Hi,

One of the Google applications, Sacred Destinations, has a good information page
on the Hill of Tara, which was the image of the day yesterday. The link contains
photos, data and an article by Holly Hayes, founder of Sacred Destinations
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/ireland/hill-of-tara

Located in County Meath near Newgrange, the Hill of Tara (from Irish: Teamhair
na Rí, "Hill of the King" or "Place of Assembly") is a stretch of grassy
landscape that has played a central role in the history, legend, and folklore of
Ireland. Home to important earthworks from the Stone Age, Iron Age, Roman times
and the rule of the Celtic kings, the Hill of Tara has been frequently in the
news lately due to the construction of a controversial highway next to the site.
History

The Hill of Tara has been a sacred site since prehistoric times, with the
earliest known monument (the Mound of the Hostages) built between 2500 and 2100
BC. After that, the site remained in regular ceremonial use for thousands of
years.

In the Iron Age, roughly spanning the 1st through 5th centuries AD, the Hill of
Tara was the ceremonial center of the Celtic high kings of Ireland. Roman
artifacts dating from the 1st to 3rd centuries have been found on the site and
it is said that St. Patrick visited Tara in the 430s AD after lighting his
"Paschal fire" on the nearby Hill of Slane. The kings appear to have abandoned
the site in the 6th century.

In more recent history, Tara has been the site of important political events,
indicating its continuing significance for the Irish people. In 1798, rebels of
the Irish revolution fought British troops on the Hill of Tara, and in 1843, a
peaceful demonstration of some 750,000 people protested against Ireland's union
with Britain.

Today, the Hill of Tara is an important archaeological site and a major center
of Irish spiritual and political heritage. Most of it remains unexplored by
archaeologists, so there is still much to learn. Only two main areas have been
systematically excavated: the Rath of the Synods in the 1950s and the Mound of
the Hostages, in which Bronze Age burials were found. In recent years, the
latest technology of photography has been used to discover underlying formations
without disturbing the site.

One project that would disturb the site, however, is a proposed expansion of the
M3 highway, which includes a section running along the east side of the Hill of
Tara about a mile from the summit. Approved by the government in 2003 and begun
in 2005, this highly controversial construction is currently underway with an
estimated completion date in 2010. It has been delayed, however, by the global
recession and the discovery of another ancient monument during construction.

While supporters argue the chosen site is the least disruptive option for
relieving the congestion endured by local commuters into Dublin, expert opinion
seems to be virtually unanimous that the project will cause irrereparable harm
to the Hill of Tara and adjacent monuments, most notably an ancient fort called
Rath Lugh. The project continues to be frequently and passionately protested and
the Hill of Tara is currently being considered for World Heritage status.

QUESTION NO:  158

DÁIL QUESTION addressed to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
(Mr. Ahern)

by Deputy Martin Ferris

for WRITTEN on Thursday, 3rd December, 2009.


  *  To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason a person
(details supplied) was recently refused entry here.


  - Martin Ferris

a United States citizen, Matt Schwoebel

REPLY.

I have been informed by the Irish Naturalisation and  Immigration Service (INIS)
of my Department that they have requested the information sought by the Deputy
from the Garda Authorities.  The Immigration Division will be in contact with
the Deputy when this information is to hand.




UN MUST SAVE TARA PETITION

http://www.savetarapetition.net

European Citizen's Initiative

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/secretariat_general/citizens_initiative/index_en.htm

PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON THE EUROPEAN CITIZENS' INITIATIVE

The Lisbon Treaty introduces a new form of public participation in European
Union policy shaping, the European citizens’ initiative, which enables one
million citizens who are nationals of a significant number of Member States to
call directly on the European Commission to bring forward an initiative of
interest to them in an area of EU competence.

Before citizens can start exercising this new right, a few ground rules and
procedures have to be laid down in an EU regulation.

Given the importance of this new tool for citizens, civil society and
stakeholders across the EU, the Commission has opened a broad public
consultation in order to seek the views of all interested parties on how the
citizens' initiative should work in practice.

The Commission's Green Paper on a European Citizens' Initiative
which launches this consultation, gives an overview of the legal, administrative
and practical issues that will need to be addressed by the Regulation and asks a
number of questions to which interested parties are invited to respond by 31st
January 2010.

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/secretariat_general/citizens_initiative/docs/com_2009_62\
2_en.pdf

Tara rights lawyer is departed back to US

Mail on Sunday - 29 November 2009
By Neil Michael, Chief Reporter

A LAWYER from the prestigeous University of California, Berkeley, has been
deported back to the US as he attempted to enter Ireland to investigate
allegations of human rights abuses by the Government.

Matt Schwoebel wanted to take statements from protesters objecting to the
construction of the M3 motorway through the Hill of Tara. He is drafting a
complaint to the UN Commission on Human Rights about the way the government has
handled objections and treated those who made them.

When he arrived at Dublin Airport, officers from the Garda National Immigration
Bureau informed him he would not be allowed into the country.
They told him he might have to stay in a detention centre until his flight home
could be booked.

Mr Schwoebel claims that before the decision was taken to reject him, he was
questioned about where he was going in the country and who he was staying with.
The 27-year-old lawyer – who is an American citizen - told them he was going
to be staying with a leading anti-M3 Motorway campaigner, Tara Watch’s Vincent
Salafia. Shortly afterwards, he was informed he would not be allowed into the
country – where he had only planned to stay a week.

He told the Mail on Sunday: ‘I am not happy with the way I was treated and
intend to lodge a formal complaint against the Gardai.

‘I was accused of not having enough funds, despite having several thousands in
my debit account and more in credit cards.

‘I also had people to stay with and vouch for me but this was also not enough.

‘It became pretty clear to me that they just did not want to let me into the
country.’

According to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service, ‘leave to
land’ – the phrase which applies to being let pass through immigration
control on arrival in an airport - upon arrival in the State is ‘subject to
immigration controls on the ground’. As a US citizen, Mr Schwoebel did not
need a visa to gain entry.  But anyone arriving in the country must be ‘able
to satisfy an immigration officer that they have sufficient funds to support
themselves during their visit’. Exactly how much cash visitors need to have is
not stipulated anywhere on Irish government websites. Nor are there any
guidelines which state that credit and debit cards do not count as means of self
support.

Mr Schwoebel, who is based at California’s human rights group 2048, arrived in
Dublin from San Francisco via Chicago at 8.35am last Monday. He had with him
$100 cash, an address to stay in Dublin, cousins and a grandmother living in
Ireland, and a staff job with the University of California. After staying in
Ireland for a week, he was planning to head to Geneva, where he was due to work
with a number of UN officials on organising a human rights conference at the
start of December.

When has was asked about where he was going to stay, he mentioned Mr Salafia –
a lecturer in environmental legislation at Queen’s University Belfast who
lives in south Dublin. He also gave the gardai Mr Salafia’s mobile number and
said that he could vouch for him as he was staying with him. Despite saying they
would call him, Mr Salafia said last night he did not receive a call from any
member of the Garda National Immigration Bureau.

Mr Salafia said last night: ‘"I am ashamed that such an eminent guest was so
horrendously treated. Despite offering to withdraw €900 from his own account
at an ATM machine – and having the funds to do so – Mr Schwoebel was told
not to bother. When he was informed of the decision to block his entry into the
country, he offered to buy his own return ticket back to the US but this was
rejected. Instead the cost of the flight was picked up by the Irish tax-payer.
‘I had the funds to do so – as in deed I had the funds to support my brief
stay in Ireland.’


WRITE TO letters@...

Time for planners to step back and see big picture

The Irish News
http://www.irishnews.com/articles/540/606/2009/11/27/633667_401533865890Timeforp\
.html
By Chris Murphy - 27/11/09

As the midlands vanish beneath the latest floods to hit Ireland, world leaders,
including President Obama, prepare to meet in Denmark in another attempt to stem
the waves of climate change. Brave and difficult decisions by our leaders have
been called for by the world’s leading climatologists.

If the US votes against Obama’s Cap-and-Trade bill aimed at cutting carbon
emissions he will not be able to commit America to Copenhagen. The US is split
on the issue, with half the country fearing success for the bill will mean
exporting jobs to China. But without the energy-guzzling Americans signing up
there is little hope of Brazil, India, China or Russia agreeing to meaningful
cuts.

British and Irish links with Denmark have never been that good – not that this
has stopped a handful of Danish Viking enthusiasts enjoying a Carlsberg, or two,
on the shores of Strangford Lough where, this week, followers of the Viking
warrior Magnus Barelegs tasted an early victory in the Battle of Delamont.

Real evidence of there having ever been a Viking settlement anywhere around
Strangford is painfully, if not embarrassingly, lacking for these 21st century
Vikings whose yearning eye has fallen on pristine shores poorly defended by the
Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

No-one doubts the Vikings did come. They wrought havoc on Nendrum Abbey. Is
Delamont next? It beats me why anyone wants to celebrate a period in Irish
history marked by the repeated raids of a bunch of murderous rapists, thugs and
robbers.

This Monday, Sinn Fein and SDLP members of Down District Council helped defeat,
by the narrowest of margins, a motion to defer, pending the provision of
important, missing information, approval for an application to build a Viking
re-enactment village in Delamont Country Park.

The controversy of this development, which has attracted an overwhelming
majority of objectors over supporters, centres on its location adjacent to the
shore of Strangford Lough – arguably the most important and certainly the most
protected, on paper at least, wetland in the north.

If ever there was a time and place for our planners to step back and see the big
picture, allowing sustainable development to proceed while ensuring the
integrity of a resource like Strangford Lough is maintained, this is it. The
planning official explained to councillors how the application had been
carefully considered against the planning policies for recreation and tourism
without mentioning the nature conservation importance of Strangford Lough. Five
national, European and global designations have been painstakingly put in place
for the purpose of informing the decision-making process. I doubt they have they
been given due regard.

Not that the planners would be entirely to blame for this. It is the ultimate
responsibility of their departmental colleagues in the environment agency to
ensure heritage sites as rare and precious as Strangford Lough are accorded the
degree of vigilance their status demands.

The first round in the Battle of Delamont, fought on Strangford Road, has gone
to the Vikings. Eco-warriors must now consider their next move.

What serious purpose has a planning authority without a mandate to deliver a
vision of shared horizons?

Anyone can see Ireland is close to drowning. The murky waters of expediency have
long taken the shine off Ireland’s glorious crown, her coast and countryside.
Now, if we are to protect what remains of this island’s physical beauty,
remaining jewels like Strangford Lough must be inviolate.

