Saturday, February 23, 2008

More musings on Tara

As a Celtic Reconstructionist, I have dedicated myself to putting together the pieces of what remains of our religious heritage, as well as preserving what still lives. Therefore, the destruction of precious sites in the Tara-Skryne Valley upsets me deeply.

We should not be allowing any more destruction. Period. We shouldn't be left having to once again reconstruct something that could have been preserved.

These archaeological sites and ancient ritual centers tell us a great deal about the religious beliefs of our ancestors. On a more mystical level, they give us a place where we can tangibly connect with the spirits, deities and energies that inspired our ancestors, and that inspire us now. We are part of the land. When we destroy these sacred sites, we destroy a piece of our souls.

Such a big problem with Americans, which I believe leads many of them to behave irresponsibly on the world stage, is how rootless they feel. For Irish Americans, for Irish citizens, for all those in the Irish diaspora who care about our history, about our ancestors: Don't let any more of our history and traditions be destroyed.

It seems our best defense right now is the Archaeological study. If you don't have the resources to get over to Tara, I'd suggest helping fund the study. Even if you can get there to block the chainsaws and diggers, they are listening to the Archaeologists who show up, more than to the normal people chained to bulldozers. I've added a link to their PayPal page on paganachd.com, and will repeat it here:

TaraWatch has opened a PayPal account for the sole purpose of raising money to pay for a professional, independent archaeological consultancy company to assess the 38 sites being excavated between Navan and Dunshaughlin, and to assess the impact of the proposed M3 motorway at the Hill of Tara. The report is needed for the petitions to the European Union, World Monuments Fund, Coillte and other official bodies. This may be our best and last chance at stopping the destruction of our heritage, and the graves of our ancestors, at Tara.

This is an emergency situation, with sites being desecrated as we write this. Time is of the essence. If you've ever wanted to do anything for the sacred sites in Ireland, now is the time to act.

Donate to the Archaeological Fund

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