September 9, 2007 by admin.

In our disposable society, what value do we place on our ancestors?

There is a battle ensuing in Ireland, and it has been for several years now. This is a battle not unlike that of 1793, or even more recently the Easter Rising of 1916. Born of the Republic, this battle has at its core the finest champions, whose love lies deep in the Heart Of Ireland, the Tara Complex.

The Tara Complex has a rich, ancient, and honorable history. It is where the seat of the High Kings of Ireland was, the center of ancient Irish Spirituality, and the inspiration for the writings of an abundance of poets and scholars. The Celtic Twilight was born from this setting. It is told in mythology that the Tuatha Dé Danann made their home there, and that their descendants remained in the complex for centuries. It was a place of birth, marriage and death. Feasts, rituals and ceremonies were held there. It was on the Hill of Tara itself that the Beltaine Fire was lit by the head Druid. After extinguishing the old hearth fires, the people would carry a new spark, a token flame, back to their homes as a symbolic blessing from Deity. Beneath her hallowed ground rests the remains of ancestors to many, copper and bronze age villages, relics of antiquity, archaeological wonders, and perhaps the greatest prize known to humankind.

On April 1st, 2007, the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Noel Dempsey, turned over the first spadeful of soil, declaring the beginning of the destruction of the Tara Complex, and the construction of the M-3 Motorway. No sooner had the bulldozers begun their violation of the grounds than a wonder began to come forth. On May 1st, 2007, the day of Beltaine, before them they saw something taking form. Little by little, a wood-henge, the size of at minimum three football fields, began to emerge. This wood-henge dates from about 2500 B.C.E. to 1800 B.C.E., some say perhaps older than the Pyramids of Giza. This ancient henge includes earth enclosures, timber circles, and many banks. The surprised workers had uncovered a Sacred place of gathering. A cessation was called until archaeologists could determine if the work should proceed.

And proceed it does. On June 14th, 2007, then Minister of the Environment, Dick Roche, signed an order to allow the motorway work to continue. His successor, John Gormley, states that he is not able to countermand that order. On August 22nd, 2007, the An Bord Pleanala gave the go ahead to the National Road Authority of Ireland to commence archaeological work on the site. The artifacts and ancient ruins of Lismullen will be “noted” or recorded by the archaeologists, with anything they feel should be at the National Museum carried away. The plan is then for the NRA to continue the ground work and paving over this Irish National Monument. This decision is under review by the European Commission, who plan to conduct an Environment Impact Assessment this Autumn. On Thursday the 30th August the NRA are holding a conference at the Gresham Hotel in conjunction with National Heritage Week. A ploy? Perhaps. It is with great hope that a change will come.

Protesters, all heroes, have been working diligently to protect this important historical site for many months, spending countless hours writing letters, speaking endlessly to the public, and meeting with representatives who they still hope have the valor and courage to stop this “scheme”. A team of legal experts led by the esteemed Vincent Salafia have spent several years preparing authoritative documentation to prevent this planned motorway from going through. Will all of the blood, sweat and tears that have been poured into the protest be to no avail? The bulldozers seem eager to destroy this land, all for the comfort and convenience of the good people of Ireland, those who bought the dream of the “Celtic Tiger. These are those who are forced to live many miles from where they work, since they cannot afford to live in Dublin. It is very little thanks that we give to those who created the concept of the “Celtic Tiger”, for in this they have given the people more of a nightmare than a dream. The heritage of the people is being ripped away.

What price does heritage carry? Is it worth nothing in this disposable society that we find ourselves living in? Some day we too will become ancestors to someone. Will they remember us with love, or will they plow over our tombs, building rodes over and upon the ground in which we rest? It is with hope that they will remember us with honor and respect.

Susan Isabella Sheehan

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August 14, 2007 by admin.

Shame on the lack of moral conscience of Ireland’s “government”, shame of the lack of moral conscience of the broader population of the good people of Ireland, and shame of the lack of moral conscience of the “leaders” of the European Union (who also will be receiving more words from me shortly)! What is so very important now is that those who are not afraid to use their voice speak out against this travesty which appears to be going ahead, and the impending destruction of the Hill of Tara Complex.

The preservation Tara, our Sacred heritage, and our Ancestral memories do not appear to be in the forefront of the minds of these new millionaires you speak of Kevin. What seems to be important are the tanning salons, the gaming rooms, the fast expensive cars you referred to, dining on food usually seen only in magazines and paying exorbitant prices, and the dream of riches associated with the Celtic Tiger, which is fast becoming more of a living nightmare and hell. When we were last in Ireland in 2006, most of the folks we surveyed (informally of course), weren’t even aware of the M-3 motorway construction, and those who did had not formed an opinion.