Weather permitting, while events unfold in Copenhagen, I shall be watching
whales in Ireland – from a small boat off the headlands of west Cork, to be
precise.

This is where some of the great whales – fin, humpback, even blue – are now
spending the winter. Is it due to climate change and warmer seas? Whatever the
reason, it has spawned a profitable and sustainable whale-watching industry off
the south west.

While Ireland celebrates the whales’ return, Denmark’s Faeorese have been
turning their part of the Atlantic into a sea of blood flowing from the cruel
slaughter of hundreds of wonderful whales, herded into shallow waters where
teenagers and young men slit their throats and ritually cut off their heads. The
islanders argue it is a vital aspect of their Nordic heritage.

Vikings – who needs them?

Hi all,

There is an international observer in town for the week, doing interviews on
behalf of a human rights body, which will form a complaint to the UN.

If anyone who has been involved in the campaign wants to participate, please let
me us know at info@... or call me at 087-132-3365

Cheers,

Vincent

The Hill of Tara is not the only important heritage threatened by the Leinster
Orbital Route. The Heritage Town of Trim is to be bisected.

Check this story on Indymedia:
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/94705

UN MUST SAVE TARA PETITION
http://www.savetarapetition.net

Hi,

Declan was kind enough to email some concerns, over the proposed Leinster
Orbital Route (LOR) - also called Dublin Outer Orbital Route (DOOR) - and I have
done some research. Please see http://www.tarawatch.org/?p=1392 for maps and
links to further reports and information.

As reported in the Meath Chronicle this week, the National Roads Authority (NRA)
has briefed Meath County Councillors on plans for the Leinster Orbital Route
(LRO) – a toll road which is proposed to run from Wicklow to County Meath, via
County Kildare – and through the heart of the heritage town of Trim, as well
as the Hill of Tara complex. A Feasibility Study performed by Roughan &
O’Donovan – FaberMaunsell Alliance, as well as Goodbody Economic
Consultants, and Tiros – Planning, Sustainable Development and Landscape
Consultants, and published in March 2007.

Critically, the proposed route also passes beside, and possibly through, the
Blundelstown Interchange, the 50 acre spaghetti junction being built on the side
of the Hill of Tara, 1000 metres from the top of the Hill. The report indicates
that the Blundelstown Interchange was designed and built to facilitate the Outer
Orbital Route, even before the LRO was publicly proposed. The route passes
through the Hill of Tara complex, as well as the area that would be covered by
the proposed Hill of Tara UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The Report states:

    " Major heritage constraints exist at the Boyne Valley complex and the Tara
Hill areas in County Meath. Various Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and
Natural Heritage Areas are scattered across the region, with a cluster of
SAC’s in the midland bogs of northwest Kildare and east Offaly. In general the
route corridor has avoided or skirted these areas."

The report describes the route in detail as follows, in 6.3.2:

     "Passing south of Navan will require careful route planning, as it will
cross the River Boyne near the edge of the urban area and not far from the Tara
area, which has a sensitive landscape constraint. The route will cross the
proposed M3 motorway in the vicinity of the Navan South Interchange. Provision
of a junction between the two routes at this location will require careful
design in conjunction with retention of the local road links that are part of
the M3 scheme. Due to the other significant constraints in the area, it would be
difficult to develop a fully separated junction with the M3 at sufficient
separation to the north or south of the Navan junction.

TRIM

The town of Trim is officially designated a heritage town, of approximately
10,000,  in the Meath County Development Plan. Yet, the motorway is going to
pass through the middle of it.

    "Between Navan and Trim the route will stay several kilometres north of the
River Boyne Valley so as to avoid important cultural heritage sites and
landscape constraints along the river corridor. At Trim there are two route
options available. One option is to pass north and west of the town where there
are no major constraints as the route crosses predominantly agricultural
landscape consisting of medium to large land parcels with some value from
hedgerows. Alternatively, the route could turn south and pass east of Trim, but
this route would need to keep about 3km downstream of the town so as to avoid
several historical sites along the banks of the River Boyne.   The landscape
south of Trim is predominately rolling hills and lowland. Farming consists of a
mix of pastoral and arable farms. Land parcels become larger moving south away
from Trim and are often of poor condition with a poor hedgerow structure. The
River Boyne will again need to be crossed
  in a sensitive manner. Although these higher reaches are of lesser landscape
value than that found in the Boyne Valley, the river is still of conservation
importance. South of the river within the path of the proposed route is
Doolystown Bog pNHA."

Please visit http://www.tarawatch.org/?p=1392 for more information

Hi guys,

Listen, apologies for being quiet of late. I am teaching a class in
Environmental Legislation, working on a Ph.D, and studying for an American bar
exam, so busy busy.

But I wanted to let you know that we have confirmed that there will be a
gathering of indigenous peoples from around the world, taking place at Tara on
the Summer Solstice - for a sort of Requiem. There will be more on this soon,
but if anyone wants to volunteer, please let us know. There is a production
company coming from Australia, and a number of anthropologists. So, put 21 June
in your date book. Should be an amazing gathering.

As for TaraWatch USA, we are talking about doing something on St Patrick's Day
in New York city. Again, if anyone wants to take on a task, let us know. We
really need to get a group effort going on these two events. But in the
meantime, the only real task at hand is to get as many people as possible to
make submissions on the UNESCO issue, by Dec 23.  Ideas on that welcome. We are
in the process of updating http://www.hilloftara.info - which is the public
consultation site for the UNESCO process, and it has lots of useful statements,
etc. Also, don't forget the petition = http://www.savetarapetition.net

Cheers,

Vincent

This is a bit old, but I didn't see it posted here. The kids are catching on:

ON WORLD HERITAGE SITES

MM: “It’s the job of UNESCO to protect world heritage sites, but Irish
people seem to have forgotten about our past. A clear example is the debate over
the M3 motorway. It’s sad that people are willing to destroy a massively
significant historical site just for a motorway.”

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2009/1014/1224256599834.html

PLEASE REPOST TO CONTACTS

* Dec 23 deadline on public consultation for Tara UNESCO site *


Dear TaraWatch supporter,

Thank you for your continued support of the campaign to save Tara from the M3.
This week, a new Tentative List of Ireland's proposed World Heritage Sites was
published by the Department of the Environment, and it includes Tara.

The Hill of Tara landscape should be a World Heritage Site, but not with a
motorway being built through the middle of it. UNESCO must demand a re-routing
of the road, like they are at Stonehenge.

Please write letters to the editor at: independent.letters@...

Also make your views known to John Gormley, Minister for the Environment, at
minister@... and worldheritagetentativelist@...


IRISH INDEPENDENT ARTICLE:

Shortlist for world heritage status is drawn up

By Paul Melia - Monday November 02 2009
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/shortlist--for-world-heritage-status-is-\
drawn-up-1930808.html

GEORGIAN Dublin and the Tara complex are among a list of potential world
heritage sites being prepared by Environment Minister John Gormley. Today, a
list of potential nominees to the World Heritage List will be published, which
also asks UNESCO to consider protecting the Burren and Ceide Fields and north
Mayo boglands.  But there's bad news for Killarney National Park and the bogs of
Clara, Co Offaly, which have been dropped from the list. Instead, an expert
group wants to honour Georgian Dublin and the capital's literary heritage, which
has seen Dubliners George Bernard Shaw and Samuel Beckett garner two Nobel
Prizes for Literature. World Heritage sites are considered to be of 'outstanding
universal value' and are defined as being of "cultural and/or natural
significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to
be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity".

Inscribed

Ireland currently has three sites -- The Giant's Causeway in Co Antrim, which
was inscribed in 1986, Bru na Boinne in Co Meath (1993), and Skellig Michael in
Co Kerry (1996).  The new list recommends the Burren, Ceide Fields and
north-west Mayo Boglands, Clonmacnoise, Dublin -- A Georgian City and its
Literary Tradition, Early Medieval Monastic Sites, the Royal Sites of Ireland
and Western Stone Forts. "It is now much more difficult to meet the UNESCO
requirements for inscription," Mr Gormley said. "I believe that the draft list
contains a list of those Irish properties which are of outstanding universal
value and which meet the UNESCO inscription requirements."

Public consultation - stakeholders - Deadline December 23.

There will be consultation with stakeholders and interested parties before any
region is formally nominated. Last October, the minister established an Expert
Advisory Group to carry out a review of Ireland's 1992 Tentative List of
potential sites for nomination. The next stage is that local authorities and
communities will be consulted in relation to potential sites in their areas and
there will be an opportunity to make observations on the draft new Tentative
List. The deadline for submissions on the current list is December 23. The World
Heritage List has almost 900 properties, including the Alhambra in Spain, Red
Square in Russia and Acropolis in Greece.


MORE INFORMATION:

TaraWatch UNESCO Consultation Site
http://www.hilloftara.info

TaraWatch home
http://www.tarawatch.org

Contact: info@...


UN MUST SAVE TARA PETITION
http://www.savetarapetition.net

The symposium will be streamed from 9:00-11:00am; 11:30-1:30pm; 2:30-4:00pm &
4:30-6:30pm today

http://www.ucd.ie/archaeology/tarasymposium2009/livestream/

Chairs today

09.00 Brian Lacey
Chief Executive, the Discovery Programme
11.30 Loreto Guinan
Heritage Officer, Meath County Council
On secondment to Tara landscape management project
14.30 Charlie Doherty
President, Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland
16.30 Muiris O’Sullivan
Associate Professor of Archaeology, UCD School of Archaeology

Check the programme for speakers tdoay, who include Daithi O hOgain and George
Eogan, both of whom have been strong supporters of TaraWatch:
http://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/s003_tara_symposium_programme_22_10_09.pdf

Hi all,

I decided to stay home and watch the symposium today. It has been interesting so
far, and the speakers seem genuinely intrigued by Tara, and have certainly done
some amazing work there.

However, just as Frank Prendergast tried to look beneath the obvious data, to
find the means of construction; meaning and significance; and so on of the
Lismullin site, we have to ask what this conference is really all about.

The event is being sponsored by Meath County Council and the Department of the
Environment, which immediately sets off red flags. The there is the UCD School
of Archaeology factor, because it has been riddled with NRA apologists, and is
partly funded by the NRA. And some of the speakers are interpreting NRA data, or
have been paid by the NRA.

