Muireann Ni Brochalain was there and we chatted for a while shaking hands. I saw Niamh sitting on a bench and joined her. We exchanged smiles. I said "do you want to be on your own" and she said "yes, in case anyone wanted to talk to me about what I said". I went back and sat on the lawn with the Solstice Vigil Group. They will have a website / blog up soon and I will notify all Druidschool members and student druids. Mary Deevy declared that all excavations would be finished by December this year.
My personal sadness at the M3 troll road proposed for Tara can be touched by reading the poems of WB Yeats’ Easter 1916 and its balance –
September
What need you, being come to sense,
But fumble in a greasy till
And add the halfpence to the pence
And prayer to shivering prayer, until
You have dried the marrow from the bone?
For men were born to pray and save:
Romantic Ireland's dead and gone,
It's with O'Leary in the grave.
Yet they were of a different kind,
The names that stilled your childish play,
They have gone about the world like wind,
But little time had they to pray
For whom the hangman's rope was spun,
And what, God help us, could they save?
Romantic Ireland's dead and gone,
It's with O'Leary in the grave.
Was it for this the wild geese spread
The grey wing upon every tide;
For this that all that blood was shed,
For this Edward Fitzgerald died,
And Robert Emmet and Wolfe Tone,
All that delirium of the brave?
Romantic Ireland's dead and gone,
It's with O'Leary in the grave.
Yet could we turn the years again,
And call those exiles as they were
In all their loneliness and pain,
You'd cry, 'Some woman's yellow hair
Has maddened every mother's son':
They weighed so lightly what they gave.
But let them be, they're dead and gone,
They're with O'Leary in the grave.
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