From: TaraWatch
To:  hilloftara@yahoogroups.com ;  taralitigation@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 11:29 AM
Subject: [TaraWatch] RTE News: Temporary preservation order at Tara

[Keep checking this link below. There will be audio and video added
later, as RTE are filming at Rath Lugh now]

Temporary preservation order at Tara

Tuesday, 2 October 2007 10:23
 http://www.rte. ie/news/2007/ 1002/tara. html

The Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, has signed a temporary
preservation order on a national monument known as Rath Lugh in the
Tara/Skryne valley.

People opposing the route of the motorway through the valley say work
on the project has damaged the monument, a claim that has been disputed
by the National Roads Authority and the Department of the Environment.

The national monument at Rath Lugh lies 2.5km from the Hill of Tara.
The fort is also close to the other national monument at Lismullen.

Mr Gormley ordered an assessment following concerns about
damage to the monument and the placement of the motorway 20m closer to
the site.

The assessment concluded it was not under threat from the road works
but was under threat from the dense undergrowth and forest on top of
it. Some of this scrub had been cleared as part of the M3 project.

Both Coillte, which owns the land, and the NRA, have been informed that
the temporary preservation order has been issued to prevent any further
work taking place at or near the site.

The move has been welcomed by those opposing the route of the motorway,
who have said they had warned that Rath Lugh would be damaged by the
M3.