In addition, so far at least, there is a conscious effort to avoid talking about
the elephant in the room; the M3. Not only that, but there even seems to be a
desire not to define the ultimate extent of the Tara complex, which of course is
the key question regarding the proposed UNESCO site. The Dept of the Environment
is still saying that the extent will be defined as part of, or as a result of,
the public process which will occur when the site has been approved.

There is also a complete avoidance of archaeological ethics, which is crying out
to be addressed, when we hear Mr Prendergast completely contradict all the
arguments that were made, to justify the demolition of Lismullin:

- Instead of it being a site that was used only once, it now is clear the posts
were repeatedly rebuilt over a long period of time. I might be wrong on this,
but I understood him to say it was used for a period of 300-400 years.

- Instead of it being a site that was disconnected from Tara, he states that
Tara is clearly visible from the site, but for the trees now blocking the view.

- He confirms that the site was ritual and ceremonial, and unique because it is
not on a hilltop site, but in a natural depression - supporting the amphitheatre
argument made by Hicks - making the site much more than a series of random or
roughly positioned posts.

There will be no mention of the Valletta Convention, or codes of archaeological
conduct, such as which demanded the site be preserved in situ. There will be no
mention of the fact that the European Court of Justice is currently examining
the legalities of the work performed by the archaeologists. In other words,
there is still a strong possibility that the work will be condemned as basically
criminal, due to the lack of an EIA.

So, black propaganda by a bunch of apologists, or lofty scientific research,
without a hint of a political or professional agenda?

As much as I respect Muiris and many of the speakers, I cannot help be cynical
about the whole affair.

What do you think?

Cheers,

Vincent

The UCD School of Archaeology, in association with the John Hume Institute for
Global Irish Studies, is hosting a symposium entitled Tara – From the Past to
the Future, starting tomorrow.

-------------
LIVE WEBSTREAM: http://www.ucd.ie/archaeology/tarasymposium2009/livestream/
-------------

Featuring approximately forty papers by an international group of scholars, the
symposium promises to be the most extensive review of the archaeology of Tara
undertaken to date. It focuses on the data from recently published excavation
volumes, but it extends to a wider consideration of research undertaken at Tara
over the past twenty years. Themes include:

-The archaeology of Tara

-Tara in its local and regional setting

-Comparative perspectives on Tara

-The significance of Tara through time

------------------------------------

----------------------
Conference Live Web Stream
----------------------

The symposium will be streamed live via the web and facilities are available to
overseas listeners to ask question via the symposium email address
tara.symposium@.... As the programme is compact, only a small proportion of
questions will be relayed to the symposium auditorium.

Watch the stream here:
http://www.ucd.ie/archaeology/tarasymposium2009/livestream/

----------------------
EMAIL IN YOUR QUESTIONS
----------------------

You can email in questions to the speakers here: tara.symposium@...

Or send us your question as a Tweet! You can follow the proceedings live on our
Twitter Feed:
http://twitter.com/tara_2009_ucd

We will read select questions live over the stream!

------------------------------------

Full programme and further information available here:
http://www.ucd.ie/archaeology/tarasymposium2009/

UN MUST SAVE TARA PETITION
http://www.savetarapetition.net

Tara symposium - University College Dublin, School of Archaeology (23rd-26th
October 2009)

Following the publication by Wordwell of reports on Seán P. Ó Ríordáin’s
excavations at the Mound of the Hostages (Muiris O’Sullivan 2005) and Rath of
the Synods (Eoin Grogan 2008), the UCD School of Archaeology, in association
with the John Hume Institute for Global Irish Studies, is hosting a symposium
entitled Tara – From the Past to the Future. Featuring approximately forty
papers by an international group of scholars, the symposium promises to be the
most extensive review of the archaeology of Tara undertaken to date.  It focuses
on the data from the two excavation volumes but extends to a wider consideration
of research undertaken at Tara over the past twenty years.

Themes include:

The archaeology of Tara

* Papers subjecting particular aspects of the archaeology of Tara to detailed
scrutiny
* Underlying question: What more can be mined from the archaeological data?

Tara in its local and regional setting

* Contributions examining the locality around Tara and exploring how Tara
interacted with its surroundings at various times in the past
* Underlying question: What was the settlement history of the landscape around
the Hill of Tara?

Comparative perspectives on Tara

* A variety of speakers examining Tara from the perspective of other iconic
places such as Stonehenge and Carnac
* Underlying question: What is the international perspective on Tara?

The significance of Tara through time

* Addressing the distinctive qualities that have set Tara apart from ancient
times to the present
* Underlying question: What dynamics have influenced the emergence of the Tara
phenomenon?

The symposium, organised by Professor Muiris O’Sullivan, takes place during
the October Bank Holiday weekend in the Clinton Auditorium, UCD, Belfield.

The registration fee is €140 and €70 for a limited number of reserved
student places.

http://www.tarawatch.org/?p=1279

UN MUST SAVE TARA PETITION
http://www.savetarapetition.net

Site reconstruction, even when well intentioned, can result in enormous damage
and destruction if not carefully planned and executed. Here is an example from
Tiwanaku, Bolivia

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE59I4II20091019?feedType=RSS&fe\
edName=scienceNews

UN MUST SAVE TARA PETITION
http://www.savetarapetition.net

Decade of turbo-charged development has left lasting damage on the Irish
landscape

Press Release : Wednesday 14th October, 2009
http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/news-press/media/press-releases/archive/2009-press\
-releases/decade-of-turbo-charged-development-has-left-lasting-damage-on-the-iri\
sh-landscape/?L=zizbrmvuu

Heritage Council calls on Government to introduce new way of working with
Landscape Ireland Act

The Irish Landscape has been severely damaged by a sustained period of economic
growth and turbo-charged development. At the opening of the 2009 Landscape
Conference today, Michael Starrett, Chief Executive of the Heritage Council
welcomed the Government’s commitment to developing a National Landscape
Strategy but called on them to take a step further and introduce a Landscape
Ireland Act.

Michael Starrett, Chief Executive of the Heritage Council said, "now is the time
to act and make a difference for the future of our landscape and for all of us
who live, work and play in that landscape. In the past, elements of the Irish
Landscape have been handled without any coordination and often conflicting
sectoral planning and land-use policies. One need only reflect on the current
farm incomes crisis, the decline in rural tourism, and the damage done to
countless urban and rural landscapes during the Celtic Tiger era, to agree there
has to be a better way in the future; one that can be embodied in integrated,
sustainable landscape management'.

"While we welcome the Government's commitment to develop a National Landscape
Strategy and the opportunity to input into it, we believe it is only a first
step. In the long term, what we need is a Landscape Ireland Act, which will
focus on overall landscape planning, management and conservation".

"A Landscape Ireland Act would go further and legislate for efficient and
effective ways to conserve and manage both our rural and urban landscapes. It
would be a different form of legislation. Enabling and not enforcing. Identified
measures would recognise and address the needs and aspirations of all
stakeholders - people living in towns and villages, farmers and other rural
dwellers, and visitors to our landscapes. This is a new way of working
together", added Mr. Starrett.

The 2009 Landscape Conference, which is organised by the Heritage Council, and
runs over three days, is an opportunity to share experiences of how others have
met such challenges in other countries; how decision-makers in Ireland view
their impact on landscape and, above all, to discuss with local communities the
landscape management initiatives they have taken in the absence of any overall
national landscape strategy.

"The objective is to influence the agenda for Ireland’s landscape into the
future, pointing Ireland in the direction of the best legislative framework and
most appropriate structures required to achieve it", Mr. Starrett said.

Over the two and half days, attendees will hear from speakers from across the
globe on how they have developed legislation and structures to meet similar
challenges, as well as from key stakeholders at home, such as the IFA and major
land users and promoters such as Failte Ireland, Teagasc the EPA, Coillte and
the local authorities. Two sessions on Wednesday and Thursday will feature
discussion on local community case studies.  All of the papers will be available
on the Heritage Council website and a conference report, taking in to account
the discussions and issues raised, will be placed before Council in December.

On Friday, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John
Gormley will address the conference, as well as Maguellone Dejant-Pons, from the
Council of Europe, Professor Richard Forman, the renowned landscape ecologist
from Harvard and Pat Smith of the IFA.

"This Landscape Conference and the government’s commitment to a National
Landscape Strategy has the ability to mark a new beginning for Ireland’s
landscape. In legislating for change, we need to empower and enable local
communities to agree on the future management, conservation and planning of
their local landscape", added Mr. Starrett.

[ENDS]

---------------

Note to Editors:
The Heritage Council is the statutory body charged with identifying, protecting,
preserving and enhancing Ireland’s national heritage. National heritage
includes Monuments, Archaeological objects, Heritage objects, Architectural
heritage, Flora, Fauna, Wildlife habitats, Landscapes, Seascapes, Wrecks,
Geology, Heritage gardens and parks, and Inland waterways.

Established under the Heritage Act 1995, and operating under the aegis of the
Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the Heritage Council
provides advice to the Minister, and partners and networks with Local
Authorities and a wide range of other organisations and individuals to promote
Ireland’s heritage.

The Heritage Council’s 2009 Landscape Conference is taking place in Tullamore
from 14th - 16th October 2009.


UN MUST SAVE TARA PETITION
http://www.savetarapetition.net

The New Programme for Government has been agreed between the Green Party and
Fianna Fail. This is what it says about heritage:

"Built Heritage
· We will implement the agreed recommendations of the review of
archaeological policies and practices in the National Monuments Bill.
· In consultation with local communities, we will actively promote new sites
for
acceptance onto the UNESCO World Heritage List, including Clonmacnoise,
Tara, the Burren and Georgian Dublin.
· We will make provision in upcoming planning legislation to prevent Local
Authorities from removing buildings of national or regional importance from
the Record of Protected Structures, without the explicit approval of the
Minister for the Environment

Transport

Having successfully focused on the delivery of major roads infrastructure in
Transport 21 over the past five years, the emphasis in new projects will shift
significantly to public transport. Following the completion of payments for the
major motorways programme in 2011, the ratio of expenditure on new Transport 21
projects between public transport and the national roads programme will be 2:1
in favour of public transport.

This Government will continue its programme of major reforms in the public
transport area, which started with the DTA Act. This is now being advanced
further with the Public Transport Regulation Bill and which will be finalised
with the further proposals agreed by the parties to this Review as outlined
below.

We will vigorously pursue the delivery of the Government’s “Smarter Travel
– A Sustainable Transport Future” and the recently published “Cycle
Framework Policy” document.

