I wish the Minister well in her new ministry. The proper application of the National Monuments Acts, 1930-1994, where works proposed are at or near monuments protected under these Acts, is welcome. Why do they not apply to Dúchas and its agents at the site of the Carrowmore megalithic tombs? Why does Dúchas not have an archaeologist present under licence during the works? Who authorised this programme and from what funds are the works, which cost £50,000, being paid? When were Dúchas archaeologists made aware of these works and were they, or other archaeologists, asked for input? Will an archaeologist with knowledge of the Carrowmore passage tombs be involved in the proper assessment of the necessary restoration works? Why did the works continue when the ground was being churned up? Has it been considered that the ground outside the tombs might contain archaeologically complex and multi-period deposits, as at Newgrange and Knowth in the Boyne valley?
How does Dúchas propose to undo the unsightly and dangerous arrangement of gabions around the chamber of tomb No. 51? Why has the archaeologically excavated cutting that revealed the mid-winter rising sun alignment been backfilled? What will Dúchas do for the safety of the monument and the people visiting the megalithic earthwork on the chamber? What is meant by standard practice regarding the unsightly stone gabions, as reported in The Irish Times, and what other sites and monuments have suffered the same standard practice? Are these works necessarily conducted in this manner? The people of Sligo want to know if the work is for archaeological and heritage reasons, or is it tourism driven? In The Sligo Champion the field club expressed horror at and condemnation of these works.
The tombs at Carrowmore are part of the largest and most controversial megalithic cemetery in western Europe. Does Dúchas realise the embarrassment caused to our archaeologists and people, particularly those of Sligo and the north west? In the words of Neill McCarthy, the Supreme Court judge in the 1989 ruling on the controversial Carrowmore dump, the question is being asked, "Have the Irish no pride?" Given the concept of a fallow area enshrined in the Supreme Court decision, are these works legal?
The megalithic cemetery at Carrowmore is one of the largest in western Europe. Burnholt, of Sweden, recently excavated four tombs. He claims that one of them is among the earliest in the area. The cemetery covers an area one mile by a half. Today 45 tombs can be seen in the townland of Carrowmore. There may originally have been 150.
Archaeologists and the people of Sligo are very concerned about the work done, particularly as regards who authorised it and why they did so. Was it done for tourism reasons? The biggest concern is that the midwinter rising sun alignment has been backfilled. What instruction will be given by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands as regards future work? Why did Dúchas not have an archaeologist operating under licence, present during the entire works?