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tomandsusan

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Tom And Susan

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Well folks, Tom and Susan are no more. If you want to contact Susan, please email her at art@surrealdigitalartist.com. Tom may continue to play here on DA. See you all around the net :-)
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"Easter Rising
The auctioning off of Easter Rising memorabilia
The news I receive from Ireland continues to dismay me and break my heart! Recently, I hear that the memorabilia left from the 1916 Easter Rising is to be auctioned today! My dear soul, to think that these men who brought about the freedom that the Republic of Ireland “enjoys” to this very day are not to be remembered in a museum, but rather to be bandied about in the private collection of goodness knows who! And to what purpose? Where are the funds going to be used? Will it be to the good of the Irish for whom these men of yesteryear gave their lives? I think not! To quote from the very distinguished Padraig Henry Pearse:

Mise Eire (I Am Ireland)

“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.”

And again:

"We know of only one definition of freedom; it is Tone's definition, it is Mitchel's definition, it is Rossa's definition. Let no man blaspheme the cause that the dead generations of Ireland served, by giving it any other name and definition other than their name and their definition."

-- Padraig Pearse

Regards,
An American Irish
Susan Repasky"

I continue to be amazed, I continue to be alarmed, and I continue to be saddened. I have been to the graves of many of the Patriots, I sank to my knees on the spot that Padraig Pearse was murdered at Kilmainham Gaol. I stood in amazement and horror when at Glasnevin I discovered the new memorial for the ten very young volunteers who died on the scaffold in Mountjoy Prison in the cause of freedom and the cause of Ireland. Why did it take eighty years to officially remember them? The Tara/M3 issue, the Rossport/Shell to Sea issue, the Turoe/N-6 issue, the Kilconnell/National Toll Roads Super-Dump Issue, the Poolbeg/Ringaskiddy issue, each one of these are a travesty and injustice to those who are Irish. Does anyone have a resolution, an answer?

This article was removed from Indymedia.ie. From what I understand, if one is not far left, then your opinion does not count :-(
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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-Repasky
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In March 2000, The Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Mr. Noel Dempsey, helped to legislate a change to limit what the Minister of the Environment, currently Minister John Gormley, could do as regards National Roads. Therefore, the tying of the hands of which Minister Gormley speaks.

This is an older press release with changes made to the planning acts in March 1999. Notice the limits of taking legal actions, the appointment of An Bord Pleanala, and changes to legislation that allows infrastructure construction to commence before legal proceedings are finished.

It's time to put some heat on this guy.

Press Release - Dempsey Publishes Amendments to Planning and Development Bill

29/03/2000 [No. of pages 4] [FL2463]
Planning
________________________________________________________

The Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Mr. Noel
Dempsey, T.D., today (29 March) published amendments to the Planning
and Development Bill, 1999. The Bill (which has been passed by the
Seanad) has finished Second Stage in the Dail and is about to commence
detailed consideration by the Select Committee on Environment and Local
Government.
________________________________________________________
Dempsey Publishes Amendments to Planning and Development Bill

The Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Mr. Noel
Dempsey, T.D., today (29 March) published amendments to the Planning
and Development Bill, 1999. The Bill (which has been passed by the
Seanad) has finished Second Stage in the Dail and is about to commence
detailed consideration by the Select Committee on Environment and Local
Government.

The Planning and Development Bill has had almost 100 hours of debate in
both the Seanad and the Dáil so far. The publication of the Bill
created huge interest across many sectors and the Minister has received
a large number of detailed submissions on its provisions. "Many of the
amendments I propose to make at Committee Stage arise from the debate
that we have had on the Bill in the Oireachtas as well as from the many
submissions which I received since the Bill was published. I would like
to thank those individuals, bodies and professional institutions for
their considered views on the Bill. It is obvious that many people
spent a lot of time examining this major piece of legislation and I can
say that I have taken on board any of the good ideas suggested where I
consider that these will improve the operation of the Bill." Minister
Dempsey said.