The fact that oil is “running out” (a manufacture of the World governments I believe) globally is immaterial to most of these good people of Ireland, who appear to only be able to see from one day to the next, trying to wring as much vacuous entertainment and empty joy out of this life that they can. Riots in the streets over the ban of vehicles! Now, that’s quite a vision, and one that could easily come to life if the good people are not made aware!! Quite like the general population of the U.S., where SUV/Hummer fever is rampant, even while we are at a crisis stage with oil. Apparent zombies staggering through life with no conscious thought or whim of what the future will hold or bring to our children and grandchildren.

On the matter of John Gormley. From what I understand, he was opposed to the construction of the M-3 motorway prior to his winning the election. His behavior is inexcusable and his reasoning unacceptable for not protecting the Lismullen Henge and other parts of the Tara Complex from destruction. I do not believe him when he states that his hands are tied, and that he must allow the decision of Dick Roche to stand. I will, as stated earlier, be drafting a letter to him in the next few days.

The most recent bloody battle, The Easter Rising, seems to have faded from the memory of the good people of Ireland. The heroes who sacrificed during that campaign, during the battle of 1793, and during the hunger strikes in Northern Ireland have long since become ghosts of another time and era. To ask the educators and researchers of the island, those who are generously funded by the good people of Ireland, to stand up and be counted amongst those who advocate education is not without value. We must all stand together to win the island back from those seeking to amass millions of dollars through the greed of these vast and destructive infrastructure schemes.

Yes, the generations in the future will sorely lose out on the beauty and magick of the heart of Ireland, Tara, if this road continues. Sure, some of the complex will be left, but the valley will be scarred, the air and water will be polluted, and the Spirit will be left sorrowful. The voices of those in times past will haunt the hillsides and the vales, broken hearted, singing of “The Dew Of Dear Tara”.

Tara is the heartbeat of the island, the Sacred Center, and the source of her spirituality. How unfortunate that the good people of the island would choose to trade that for material possessions and ease. I understand the mundane, as regards making a living. I am a Mother of three and Grandmother of five. I know the basic daily needs, and I know the wants of life as well. I also know that beyond this realm, beyond this thing we call life, is the Spirit, and to me, this is what is vitally important for all. Indeed, may all of the good people of Ireland pay heed to the stories of the Grandmothers and Grandfathers! My Grandparents and Parents told me the stories and history, I told my children the stories and history, and I am one Grandmother who will recant the stories of old to my grandchildren. Hopefully one day they and my children will travel to the land of their Ancestors, and let us pray that they will be able to bask in the glory and wonder that is the Sacredness of Ireland that has been given a reprieve from this destruction.

I stand with all of you, return to your roots now, regain the pride and love of Ireland that is your heritage, find again the magick of the land! Help the good people of Ireland in saving Tara, the Gabhra Valley, and the entire island for the future of us all!

Blessings,

Susan Isabella Sheehan

“I have always taken a lesson from something that was told me by a sound man, that is, that everyone, Republican or otherwise, has his own particular part to play. No part is too great or too small, no one is too old or too young to do something.” Bobby Sands – March 9, 1954 to May 5, 1981.

“It is the entitlement and birthright of every person born in the island of Ireland, which includes its islands and seas, to be part of the Irish Nation. That is also the entitlement of all persons otherwise qualified in accordance with law to be citizens of Ireland. Furthermore, the Irish nation cherishes its special affinity with people of Irish ancestry living abroad who share its cultural identity and heritage.” (Article 2, Constitution of the Republic of Ireland.)

Related Link: http://www.google.com/search?q=Bunreacht+na+hEireann&bt…earch
Susan Isabella Sheehan

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August 13, 2007 by admin.

Dear Mr. Ahern,
With All Due Respect,

I have watched, since the Autumn of 2005, the continuing battle over the M3 motorway in the Tara/Skryne (Gabhra) Valley. I first became acquainted with the issue whilst my husband and I were on our way to the Dublin Airport the last day of our visit. It was then that we saw the “Archaeological” dig signs close by to the Hill of Tara, with “No Trespassing” written all over them. Upon our return to the U.S., I did a bit of investigating and was horrified, chilled to my very marrow, to find what this devious “scheme” actually entailed.

Mr. Ahern, Sir, I am not a native Irish-Woman, however I am Irish. I was raised from a young child to honor and respect my ancestors, both ancient and recent. I was taught about the patriots and heroes, those who gave their lives that the Republic could offer freedom to her children. Mr. Ahern, Sir, as I understand it, you have a portrait of Pádraic MacPiarais ( Padraic Pearse ) hanging in your personal government office. You have publicly stated that he is one of your heroes, someone who means something to your spirit and being, yet it appears that you do not stand for the same patriotism he did. When you were attending the Easter Rising commemorative celebration at Kilmainham Gaol in April 2006, did you kneel at this brave heroes execution site, saying a prayer of thanksgiving for the sacrifice that he made? If it had not been for Padraic Pearse and his fellow patriots, you, Sir, would not be holding the office you do. In fact, Ireland would not be a Republic, but rather still giving allegiance to Great Britain, or perhaps even another foreign nation.

