Ireland Okays Highway Near Hill of Tara

Submitted by Karen on Tue, 2005-05-24 14:03
Overruling the protests of environmentalists and historians, the Irish government has approved construction of a highway that passing near the Hill of Tara, a popular meeting point for Irish kings and chieftains from pre-Christian times until the 11th century.

The road project actually will make possible significant archaeological exploration, according to Environment Minister Dick Roche, who approved 38 archaeological digs along the proposed route, which will pass about a mile east of the hill.

The new highway will connect Dublin with the suburb of Navan, a thirty-mile trip presently viable only on what is now a single-lane road, which often takes two hours or longer.