Tara: A roadway is about to run through an archaeological site
http://mevennen.livejournal.com/424276.html?style=mine
Courtesy of Mevennen, this shocking news: the Irish government wants to run the new M3 motorway through Tara and the Gabhral Valley, seat of the ancient Irish kings, destroying archaeological findings as well as--IMNSHO--tourism opportunities, particularly for those of us who happen to have Irish ancestry.
Mevennen's post has the links to the Save Tara organizations and the points that there are other more feasible places to put the motorway. I'll be heading off to write polite letters of protest pointing out that someday, as an Irish-American of only the fourth family generation in America, I hope to be going over to Ireland to spend tourist dollars there of the "Yeah, I wanna tool around Ireland and get in touch with the roots" type. If the Irish government does something like this...besides being appalling from the archaeological POV, well, it's not going to make me more inclined to hand over my hard-earned Irish-American dollars to tour Ireland and I will say so.
(Go ahead and laugh at that for being foolish if y'all want. I really don't care. Besides, after having seen the family hit up collectively while I was a kid for "charitable donations" to NORAID to help "the poor brave boys fighting for The Cause," a little pressure going the other way seems karmically just.*evil grin*)
This is a public post, so please feel free to spread the word. Mevennen's granted her permission to link to her post in the hopes that some international pressure will help.
Courtesy of Mevennen, this shocking news: the Irish government wants to run the new M3 motorway through Tara and the Gabhral Valley, seat of the ancient Irish kings, destroying archaeological findings as well as--IMNSHO--tourism opportunities, particularly for those of us who happen to have Irish ancestry.
Mevennen's post has the links to the Save Tara organizations and the points that there are other more feasible places to put the motorway. I'll be heading off to write polite letters of protest pointing out that someday, as an Irish-American of only the fourth family generation in America, I hope to be going over to Ireland to spend tourist dollars there of the "Yeah, I wanna tool around Ireland and get in touch with the roots" type. If the Irish government does something like this...besides being appalling from the archaeological POV, well, it's not going to make me more inclined to hand over my hard-earned Irish-American dollars to tour Ireland and I will say so.
(Go ahead and laugh at that for being foolish if y'all want. I really don't care. Besides, after having seen the family hit up collectively while I was a kid for "charitable donations" to NORAID to help "the poor brave boys fighting for The Cause," a little pressure going the other way seems karmically just.*evil grin*)
This is a public post, so please feel free to spread the word. Mevennen's granted her permission to link to her post in the hopes that some international pressure will help.