We will ensure that Public Service Obligation payments to Irish Rail, Dublin Bus
and Bus Éireann, are consistent with the policy in “Smarter Travel – A
Sustainable Transport Future”.

===

In other words, they are going to do the things they already promised to do and
reneged on, with regards to UNESCO and Tara.

As for transport, it is business as usual, with spending set to continue until
all the planned motorways are built.

PRESS RELEASE

TARAWATCH

09 October 2009

'Protests Planned for Green Convention at RDS Tomorrow'

TaraWatch is calling for demonstrations at the Green party Special Convention at
the RDS tomorrow, to protest against the lack of protections for the environment
in the proposed Programme for Government.

Education and electoral reform are not core Green issues. The core idea behind
the Green Party is supposed to be protecting the natural and built heritage,
from industry and inappropriate development. Anti-corruption is an integrated
part of that, because it is what leads to economic and environmental damage, by
by-passing the legal checks and balances.

At this very moment, Minister John Gormley is actively defending Ireland's
behaviour in relation to the M3, in the European Court of Justice, against the
European Commission, and arguing that the decision by Dick Roche to demolish
Lismullin is NOT subject to the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive (EIA)
and that Roche did NOT have to perform one when he made the decision.

Gormley is also arguing to the European Commission that the National Development
Plan (NDP) is NOT subject to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
Directive, and that the NDP is not actually a development plan at all, but
rather simply a 'financial plan', and therefore there does not have to be
cost-benefit analysis or independent assessment done on the NDP.

Gormley is NOT arguing that Ireland must ratify that UN Convention Against
Corruption, which Michael McDowell had promised he would.

Gormley has NOT introduced the new National Monuments Act, which he promised he
would deliver in 2008, and will not do so until 2010.

Gormley has NOT fully ratified the AARHUS Convention, for public participation
in public decision-making, making Ireland the only country in Europe not to have
done so.

Gormley has NOT reversed of the guillotining Freedom of Information Act, which
would aid the public in preventing further economic and environmental damage.

Gormley has delayed the UNESCO nomination of Tara and a couple of dozen other of
Ireland's most important heritage sites for 2 years, even though Ireland is well
past the ten year time limit of revising the UNESCO list, under the UNESCO
Convention. The last revision was in 1992.

A TaraWatch spokesperson said

"The Green Party is quietly facilitating the economic and physical ruin of this
country, and TaraWatch is calling on all concerned citizens to join them in
demonstrating at the RDS tomorrow.

"The Green Party is a fraud, as it has abandoned its core environmental concern,
which is what got them elected in the first place.

"The Green Party is actually demanding things that Fianna Fail want to do
anyway, because they know it is needed, but want to able to say they were forced
by the Greens to do it, in order to keep their cronies happy. The Greens are
arguing for issues that they know are vote-getters, period."

"Paying above market value for property under NAMA is "criminal", and "robbing
the taxpayer", according to the economist Stiglitz. It is the most corrupt piece
of legislation ever conceived of in Ireland.

ENDS

[Very similar to Lismullin. The fact that this could be discovered only now,
even though Stonhenge is UNESCO site, only shows how much landscapes associated
with sites have to be protected, because they are bound to be rich with remains]

Bluehenge unearthed: Prehistoric site that could be famous stone circle's little
sister

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1217752/Henge-stones-Unearthed-si\
te-monuments-little-sister.html

By David Derbyshire
Last updated at 11:46 AM on 03rd October 2009

Archaeologists have discovered Stonehenge's little sister - just a mile from the
famous monument.

The prehistoric circle, unearthed in secret over the summer, is one of the most
important prehistoric finds in decades.

Researchers have called it 'Bluehenge' after the colour of the 27 giant Welsh
stones it once incorporated - but are now missing.
The prehistoric circle has been named Bluehenge after the colour of the 27 Welsh
stones it once incorporated

The prehistoric circle has been named Bluehenge after the colour of the 27 giant
stones it once incorporated

The find is already challenging conventional wisdom about how Stonehenge was
built - and what it was used for.

Bluehenge was put up 5,000 years ago - around the same time as work began on
Stonehenge - and appears to have been a miniature version of it.

The two circles stood together for hundreds of years before Bluehenge was
dismantled. Researchers believe its stones were used to enlarge Stonehenge
during one of a number of redevelopments.

Professor Tim Darvill, Stonehenge expert at Bournemouth University, said: 'This
adds to the richness of the story of Stonehenge.

'We thought we knew it all, but over the last few years we have discovered that
something as familiar as Stonehenge is still a challenge to explore and
understand. It wouldn't surprise me if there weren't more circles.'

All that remains of the 60ft wide Bluehenge are the holes of 27 giant stones set
on a ramped mount. Chips of blue stone found in the holes appear to be identical
to the blue stones used in Stonehenge.

The four-ton monsters, made of Preseli Spotted Dolerite - a chemically altered
igneous rock harder than granite - were mined in the Preseli Mountains in
Pembrokeshire and then rolled, dragged and floated the 200 miles to the site on
the banks of the Avon in Wiltshire.
An aerial view of Stonehenge in Wiltshire

An aerial view of the world famous monument, Stonehenge, in Salisbury, Wiltshire

Once installed, the stones would have been polished to a dark blue with silver
flecks resembling the night sky. Bluehenge lies at the end of the 'Avenue' - a
ritual pathway that connected Stonehenge to the Avon.

Stonehenge itself was built and rebuilt over 600 years in three main phases. The
first - begun in 3000BC - saw the creation of a ditch and bank which later
enclosed a circle of 56 holes for posts or stones.

Around 2600BC the site was transformed into two circles of 82 blue stones
brought from the Welsh mountains.

Then, 150 years later, the ancient Britons set up 50-ton sarsen stones quarried
at Marlborough, 25 miles away.

The blue stones were dug up and repositioned, and the sarsens used to create the
Stonehenge familiar today. The new find changes this account of this history.

It suggests that the creators of Stonehenge originally built two circles - one
with 56 stones at Stonehenge, and another with 27 at Bluehenge. The stones of
the smaller circle were eventually incorporated into the bigger one.

Bluehenge was discovered by Professor Mike Parker Pearson, of Sheffield
University, who argues the monuments were linked to rituals of life and death.

Julian Richards, archaeologist and presenter of BBC2 TV series Meet The
Ancestors, believes, however, that such certainty is beyond our reach.
Enlarge   Stonehenge: So what was it used for?

'Any one person who says they have the answer is being a bit over-confident,' he
said.

'If you think that Stonehenge was created, used and modified over 1,400 years
then it probably was used for many different things.'

Professor Geoffrey Wainwright, who found the source of the Stonehenge stones in
Wales with Professor Darvill, said: 'This [new] henge is very important because
it forms part of the picture of ceremonial monuments in the area and puts
Stonehenge into context.

'It's no longer Stonehenge standing alone, but it has to be seen in context with
the landscape.'

Lovers of prehistoric sites will have to wait until February before the full
details of Bluehenge are published.

The creators of Stonehenge - who saw the Stone Age pass into the Bronze Age -
were farmers who lived in small villages in huts made of wooden stakes and
twigs, covered with a thick layer of clay and chalk.

Farming had been established for at least 1,000 years and the builders of
Stonehenge were skilled at growing wheat and barley and keeping pigs and sheep.

Some experts believe they made cider and beer and ground wheat into flour to
make bread and cakes.

But they were still forced to depend on wild fruit, peas, lentils, nuts and
honey. Clothes were primitive leather coats and jackets, woollen leggings and
simple shoes made of skins bound with twine.

No one knows what gods they worshipped, but the alignment of Stonehenge to the
solstice shows that the Sun - and maybe the Moon - was important.

Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1217752/Henge-stones-Unearthed-si\
te-monuments-little-sister.html#ixzz0SryG82pT

Would someone please help us compile a list of names, of all the bad politicians
that have contributed to the demise of Tara?

There is a very well known artist, mentioned here recently, who wants to paint a
mural, with all of their faces on it, so their shame can be immortalised.

I'll begin it:

Bertie Ahern
Noel Dempsey
Martin Cullen
Tommy Reilly
John Gormley
Trevor Seargent
Ciaran Cuffe
Eamon Gilmore...

[I was researching the real damage being done by Gormley's failure being in a
new National Monuments Act for at least three years. This news article on the
Heritage Council's Archaeological Features at Risk (2000) report, says: "The 1.3
per cent rate of destruction showing between 1996 and 1998 would mean a 6.5 per
cent rate over a decade." We know that the destruction rate increased
exponentially since 2000, with the rise in development, so we are talking at
least 2-5% of the archaeological heritage has been lost under Gormley's watch.
The price of Green power, as the Green Party continues to pander to property
developers and Fianna Fail.]

Awareness and appreciation of heritage needed

By Angela Nugent
http://www.farmersjournal.ie/1999/1023/environment/news.html

IT is an old adage - respect for the past brings hope for the future.

The recent Heritage Council's report entitled `Archaeological Features at Risk
Project' indicates neither.

UCD archaeologists, Muiris O'Sullivanand David O'Connor, and Laurence Kennedy
who did a prototype study in Co. Meath have no axe to grind.

The project was a straightforward one involving an assessment of known
archaeological monuments in the study area. The conclusions drawn make
depressing reading.

The destruction of known archaeological monuments in the Republic of Ireland has
not slowed down in recent years, rather it has accelerated dramatically.

In general this destruction can be linked directly with land improvements, often
associated with more intensive farming. Earthen monuments are coming under
pressure and monuments set in pasture are also vulnerable to destruction.

Often the instinct is to go on the defensive when our practices are questioned.
The jargon about farmers being custodians of the countryside etc is repeated yet
again.

However, the challenge is to face up to the reality and co-operate to foster
awareness of heritage, be it archaeological, historical or natural.

Awareness often brings appreciation. We badly need both if the on-going
destruction, damage, neglect and inadequate protection of our heritage are to be
addressed.

I, for one, know where archaeological or historical remains have been destroyed.
The litany includes a sweat house bulldozed into a bog in a land clearance
operation, a souterrain wrecked when the field was being ploughed, an old
graveyard bulldozed in the name of `tidying up' and an outer bank of a fort
removed in a hedge clearance blitz.

If you are an observant rural dweller, no doubt, you could contribute your own
list. The concept of sustainable development or a holistic approach has yet to
reflect in some of the fields of Ireland.