Details of amendments

The details of the major amendments are set out below. Those amendments
circulated today are marked with an asterisk. Drafting of the remaining
amendments is still being finalised. Around 140 amendments are being
circulated today and many of those are of a textual or minor nature.

Tolling
The existing legislative arrangements for tolling under the Roads Act,
1993 are being amended by removing the Minister for the Environment and
Local Government's quasi-judicial functions in relation to approval, or
revocation of toll schemes, approval of toll bye-laws and approval of
toll arrangements with private investors. Under the revised Part V of
the Roads Act, 1993, the decision to adopt or revoke a toll scheme,
adopt bye-laws, or enter into toll arrangements with private investors,
will be a matter for the National Roads Authority in the case of
national roads, and in the case of non-national roads, a matter for the
relevant local authority.

As a corollary, the Roads Act, 1993 is also being amended so that the
Minister for the Environment and Local Government can issue policy
directives to the National Roads Authority or local authorities
regarding the exercise of their functions in relation to road tolling.
The National Roads Authority or local authority will be obliged to
comply with a directive issued by the Minister. Any policy directives
made by the Minister must be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

_____________________ page break _____________________

The amendments proposed to the tolling provisions of the Roads Act,
1993 will simplify statutory processes for approval of toll schemes,
arid are consistent with other provisions in the Planning and
Development Bill which reduce the role of the Minister in
project-specific approvals and consents. The amendments are also in
keeping with the principle of subsidiarity as regards decision making,
while retaining control at a broad policy level.

Control of Quarries
Many quarries currently in operation pre-date the 1963 Planning Act and
are therefore not subject to planning control. The Minister proposes to
introduce an amendment to require quarries over 5 years old, whether
subject to planning permission or otherwise, to register with the
planning authority. Planning authorities will then be entitled to
impose conditions on the operation of registered quarries. Quarries
which have not previously obtained planning permission may also be
required to undergo environmental impact assessment and to apply for
planning permission where their area is greater than 5 ha or where they
are situated in defined sensitive areas. This would be required where
their continued operation would be likely to have a significant effect
on the environment.

Architectural Conservation Areas and Areas of Special Planning Control
It is proposed to strengthen and clarify the process of designating
Architectural Conservation Areas which were introduced in the Local
Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1999. In addition the
Minister proposes to introduce a new power for local authorities to
declare "areas of special planning control" within architectural
conservation areas. In these areas the local planning authority will
have a range of additional powers to enable them to ensure the
preservation and enhancement of a street or square that is of special
importance to the civic life of a city or town. The local authority
would be able to take a pro-active approach in determining appropriate
uses in areas of special planning control. They would be able to serve
a notice requiring inappropriate uses to cease, or to apply conditions
on the continuance of a use, in accordance with a special planning
control scheme adopted by the elected members and subject to the
payment of compensation.

Right of Appeal to An Bord Pleanála
The Bill restricts the right of appeal to An Bord Pleanála to persons
who made submissions or observations to the planning authority on
initial planning applications. Particular concern has been expressed
with this limitation in cases where persons did not object to a
planning application because they were satisfied with the original
proposal, but who feel adversely affected by changes to the development
required by conditions imposed by the planning authority in the final
decision. In response to this concern the Minister proposes to
introduce a provision allowing An Bord Pleanála to accept an appeal
from persons who have an interest in adjoining land and where that
interest would be adversely affected by the conditions.

* Direct recruitment of An Bord Pleanála Members
At present members of An Bord Pleanála are appointed by the Minister
from a list of candidates nominated by various representative bodies
and associations. Recent experience has been that bodies have not
nominated their full quota thus making it more difficult to ensure a
proper balance of gender, experience and a good mix of skills in
engineering, planning, architectural and environmental fields. While
nominations will continue to be sought from the nominating bodies, the
Minister proposes an amendment to the Bill whereby, if the Minister is
not satisfied to appoint a person from the nominees list applications
can be sought by open recruitment. Candidates would be selected by a
committee made up of the Chairperson of the Board, an Assistant
Secretary in the

_____________________ page break _____________________

Minister's Department and the Chairperson of the Heritage Council and
with 3 names being sent forward to the Minister to make the final
appointment.