Do you truly admire Padraic Pearse, Sir? Was he foretelling this very moment in time with the following poem? Please pay attention to the words:

Mise Eire (I Am Ireland)
by Padraic Pearse
1912
“I am Ireland.
I am older than the Old Woman of Bearra,
Great is my glory,
I who gave birth to
Cuchulain the brave,
Great is my shame,
My own family
Have sold their mother.
I am Ireland,
I am lonelier than the
Old Woman of Bearra.”

Mr. Ahern, Sir, if indeed you cannot remember our ancient ancestors, perhaps you can remember more recent history with the patriots of the Battles of the Irish rebellion in 1798. Perhaps you can remember reading about the gathering on the Hill of Tara on August 15th, 1843, when over one million Irish Men and Irish Women gathered to hear ‘The Liberator’, Daniel O’Connell, speak during what were some of the bleakest years for the Irish as a nation, An Gorta Mór. Perhaps you will remember, Sir, the multitude of monuments dedicated to the thousands whose bodies were left to rot in the fields from County Meath to County Kildare, rebels who sacrificed their very lives that you might enjoy the freedom you have today. Even more recently are the efforts of Arthur Griffith, William Butler Yeats, George Moore and Douglas Hyde, who campaigned against the British-Israelites when they sought to destroy the Hill of Tara in search of the Ark of the Covenant between the years of 1899 and 1902. Writing to the Irish Times on June 27th, 1902 they declared, “Tara is, because of its associations, probably the most consecrated spot in Ireland, and its destruction will leave many bitter memories behind it.” Their words are as relevant today as when they were written well over a century ago.

What all of these brave and courageous Irish had in common was the love of the Mother, the love of the Island, and the love of the heart and soul of Ireland, the Hill of Tara. This love continues in the hearts of the protesters who are risking their lives to the machinery which is rending the land apart, savaging the sacred sites, and raping the resting places of our ancestors throughout the Island.

Mr. Ahern, Sir, it is not only the M-3 which concerns me. It is the Rossport/Shell to Sea issue, the Turoe/N-6 issue, the Kilconnell/National Toll Roads Super-Dump Issue, the Poolbeg/Ringaskiddy issue, along with many more controversial and disastrously dangerous “schemes” which will most certainly lay waste to the “Ireland of the Welcomes”. It is also a fact that the M-3 “scheme” is to facilitate the transporting of the petroleum being pumped in the NW of Ireland to refineries in Dublin, there to be exported elsewhere, with little or nothing of the revenue being realized by the people of Ireland.

It is a well known fact that the government of Ireland has chosen to not disclose to the people that the European Commission has filed charges against the government of Ireland for failure to comply with the bylaws of the EU, thus making the Environmental Impact Assessment for the whole M3 project no longer valid, and therefore making it an illegal project. The government of Ireland has also not disclosed that there will be a hearing in the European Court of Justice in the Autumn of this year, 2007. It is a well known fact that the people of Ireland have been kept in the dark about the truth behind the M-3 and it’s spiderweb network of roads. It is a well known fact that the government of Ireland is in complicity with a range of “cronies” the likes of whom have not been seen before. On July 20th, 2007, the esteemed Kathy Sinnott, Vice-Chairwoman of the European Parliament Petitions Committee, published an open letter to John Gormley, the most recently elected Irish Minister of the Environment. To date, he has yet to publicly address an answer to her, or to the people of Ireland for that matter, for his reasoning in hiding facts about this.

To quote from the European Unions Aarhus Convention, citizens “have the right to access to environmental information, participation in environmental decision making and access to justice. This guide aims to raise public awareness about the convention and to inform people in a simple and easily understandable way about their rights according to the convention. Its description of actual cases may also inspire public officials working with environmental information. (January 2007).”

The Hill of Tara has seen numerous battles over the many centuries, but none has presented a greater challenge than the one it is entangled in now. The government of Ireland has become her enemy, and her champions are the ones who are actively protesting, doing their utmost to prevent the violation of this royal and sacred valley, which holds the secrets and remains of our ancestors.

Mr. Ahern, Sir, take it upon yourself to assume the honorable position. Save the land of our people from the raping and pillaging of these infrastructures. Save the land of our people from having thousands of years of heritage obliterated in the darkness of the night. Save the land of our people for the sake of our children and grandchildren. Save the land of our people for your own conscience sake. Save our Old Mother!!!

Respectfully,

Susan Isabella Sheehan
An Irish-American
California U.S.A.

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