Be aware and take care

While most archaeological monuments belong to a specific period and category eg
wedge tombs, each one is unique and has an intrinsic value.

Each tells the history of its terrain and our forebears. To destroy any field
monuments is to break a very valuable link in our history. It is extraordinary
how we agonise over vandalism, yet seldom question our own actions.

Recently I visited the site of the newly discovered court tomb outside Kilnaboy
in County Clare. Fortunately its keeper, Paul Keane, had retained the stories of
`ait na marbh' told to him by his grandfather.

Finally the folk memory led to the site of the court tomb. It dates to 3,500 BC-
almost 5,000 years old.

On a beautiful Sunday morning in late September one could almost hear the
footsteps of prehistoric man retreating across the limestone pavements. Thank
heavens Paul Keane has a pride of place and heritage.

Some years ago I attended an open day on a farm, rich in heritage, in Co.
Antrim. An older farmer asked was it possible to restore a ringfort or rath.

It emerged that, when younger, he had levelled one in a land reclamation
project. Now older and wiser he deeply regretted its loss. Unfortunately
archaeological monuments cannot be replaced. At best their replacement is a copy
with no authenticity.

I tell of these experiences to reinforce the need to be aware of archaeological
monuments and historic features.

To do other than retain and protect them is unacceptable and a disservice to
your forebears, future generations, the farming fraternity, your local community
and the nation. No I am not piling on the guilt- just appealing for respect for
the past and hope for the future.

Field study finds destruction and damage

Initially David J O'Connor selected five study areas, each extending to 96
square miles. This means a cover of 600 square miles or 2.2 per cent of the land
area of the Republic.

The selection was geared to include a good geographical spread, representative
territory and a range of topography, from plains to mountain valleys.

For comparison purposes good baseline data was essential for the areas selected.
David O'Connor used the county Archaeological Inventories and Survey as sources
of information on the presence of archaeological feature and their condition.

Areas of Cavan, Northwest Cork, Laois/Offaly, Wexford, East Galway, Kerry and
Donegal are represented in this study. Given the geographical spread of the
study areas the findings should indicate national trends.

A total of 1,400 monuments are listed for the study areas. These represent 1.4
per cent of all the archaeological monuments listed in the Sites and Monuments
Record (SMR).

When the 407 already lost- listed as `sites of'- were omitted 993 monuments
remained according to the county Archaeological Inventories. David J. O'Connor
then set out to visit these monuments and to assess their condition.

He found and examined 892 of the targeted monuments but failed to locate 101
(10.2 per cent) of them. He used a visitation sheet to list the visibility,
accessibility, setting, current state, perceived threats etc for each monument.
The information was entered into a computerised database following field visits.

The reality

In the study areas 34 per cent of all known monuments have now been destroyed or
removed. David J. O'Connor estimated that 29 per cent had been destroyed prior
to the preparation (in the 1980s and 1990s) of the county Archaeological
Inventories and 5.1 per cent since then.

The findings for Kerry are 49.2 per cent of know monuments destroyed - 39 per
cent pre Inventory and 10.2 per cent since then.

When destruction, serious damage and slight damage are all considered a bleak
picture emerges. One in six or 17.3 per cent of the monuments listed in the
Archaeological Inventories have now been interfered with.

Of the 154 monuments involved 17 (eight per cent) were destroyed, 18 (two per
cent) seriously damaged and 65 (7.3 per cent) slightly damaged.

Inclusion of the missing 10 per cent of monuments would, most likely, boost the
figures for destruction and damage to monuments.

The profile of monuments interfered with is 72.7 per cent earthen, 26.6 per cent
stone and 0.6 per cent water based monuments.

In terms of classes of monuments interfered with 40.3 per cent are ringforts,
16.9 per cent fulachta fiadh, 8.4 per cent enclosures and 5.2 per cent standing
stones.

David J O'Connor assessed the main reasons for the interference. Agricultural
activities, particularly land improvements (accounting for 54.5 per cent) came
to the fore.

Erosion accounted for 16.2 per cent, development for 9.7 per cent, forestry for
4.5 per cent and drainage for 3.9 per cent of interference. Land improvements
topped the list across all the categories of damage destruction, serious damage
and slight damage.

The setting of the monuments interfered with was considered. Most (83.8 per
cent) were in pasture, 5.2 per cent in tillage terrain, 3.9 per cent in woodland
or scrub and 3.2 per cent by the roadside.

Next the pace of destruction of monuments was considered, using the county
Archaeological Inventories. Between 1838 and 1978 a destruction rate of about
2.1 per cent per decade showed.

The 1.3 per cent rate of destruction showing between 1996 and 1998 would mean a
6.5 per cent rate over a decade. In one year alone (1997/98) a total of 15
monuments were destroyed, this represents 1.7 per cent of the monuments listed
as surviving in the Inventories.

David J O'Connor commented "These further suggest that the rate of destruction
of archaeological monuments in the Republic of Ireland has not slowed down but
has in fact accelerated at an alarming pace in the past couple of years,
reaching a new peak in 1997/98.

At risk

Many surviving monuments are at risk. David O'Connor reckons that 52 or 6.3 per
cent of the 821 monuments he visited are in danger of being destroyed in the
near future.

Three quarters of these are earthen and one quarter stone monuments. Most (82.7
per cent) are set in pasture.


UN MUST SAVE TARA PETITION
http://www.savetarapetition.net

Hi everyone,

I've just discovered that the new National Monuments (Amendment) Bill 2009,
which was supposed to be published in 2008, will now not be published until
2010. This is an outright disgrace, and I believe we should go and demonstrate
against the Greens on this one. We need to get all the environmental groups out
against them, and get them to pull the plug on this disastrous Government. They
have had an opportunity to change legislation, while in Government, and we have
seen nothing!

Could someone kindly go back a get quotes on all the Gormley promises regarding
the new Act?


DĂĄil debates
Wednesday, 23 September 2009


Deputy James Bannon (FG) raised the matter with the Tanaiste during the Order of
Business on September 23
http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-09-23.103.0

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael):

This is at least the eighth time that I have inquired during the Order of
Business regarding the proposed national monuments Bill. By the time it appears,
it will become a national treasure in itself.


Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael):

Among others.



James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael):

Can the TĂĄnaiste indicate when this important Bill will come before the House?
The Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, is aware that many of our monuments
nationwide are falling into serious disrepair and neglect.


John O'Donoghue (Ceann Comhairle; Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle):

The TĂĄnaiste, on national monuments.



Mary Coughlan (TĂĄnaiste; Donegal South West, Fianna Fail):

I hope the Deputy is not putting himself in that genre. He is not in terrible
disrepair himself.


James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael):

The TĂĄnaiste and I could go in together.


Mary Coughlan (TĂĄnaiste; Donegal South West, Fianna Fail):

That item of legislation will be published next year.

==

Government parties to resume talks
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/1001/breaking33.htm

Negotiating teams from the Green Party and Fianna FĂĄil will resume talks today
on a new programme for Government.

A document detailing the Green objectives was given to Taoiseach Brian Cowen by
the Green Party leader John Gormley on Tuesday and it formed the basis for
negotiations between the two parties, which began yesterday evening.

Among the key demands of the Green Party is a reversal of recent education cuts,
a reduction in the number of TDs, major changes in the electoral system and a
commitment to a single-tier universal health system.

Other priority measures being sought by the Greens are a new third rate of
income tax, the abolition of the PRSI ceiling, the integration of the income
levies with the tax rates and a clampdown on tax exiles.

An animal welfare Bill that would ban hare coursing, stag hunting, fur farming
and the importation of wild animals to be used in circuses is another objective.

The Greens are also insisting that basic social welfare entitlements and
overseas development aid should not be cut in the forthcoming budget. They also
want a massive shift of emphasis from investment in road building to public
transport initiatives in the Government’s capital programme.

The Green negotiating team of Cabinet Minister Eamon Ryan, party chairman
Senator Dan Boyle and Carlow Kilkenny TD Mary White, and the Fianna FĂĄil team
of three senior Ministers, Noel Dempsey, Dermot Ahern and Mary Hanafin, met for
nearly two hours yesterday and will meet again today and over the coming days.

The outcome of the negotiations is due to be presented to a convention of Green
Party members on Saturday week. Unless it is approved by two-thirds of the
members attending the convention, the Greens will be obliged to leave
Government.

The party is seeking a commitment from its partners that the value of social
welfare payments should be protected for the next three years. That would mean
no changes in basic payments over the remainder of the term of Government,
although secondary benefits and some universal payments might suffer cuts.

A total revamp of the health service with the introduction of a universal
single-tier system is another key part of the plan. Tax incentives for private
health insurance would be abolished. On education the Greens are insisting
spending should return to the September 2008 level before this year’s budget
cuts. Any public sector pay cuts would be excluded from calculations on the
subject.

The party wants a restoration of a pupil-teacher ratio of one-to-27 in primary
schools, the maintenance of capitation grants to primary and secondary schools
at September 2008 levels and the reinstatement of library and book grants to
levels that operated a year ago. The Greens also want the system for third-level
education maintained, with a commitment not to introduce third-level fees or
loans or increase registration fees.

The party also wants a new system for financing local government to ensure the
viability of local services, with the introduction of water charges based on a
system where households get a free basic allowance.

An important part of the Green document focuses on the need for reform of the
political system. The party wants a commitment to a constitutional amendment to
reduce the number of TDs and to change the electoral system to a mixture of
multi-seat PR and a list system. Also proposed are substantial cuts in the
salaries of all politicians, with the Taoiseach taking a 25 per cent cut,
Ministers 20 per cent and backbenchers 10 per cent.

Another cherished Green objective is an animal health and welfare Bill to
consolidate and update existing legislation on the health and welfare of the
country’s animals. Among the provisions of the legislation would be a ban on
fur farming, a ban on the importation of wild animals to be used in circuses,
badger vaccination in place of culling, and a ban on stag hunting and hare
coursing.

Equality is another important issue, with a demand for the creation of a new
State infrastructure to deal with equality issues.

Landscape Conference '09

The Heritage Council

"Landscape" means an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result
of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors

10 Years on from the successful conference held by the Heritage Council in 1999
– ‘Towards Policies and Priorities for the Irish Landscape’, this
conference will evaluate progress on the actions that emerged and the changes
and pressures that have shaped the Irish Landscape in 2009.

The Conference will look beyond 2009 and assess how effective our current
strategic and legislative provisions are in securing the sustainable development
of our landscapes and in providing for effective landscape planning, landscape
management and landscape conservation.