* Double Applications
A provision to prevent a second application being made on land for the
same development while the first application is on appeal to the Board
is proposed.

* Licensing for erecting structures on public roads
It is proposed to strengthen the existing licensing powers of local
authorities to control the erection of appliances, hoarding etc on
public roads so as to avoid clutter, public nuisance and inappropriate
development. It is proposed to require licences for the erection of
telephone kiosks and pedestals on the public road in the interests of
proper planning and sustainable development.

* Disclosure and Declaration of Interests
The limit of declarable interests is being raised to £10,000 in line
with the Ethics in Public Office Act. However, it should be noted the
Bill requires that a Code of Conduct in relation to planning will have
to be adopted by members and staff of planning authorities and An Bord
Pleanála.

* Certification of Funfairs
The Bill originally provided for travelling funfairs to notify local
authorities of their plans and to produce a certificate of safety. It
is now proposed to require all funfairs, including permanent ones, to
provide a certificate of safety to the local authority.

Speeding up the provision of infrastructure
As agreed by the Government in February amendments are being prepared
to implement the
recommendations of the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructural Development
in relation to the
Planning Bill. These relate to -

- Requiring An Bord Pleanála to give priority to major infrastructural
development,

- Removing the statutory prohibition on infrastructural development
being carried out until the outcome of all legal proceedings.

- Providing for the High Court to deal expeditiously with legal
proceedings in major infrastructural cases.

- A person seeking judicial review must show a previous interest in the
case unless exceptional circumstances can be shown.

- A person seeking an exemption from the 8 week time limit for taking
judicial review must prove the existence of the exceptional
circumstances.

Housing Supply - anti avoidance measures
Measures to ensure that developers cannot avoid the provisions under
Part V of the Bill in relation to the provision of social and
affordable houses will be introduced.

_____________________ page break _____________________

Development on foreshore
The Minister proposes to require planning permission for development on
the foreshore which is adjacent to the functional area of local
authorities. Planning authority functional areas do not generally
extend beyond the High Water Mark. A further amendment will allow An
Bord Pleanála to decide on infrastructure projects which cross the
foreshore without the need to apply for a separate foreshore licence
from the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources.

* Notification of Revocation of Planning Permission
In a recent High Court decision it was decided that fair procedures
demanded that, before a planning authority revokes a planning
permission, the persons affected should be notified of the proposal. It
is proposed to include such a procedure in the Bill.

* Outdoor Events with planning permission
It is proposed to clarify that those venues which have planning
permission for a certain number of concerts will not require a licence
under the Bill for those concerts e.g. 1 per annum in Slane or 3 per
annum in Croke Park. Any additional events over and above those for
which permission has been granted will require a licence. It is also
proposed that the fact that events have taken place in a venue in the
past should be a material consideration when deciding on whether or not
to issue a licence, e.g. Lansdowne Road.

Control of Major Accident Hazards
Amendments are proposed to transpose those aspects of the Seveso II
Directive on the control of major accident hazards relating to planning
and the avoidance of hazard.

* Tenure of City and County Managers
The opportunity is also being taken to amend the law on the tenure of
local authority city and county managers. At present the maximum term
of a local authority city or county manager is 7 years. An amendment is
being introduced which would retain the basic 7 year contract as at
present but would give managers an option to extend this by three years
provided notice is given at least 2 years before the end of the 7 year
term. Managers who opt for the extension may not seek other manager
posts during the extended contract period. There will, however, be an
exemption to enable serving managers to apply for certain senior posts,
e.g., Dublin City Manager, Cork County Manager.

ENDS
29/3/00
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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 Repasky
An Irish-American
Mountain View, California U.S.A.
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