The purpose is to see to identify the most appropriate mechanisms to secure
long-term benefits for communities and their landscapes alike.  Examination of
the relevance of our landscapes to the lives of the communities and individuals
who live in, work in and visit all our landscapes on a daily basis will be a
central theme for discussion.

Fee: €350 per delegate (includes all conference papers, documents, meals and
refreshments)

Student Fee: €100 per delegate (limited to 30 places, students must email Anne
Barcoe at anne@... prior to registering online. The first 30
emails received will qualify to register for student rate.

Click here to register for the conference
http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/landscape/events/landscape-conference-registration\
/

Click here to download the conference flyer [PDF 3.7MB]
http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/Landscape/Lands\
cape_09_CONF_FLYER.pdf

Click here to download the conference programme [DOC 500KB
http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/fileadmin/user_upload/Events/Landscape_Events/2009\
_Landscape_Conference_Programme.pdf

Loreto Guinan,

Tara-Skryne Landscape Project,

Planning Department,

Meath Local Authorities,

Abbey Road,

Navan,

Co. Meath



Tel:046-9097507 (Direct)

Fax: 046-9097001

Web: http://www.taralandscape.ie


UN MUST SAVE TARA PETITION
http://www.savetarapetition.net

This is to draw or re-draw your attention to an upcoming symposium dealing with
the Hill of Tara, county Meath, Ireland. The event, to be held in UCD over the
weekend of 23rd-26th October 2009, brings together an international group of
invited speakers for a collaborative review of the archaeology and meaning of
Tara. Further information is contained in the attachment and on the symposium
web page. An up-to-date version of the symposium programme is now available.
Please excuse any cross-posting that may occur and we would appreciate it if you
would display and circulate this notice for those that may be interested.

---------------------------------------------

Tara Symposium: From the Past to the Future

23rd-26th October 2009

Following the publication by Wordwell of reports on Seán P. Ó Ríordáin’s
excavations at the Mound of the Hostages (Muiris O’Sullivan 2005) and Rath of
the Synods (Eoin Grogan 2008), the UCD School of Archaeology, in association
with the UCD John Hume Institite for Global Irish Studies and the UCD Humanities
Institute of Ireland, is hosting a symposium entitled Tara – From the Past to
the Future.

Featuring approximately forty papers by an international group of scholars, the
symposium promises to be the most extensive review of the archaeology of Tara
undertaken to date.  It focuses on the data from the two excavation volumes but
extends to a wider consideration of research undertaken at Tara over the past
twenty years.  Themes include:

The archaeology of Tara

Papers subjecting particular aspects of the archaeology of Tara to detailed
scrutiny

Underlying question: What more can be mined from the archaeological data?

Tara in its local and regional setting

Contributions examining the locality around Tara and exploring how Tara
interacted with its surroundings at various times in the past

Underlying question: What was the settlement history of the landscape around the
Hill of Tara?

Comparative perspectives on Tara

A variety of speakers examining Tara from the perspective of other iconic places
such as Stonehenge and Carnac

Underlying question: What is the international perspective on Tara?

The significance of Tara through time

Addressing the distinctive qualities that have set Tara apart from ancient times
to the present

Underlying question: What dynamics have influenced the emergence of the Tara
phenomenon?

The symposium, takes place during the October Bank Holiday weekend in the
Clinton Auditorium, UCD, Belfield.

Professor Muiris O’Sullivan

UCD School of Archaeology

Further information: http://www.ucd.ie/archaeology/tarasymposium2009

Contentious M3 is 90% complete, says NRA

Irish Times - Wednesday, September 16
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0916/1224254649277.html

THE CONTROVERSIAL M3 motorway in Co Meath, which has been the subject of several
years of protests, is now almost 90 per cent complete, the National Roads
Authority (NRA) has said.

At almost 60km of main motorway and a further 40km of link roads and
interchanges, the it is one of the longest motorways under construction in
Europe.

The M3 is not scheduled to open until July 2010. Work could still finish ahead
of this scheduled date, but not before mid-spring next year, the NRA said.

Beginning at Clonee, north of the Dublin-Meath border, it runs to Kells where it
switches to a motorway-grade dual carriageway for the last 10km to the Cavan
border. It will have two toll booths, charging €1.40 for cars. Dunshaughlin,
Navan and Kells are bypassed along the route.

Controversially, the route runs just over 2km from the Hill of Tara, and
adjacent to the Lismullin national monument and the hill fort of Rath Lugh.

Protesters have occupied these latter two sites, blocking the road’s
construction at various times in recent years, most memorably in March last year
when conservationist Lisa Feeney, known as “Squeak” shut herself inside a
chamber at the bottom of a 33-foot tunnel at Rath Lugh for 60 hours.

No protesters are currently blocking or picketing any part of the motorway, and
Vincent Salafia of Tarawatch said that such action is unlikely to recur. “The
frontline part of the campaign is pretty much over. There are people still
protesting in the area, but not on the front line of the road. At this stage any
protest on the road would be a largely symbolic gesture, but that doesn’t mean
the campaign is over.”

Recent changes to the criminal trespass laws had made such protests more
difficult, Mr Salafia said, but he said Tarawatch was continuing to campaign
against the road and hoped it might still be moved, even after its construction.

Moving the road would be a possibility particularly if the Hill of Tara received
Unesco World Heritage designation, Mr Salafia said. Tarawatch was also
continuing to bring complaints against the NRA to EU bodies in relation to the
destruction of ancient archaeology and heritage.

Mr Salafia has criticised the cost to the taxpayer of the motorway. He said this
will amount to €727.4 million over the life of the toll contract with
Eurolink, which ends in 2052.

However, NRA spokesman Seán O’Neill said Mr Salafia’s claims were a
distortion of the facts. The road would cost about €720 million if Eurolink
had not been involved and the cost was borne entirely by the State. “In fact
only €250 million is being paid up front; the rest of the cost is being borne
by the contractor . . . Distorting the figures doesn’t benefit the public,
what benefits the public is the construction of a new, safe, value for money
motorway.”

=

Bird's-eye view reveals extent of work to come
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0916/1224254649436.html

FROM THE ground the new M3 motorway looks, for the most part, finished. Sections
are indeed complete, with motorists already using interchanges and bypass roads,
particularly at the southern end, and it’s hard to believe that it won’t be
open to traffic for almost another year.

From the air, though, it’s a different story. The Irish Times was yesterday
taken on an aerial tour of the route, one of several helicopter flights taken by
the National Roads Authority (NRA) each year to monitor the progress of the
road.

Just over the Dublin-Meath border where the road begins at Clonee, it looks
ready to use, with a black asphalt surface already laid in places. Moving north
towards Kells, heavy machinery, diggers and cranes continue to work on long
stretches on what appear to be the basic outlines of junctions and interchanges.

Certain features are identifiable along the route. At almost the mid-point, the
Hill of Tara can be seen about 2km to west. A little closer to the east is the
Hill of Skryne, on which the remains of a medieval church are clearly visible.

From ground level on top of the Hill of Tara, the new road cannot be discerned.
The current N3 is visible, but the new motorway will be slightly further away
and the NRA says it will not be visible from Tara. However, no cars currently
travel the motorway and there is no lighting, which might in time make the road
more apparent from the hill.

The proximity of the motorway to the Rath Lugh hill fort is far more stark. The
road does not go through the fort, but skirts it incredibly closely, to the
extent that a “crib wall” has been constructed against the fort wall to
secure the earthen structure.

The road also skirts the national monument at Lismullin. As this site has
already been preserved and covered by a farm access road, nothing remains to be
seen.

WRITE TO lettersed@...


UN MUST SAVE TARA PETITION
http://www.savetarapetition.net

07/30/2009

The Boards of Directors for CINTRA and FERROVIAL have unanimously approved the
Joint Merger Project of both companies


CINTRA CONCESIONES DE INFRAESTRUCTURAS DE TRANSPORTE, S.A. (CINTRA) AND GRUPO
FERROVIAL, S.A. (FERROVIAL), in compliance with the provisions of Article 82 of
the Securities Market Law, Law 24/1998, of January 28 (Ley del Mercado de
Valores), hereby notifies the Spanish Securities Exchange Commission (Comisión
Nacional del Mercado de Valores) of the following

REGULATORY DISCLOSURE

1. The Boards of Directors for CINTRA and FERROVIAL have approved, in both
cases, unanimously, on July 29 and July 28 2009 respectively, the Joint Merger
Project of both companies under the terms detailed in the document attached to
the present communication. The exchange ratio agreed upon is of four (4) shares
of CINTRA, with a par value of twenty euro cents each, for each share of
FERROVIAL, with a par value of one euro each.

BBVA, S.A., as FERROVIALS financial advisor for this transaction, has informed,
exclusively for the benefit of the Board of Directors of FERROVIAL, that the
agreed exchange ratio is fair from a financial standpoint for the FERROVIAL
shareholders. On the other side, Merrill Lynch, as CINTRAs financial advisor for
this transaction, has informed, exclusively for the benefit of the Board of
Directors of CINTRA, that in its opinion (fairness opinion) the agreed exchange
ratio is also fair from the financial perspective for CINTRA shareholders, other
than its majority shareholder, FERROVIAL. It is expected that the Joint Merger
Project will be submitted to the Shareholders Meeting of both companies in
October; notices shall be accomplished and made public in September.

2. As a prior step which is inextricably linked to the merger mentioned above,
we likewise hereby inform that:

     * the Board of Directors for CINTRA has approved to submit to the
Shareholders Meeting the subsidiarisation of the company business capital
basically consisting of the participations held in the concessionary companies
by means of which it develops its business of concession infrastructures by
segregating and transmitting it in block to a vehicle fully owned by CINTRA,
named CINTRA INFRAESTRUCTURAS, S.A.U.; and
     * the Board of Directors of FERROVIAL has approved the Joint Merger Project
by means of which FERROVIAL shall take over FERROVIAL INFRAESTRUCTURAS, S.A.,
AEROPUERTO DE BELFAST, S.A., MARJESHVAN, S.L. and LERNAMARA, S.L. all of them
fully owned subsidiaries of FERROVIAL. These transactions are justified for the
reasons that are indicated in detail in sections 2 and 3 of the attached
FERROVIAL and CINTRA Joint Merger Project.


3. Finally, CINTRA hereby states, as announced by means of regulatory disclosure
No. 103117, dated 28 January, that its Board of Directors entrusted the
supervision of the process of study and decision on the merger to the Committee
on Linked Operations, exclusively integrated of external directors with a
majority of independent ones, and which was constituted, for these purposes, as
the Merger Committee. In this line and according to the best corporate
governance practices, CINTRA likewise hereby notes that the Merger Project has
been approved with the abstention of all the domanial directors appointed by
Ferrovial, as well as by the Managing Director, Mr. Díaz-Rato, who is a member
of the management committee of FERROVIAL.

[It is better to read the hyperlinked version at:
http://unglobalcompact.org/NewsAndEvents/UNGC_bulletin/ ]

Dear Mr. Salafia,

The UN Global Compact Office presents the September 2009 UN Global Compact
Bulletin, designed to keep participants up to date on news, engagement
opportunities, resources and events. Please note that the Bulletin is also
available in Français, Español and Chinese.

As a reminder, please look to this monthly communication for important
information, as the Global Compact Office has reduced the number of individual
emails sent to participants. We encourage you to read the Bulletin, be informed
and stay engaged!

The Bulletin can also be found on our website at:
http://unglobalcompact.org/NewsAndEvents/UNGC_bulletin/

Sincerely,
UN Global Compact Office
UN GLOBAL COMPACT BULLETIN

SEAL THE DEAL
SEPTEMBER 2009

Français | Español l Chinese

NEWS & UPDATES

    1. Global Compact Clarifies Purpose and Scope of Integrity Measures
    2. CEO Water Mandate Convenes During World Water Week
    3. Work Underway by Expert Group on Responsible Investment in
Conflict-Affected Countries
    4. Participant Status: New Signatories, COPs and Delistings

ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

    1. Seal the Deal: Take Steps to Promote Effective Climate Agreement in
Copenhagen
    2. Global Climate Week: Participate in the Week’s Activities
    3. CEO Letter on Anti-Corruption: Join the Campaign Today
    4. Call for Examples: Dealing with Corruption in the Supply Chain
    5. Call for Comment: Buyer Impacts on Labour Conditions in the Supply Chain
    6. HIV/AIDS, Health, Privacy and Non-discrimination: Dilemma Workbook and
Case Studies
    7. Corporate Values and Culture Project: Submit Your Company’s Values
Statement
    8. More Opportunities: GCLead Retreat, Caring for Climate, Vote Human Rights
and more

FEATURED RESOURCES

    1. Report of the Global Compact Board Meeting (24 July 2009)
    2. Embedding Human Rights in Business Practice: New Cases

EVENTS

    1. Invitation: Financing Change, Changing Finance (22-23 October, Cape Town)
    2. Invitation: Business and Human Rights Roundtable (5-6 Nov, New Delhi)


September
2nd UN Private Sector Forum: Climate Change (22 September, New York)

October
Implementing Labour Principles in Global Supply Chains: ILO Training for Social
Auditors (12-14 October, Turin)
Financing Change, Changing Finance (22-23 October, Capetown)
GCLead Retreat – Crisis and New Scenarios for Global Compact Implementation
(22–23 October, New York)

November
Why Responsible Business Conduct Matters: OECD-ESCAP Regional Conference on
Corporate Responsibility (2-3 November, Bangkok)
Training Sessions on Human Rights, Adaptation to Climate Change (4-5 November,
Berlin)
Business and Human Rights Roundtable (5-6 November, New Delhi)
3rd Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against
Corruption (9–13 November, Doha)
China-Japan-Korea Global Compact Local Networks Roundtable (12-13 November,
Seoul)

April 2010
B4E Business for Environment Global Summit 2010 (22–23 April, Seoul)

June 2010
2010 Global Compact Leaders Summit (24–25 June 2010, New York)


Please visit the Event Calendar on our website to learn more about the listed
events, including intended audience and availability.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
NEWS & UPDATES

1. Global Compact Clarifies Purpose and Scope of Integrity Measures
Following a recommendation by the Global Compact Board at its July meeting (24
July, New York), the Global Compact Office has released a Board-approved
“Frequently Asked Questions” document to clarify for external audiences the
purpose and scope of the Global Compact Integrity Measures. More. Read the FAQ.


2. CEO Water Mandate Convenes during World Water Week
The CEO Water Mandate, in partnership with the Pacific Institute, convened its
4th working conference (16 – 18 August, Stockholm) during World Water Week.
The conference included multi-stakeholder working sessions focusing on
responsible corporate engagement in public policy, water and human rights, and
water disclosure. Approximately 100 water experts and practitioners from
business, civil society, the public sector and other interests attended. More.


3. Work Underway by Expert Group on Responsible Investment in Conflict-Affected
Countries
Over 40 members of the Global Compact Expert Group on Responsible Investment in
Conflict-Affected Countries participated in a webinar (27 August) to discuss the
development of a guidance document which will seek to clarify investor and
external stakeholder expectations of business practices in conflict-affected
countries. The group further refined the scope of the guidance document,
scheduled for release at the Global Compact Leaders Summit in June 2010, and
created sub-groups to lead in the drafting of sections on core business,
strategic social investment, and engagement.


4. Participant Status: New Signatories, COPs and Delistings
In August, 61 companies and 42 non-business stakeholders joined the Global
Compact. 153 Communications on Progress (COPs) were received, and 26 companies
were delisted for failing to communicate on progress.

The largest companies (by employee number) to join during the month were: Coop
(Switzerland), Evonik Industries AG (Germany), Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated
(USA), TELE NORTE LESTE PARTICIPACOES S/A (Brazil), and Ness Technologies Inc.
(Israel).

Total figures as of 31 August:

     * Business participants: 5,141
     * Non-business participants: 1,865
     * COPs received: 6,159
     * Delisted business participants: 973

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Opportunities are intended for Global Compact stakeholders unless otherwise
indicated.

1. Seal the Deal!: Take Steps to Promote Effective Climate Agreement in
Copenhagen
Seal the Deal! aims to galvanize political will and public support for reaching
a comprehensive global climate agreement at the UN Climate Change Conference
(COP 15) in Copenhagen. We hope that your organization will make a strong
statement of support and help us take the message to a wider audience, including
those at the negotiating table. We are asking companies to: 1) Develop a short
CEO testimonial on why we must Seal the Deal!, 2) Raise public awareness through
marketing channels and 3) Responsibly lobby government. More on Seal the Deal!


2. Global Climate Week: Participate in the Week’s Activities
Global Climate Week (21-25 September 2009) will unite efforts calling for urgent
action to combat climate change. Cities, organizations, groups and individuals
are urged to mobilize their networks and take part. Climate Week will be marked
by synchronized activities, such as “Go Green Day” and “Go Climate Neutral
Day”, in more than 100 cities to encourage world leaders to seal a fair and
effective climate agreement at the UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen
this December.

Learn how to take part in Global Climate Week activities.


3. CEO Letter on Anti-Corruption: Join the Campaign Today
The UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) seeks to promote and strengthen
measures to prevent and combat corruption. From a business perspective, UNCAC
holds the potential to become the global framework for combating corruption. It
is critical that governments put in place a mechanism to effectively review
implementation of UNCAC. Chief executives are encouraged to sign a letter of
support drafted jointly with the International Chamber of Commerce, Transparency
International and the World Economic Forum PACI. Support for the letter by a
large group of companies will send a strong signal to the next Intergovernmental
Working Group meeting which is scheduled for 31 August 2009 and the Conference
of States Parties in Doha in November 2009. More information. Read the CEO
Letter.

To indicate your CEO’s willingness to add his or her name to the
anti-corruption letter, please send an email providing the company name, sector,
country and CEO name to: uncac-letter@....


4. Call for Examples: Dealing with Corruption in the Supply Chain
Global Compact companies are invited to submit brief case examples that
highlight the customer-supplier relationship as it relates to corruption, to be
featured in the upcoming publication “Fighting Corruption in the Supply Chain:
A Guide for Customers and Suppliers”. The Global Compact is seeking innovative
examples in the following areas: use of supplier codes of conduct; contract
language; due diligence efforts; supplier training, auditing and monitoring;
integration of anti-corruption measures into other aspects of supply chain
management; and collective action to fight corruption among customers and
suppliers. Cases may be published on an anonymous basis.

For further information or to submit a case example, please email Olajobi
Makinwa (makinwa@...) or Mark Snyderman (marksnyderman@...).


5. Call for Comment: Buyer Impacts on Labour Conditions in the Supply Chain
Comments are welcome on a draft note that offers practical guidance to business
in its capacity as a buyer in order to promote better (and not risk undermining)
labour conditions in the supply chain. The note was developed by Business for
Social Responsibility for the Global Compact Human Rights Working Group's good
practice forum. Download Draft Note.

Please send comments or questions to humanrights@... by 18
September.


6. HIV/AIDS, Health, Privacy and Non-discrimination: Dilemma Workbook and Case
Studies
When operating in countries with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and poor health
care systems, how does a competitive business respect the right to privacy and
ensure non-discrimination against employees when implementing an effective and
responsible disease management programme? This is the first of a series of human
rights dilemma workbooks to be launched as part of the Global Compact Human
Rights Solution Forum. More information. Download the workbook.

Additional dilemma workbooks are being created on gender and non-discrimination,
migrant workers, freedom of association and living wage. If your company is
interested in contributing examples on these topics please contact:
solutionsforum@...


7. Corporate Values and Culture Project: Submit your Values Statement
Aiming to identify corporate values and consider how they influence and enable
sustainable decision-making by businesses, this project will develop an
inventory of corporate values of Global Compact participants. We are seeking
good examples of corporate value statements contained in mission statements, on
websites, in annual or Corporate Citizenship reports, press releases, human
resources manuals, etc.

Please submit your company's value statement to Project Director Chip Pitts at
chip.pitts@..., with a copy to Lead Researcher Katharina Hermann at
khermann@... and Lauren Gula of the Global Compact Office
gulal@.... The subject line of the email should read: “ Corporate
Values”.


8. More Opportunities: GCLead Retreat, Caring for Climate, Vote Human Rights and
more
Many of the engagement opportunities announced in past issues of the Bulletin
are still active. View the full list of Engagement Opportunities

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
FEATURED RESOURCES

1. Report of the Global Compact Board Meeting (24 July 2009). Download.

2. Embedding Human Rights in Business Practice – New Cases: Explores a range
of human rights challenges and responses. The complete resource is planned for
publication in late 2009. Three new case studies are available:

     * From Sustainability to Human Rights: A Case Study on Endesa/Endesa Brasil.
Download.
     * Health and Safety at a Fertilizer Company in Pakistan. Download.
     * The Ford Approach towards Human Rights and Business Integration. Download.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
EVENTS

1. Invitation: Financing Change, Changing Finance (22-23 October, Cape Town)
All Global Compact companies are invited to the UNEP FI 2009 Global Roundtable,
supported by the Global Compact and PRI. The event will bring business together
with financiers and investors to discuss and explore green market opportunities
in a host of different sectors including energy, construction, cleantech,
agri-business, infrastructure, water and extraction.

For more information or to register, please email the UNEP FI Secretariat
(roundtable@...) or visit www.unepfi.org/capetown.


2. Invitation: Business and Human Rights Roundtable (5-6 November, New Delhi)
Global Compact company representatives from South Asia and South-East Asia are
invited to participate in the roundtable, which will provide the opportunity to
discuss various issues regarding business and human rights. Participants will
learn about practical steps to integrate human rights into business policies,
processes and procedure by sharing experiences, questions, challenges and
practices with fellow business leaders.

For more information or to register, please email
roundtable@...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Published 3 September 2009

You are receiving the Monthly Bulletin as a designated Contact Point for your
organization. In order to receive important messages regarding the participant
status of TaraWatch in the Global Compact, your organization must have at least
one Contact Point assigned. Changes to the Contact Point for your organization
can easily be made by logging into the Participant Administration area of the
Global Compact website. If you have forgotten your username or password, our
Password Reminder will provide your login information.

UN MUST SAVE TARA PETITION
http://www.savetarapetition.net

75% of voters want a change of government, poll shows

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2009/0903/1224253745882.html
Thursday, September 3, 2009

STEPHEN COLLINS, Political Editor

THREE QUARTERS of the electorate would like to see a change of government,
according to the latest Irish Times /TNS mrbi poll, which shows Fianna FĂĄil
slipping to a record low.

Asked if they would like to see a change of government, 75 per cent of voters
said they would, while just 17 per cent said they would not.

When asked the same question in an Irish Times poll last February, 62 per cent
wanted a change of government while 28 per cent were against.

There is overwhelming support for a change of government among supporters of all
the Opposition parties, while 74 per cent of Green Party voters also favour a
change. Even among Fianna FĂĄil voters a substantial minority, 42 per cent,
would like to see a change of government.

Satisfaction with the Government is running at just 11 per cent, with 85 per
cent of voters expressing dissatisfaction with its performance. A majority of
Fianna FĂĄil and Green Party supporters are dissatisfied with their own
Government’s performance.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen’s satisfaction rating has dropped six points over the
summer to just 15 per cent, with 77 per cent of voters saying they are
dissatisfied with the way he is doing his job.

The strong anti-Government mood of the electorate comes at a time when the
Fianna FĂĄil-Green Party Coalition has to deal with a range of hugely
challenging issues, including the Nama legislation, the framing of next year’s
budget and decisions on the implementation of the Commission on Taxation report,
as well as the Lisbon referendum.

When people were asked who they would vote for if there were a general election
tomorrow, the adjusted figures for party support, compared with the last Irish
Times poll in May were: Fianna FĂĄil, 17 per cent (down three points); Fine
Gael, 34 per cent (down two points); Labour, 24 per cent (up one point); Sinn
FĂ©in, 10 per cent (up two points); Green Party, 3 per cent (no change); and
Independents/others, 12 per cent (up two points).

The poll was taken on Monday and Tuesday of this week among a representative
sample of 1,000 voters aged 18 and over in face-to-face interviews at 100
sampling points in all 43 constituencies.The margin of error is plus or minus 3
per cent.

The core vote for the parties (before undecided voters are excluded) compared
with the last Irish Times poll was: Fianna FĂĄil, 16 per cent (down 3 points);
Fine Gael, 26 per cent (down 2 points); Labour, 18 per cent (up 1 point); Sinn
FĂ©in, 9 per cent (up 1 point); Green Party, 2 per cent (no change);
Independents/ others, 9 per cent (up 2 points); and undecided voters 20 per cent
(up 1 point).

Labour has now pushed Fianna FĂĄil into third place in terms of core vote for
the first time, with Fine Gael maintaining the position it achieved in recent
polls and in local and European elections in June as the biggest party in the
country. In Dublin, Labour is in first place with 25 per cent, one point ahead
of Fine Gael on 24 per cent with Fianna FĂĄil trailing back in fourth place in
the capital on 11 per cent, a point behind Sinn FĂ©in.

The Green Party’s share of the national vote has not changed since the last
poll in May, but satisfaction with the party leader, John Gormley, has dropped
eight points to 19 per cent.

The Sinn FĂ©in vote is up since May but satisfaction with party president, Gerry
Adams, has dropped to 28 per cent, which is his lowest rating since he was
included in TNS mrbi polls.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny’s rating has also dropped. He is down 2 points to
29 per cent and continues to trail his party.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore remains by far the most popular political figure on
47 per cent, a drop of 2 points since the last poll.

There is a huge level of dissatisfaction with Mr Cowen’s performance among
supporters of all political parties, except Fianna FĂĄil. Even among his own
supporters 44 per cent are now dissatisfied, while 50 per cent expressed
satisfaction.

===============

The political authority

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2009/0903/1224253745777.html
Thursday, September 3, 2009

AS THE Government faces three pivotal challenges that will influence the
direction and welfare of this State for years to come – the National Asset
Management Agency, the Lisbon Treaty and the December budget – it has lost the
confidence of voters. The Irish Times/TNS mrbi opinion poll, published today,
finds that three quarters of the electorate now favour a change in government.
In such circumstances, it can only be hoped that the Coalition Government has
the authority and that voters have the common sense to realise that a resolution
of these difficult issues are in the national interest at home and abroad. The
question of party politics and how they affect the fortunes of Fianna FĂĄil is
immaterial.

Given the drubbing the Coalition parties received in the local and European
elections, they might have hoped the anger of voters had been assuaged,
especially as government support tends to revive during an extended holiday
period. On this occasion, however, controversy over the McCarthy report dealing
with reductions in public spending; proposals for taxation reform and a rescue
of the banks through Nama have consistently reminded voters that leaner days lie
ahead. As a result, public satisfaction with the Government has fallen to 11 per
cent and approval for Mr Cowen has sunk to a new low of 15 per cent.

The extreme volatility of the situation is reflected in the facts that almost
three-quarters of Green Party supporters now favour a change of government and a
majority of members are dissatisfied with John Gormley’s leadership. Support
for Mr Cowen within Fianna FĂĄil is even more problematical. These findings will
place intense pressure on the Coalition parties as they revise the programme for
government; consider the terms of Nama legislation and prepare for a testing
budget. The alternative to co-operation may well involve political destruction
because Fianna FĂĄil trails both Fine Gael and the Labour Party in popular
support and the Green Party remains stuck at disastrous local election levels.

A general note of dissatisfaction with all party leaders comes through in this
poll. Mr Cowen may be the most obvious casualty, but Enda Kenny’s public
satisfaction rating has fallen back to 2003 levels, even as support for Fine
Gael has risen by 50 per cent. That dichotomy is likely to contribute to ongoing
soul-searching within the party. Eamon Gilmore of the Labour Party, while
shedding two points, remains the most popular of his peers.

Having emerged as the largest party in the State following the local and
European elections, Fine Gael has maintained its position. But, its former
taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald, has suggested a moment of mature reflection on the
national issues now confronting us. Voter uncertainty is reflected in Fine
Gael’s two-point decline; in Sinn FĂ©in’s rise to 10 per cent and in a
steady drift towards Independent candidates. The party that has dominated Irish
politics for more than 70 years now lags behind Fine Gael, the Labour Party and
Sinn FĂ©in in Dublin constituencies.
UN MUST SAVE TARA PETITION
http://www.savetarapetition.net

Hi everyone,

We need your help with generating a proposal for preserving the Hill of Tara,
for the upcoming Global Irish Economic Forum. The government is inviting leading
Irish and Irish-connected individuals from around the world to attend the
inaugural Global Irish Economic Forum on September 18-20, to help generate ideas
on how to save Ireland. We need to equate saving Tara with saving Ireland. Here
is some information on the event:

Global Irish Economic Forum to focus on growth, relationship
By Noreen Bowden | April 29, 2009
http://www.ean.ie/2009/global-irish-economic-forum-to-focus-on-growth-relationsh\
ip/

The government is inviting leading Irish and Irish-connected individuals from
around the world to attend the inaugural Global Irish Economic Forum on
September 18-20. The planned conference, which will be held at Farmleigh in
Dublin, is the latest in a series of events aimed at harnessing the economic
power of the global Irish community.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin said,

     “The primary purpose of the Forum will be to examine how the Irish, at
home and abroad, can work together to generate ideas which will contribute to
our overall efforts at economic recovery. It will also play a critical role in
shaping the future direction of the relationship between Ireland and its
Diaspora, particularly in the economic area”.

Minister Martin noted that the conference is part of its strategy to engage more
deeply with the diaspora:

     “Successive Irish Governments have built a multi-layered relationship with
the global Irish community, one that has marked us out as a role model for many
other countries.

     “The Forum will provide us with the opportunity to take Ireland’s
relationship with the global Irish community in a new direction, to examine
innovative ways of working together and to generate ideas for Ireland’s
economic recovery. Now is the time to shape a more strategic relationship which
will bring benefits both to Ireland and to our global community and which has a
more developed economic focus.”

     “Our global Irish community constitutes one of the most powerful and
far-reaching resources at our disposal and, using our worldwide network of
Embassies and Consulates, we have identified some of the most successful
individuals from that global community. They will bring with them an invaluable
global perspective. To help facilitate discussion, a relatively small and
tightly focused group of individuals is being invited.”

The effort is complementing the Ireland-United States Strategic Review launched
last month and the strategy for economic renewal outlined in “Building
Ireland’s Smart Economy” in December.

RELATED LINKS

DFA press release: Minister for Foreign Affairs Announces Global Irish Economic
Forum to be held at Farmleigh in September
http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=81868

Department of the Taoiseach: Building Ireland’s Smart Economy
http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/?locID=601&docID=4147

Department of Foreign Affairs: Strategic Review of Ireland-US Relations
http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=81794



UN MUST SAVE TARA PETITION
http://www.savetarapetition.net