Name of your website?Save Tara in Ireland Discussion Group
Your name?
Michael McGrath
Your Location (city, etc)
Kilkenny City, County Kilkenny
Please give us a short summary of your website?
We have campaign for four years now, with recourse to the Irish High Court and Supreme Court, to the relevant Irish Government Departments, principally the Minister (John Gormley T.D.) and his Department of the Environment), and the Irish Department for Transport), the irish Government national Roads Authority, to the irish Government directly, to Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern, who are all pushing this motorway through the Tara Valley, and we have been rebuffed all the way.
We have now conceded that the Irish Government and Authorites will not re-route the M3 motorway, although there are several possible re-routes, away from proximity to the Hill of Tara.
We have therefore now swithched the focus of our campaign to a demand that the motorway (which is now under construction) be shielded by corridors of broadleaf trees and it looks like this may be conceded. The trees would additionally soak up vehicular emissions and help against climate change, providing as well clean fresh air for humans and animals to breathe, and would show Ireland's commitment against global pollution.
We want that motorway beautified in every way possible, as regards signage which should be designed by artists and constructed by skilled crafts people in the ancient Gaelic style, we want that motorway past the Hill of Tara to look as beautiful as a Parisian boulevard.
And we want your assistance, wherever in the world you are, to join in with us on our forum and help towards all these desirable ends.
The Discussion group is unmoderated but will be archived, so we know you will not say anything that will be picked up by posterity :-)
In particular we welcome all those folk who are actually in favour of the M3 motorway, especially the thousands of commuters who want the motorway, to join in and help us towards all these desirable objectives from an Irish and global viewpoint.
Thank you all,
Michael McGrath. (Archdruid of Ireland) Elected and Hereditary Chosen Chief of the Order of Druids in Ireland, The ODI. (Non-Pagan, Multi-Faith).
What inspired you to launch your own website?
To involve people in our Save Tara Campaign in Ireland and worldwide - we have got great response over the last four years from the USA, UK, Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, indeed from over 50 countries worldwide, involving over 350 academics worldwide and hundreds of thousands of people, especially in the USA, to sSave Tara, which belongs not only to Ireland, but as a sacred site of antiquity to the whole world.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
We have launched several websites over the past fouyr years in the Cause of Tara, this is the latest Discussion Group to which all are invited to give us your views which will, if we find them valuable, be passed on to the Irish Government and all their Authorities and relevant Government Departments.
This is in view of the fact that we, the Druids of Ireland, now have accepted in inevitability of the M3 motorway, though there are brave souls of protesters out there in the Tara Valley taking on the Bulldozers - and the Irish Police, the Garda.
We feel that we are now approacfhing the stage where we can sit down and negotaite the actual design of the completed motorway with the Irish Authorites, and we think that they actually welcome this, our new conciliatory approach.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
It's a title that is used in the actual campaignon the ground, on banners, tee shirts etc - Save Tara.
BTW National Opinion Polls ( especially one by the respected "Red C " Group, have found that over 70 % of the Irish People are still against the M3 Motorway past |Tara.
We think our new conciliatory approach will have the backing of well over 95 % of the people of Ireland, and also the support of Environmentalists throughout the world, and all those across the world who love Tara and all that it stands for.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
Our conciliatory and pragnatic approach in now moving to save a cause that was almost lost and securing some practical benefits from the iriwsh Government who want the widespread protests, disturbances and actual riots on a few occasions, stopped as much as we do. This also will free up a hundred Irish Police Officers, stationed all around the Tara Valley, to go back into the streets of Ireland, and do what they are best at - combatting crime, which is what they want to do. We must admit that they, the Police, An Garda, ave handled explosive situations on Tara prfessionally with restraint.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
To secure all the above practical benefits for Tara, Ireland, the Environment and the Planet.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
It has really been a huge investment of time for many people. Now that we are introducing this new approach, we will be in a different mode of negotiatiobn which will only require travelling expenses, accommodation etc to and from Dublin, which will not be that much in monetary terms - really our campaign is massively time consuming, and especially in computer time.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
Pay off the politicians and developers to re-route the M3 away from Tara, heh heh heh.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Yes, no problem. We have many experienced volunteers and many more who wouyld offer their time.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
None, the Government defrayed 600,000 Euros costs in the Irish High Court and Supreme Court actions by Vincent Salafia.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Trying to alter a decision by the irish Government party, Fianna Fail, which is 100 per cent backed up by the main Irish opposition party in the Irish Parliament, Dail Eireann, in Dublin, and now by the Irish Green Party, who backed us, until they U-turned and went into coalition with Fianna fail a few months back,. securing Ministries etc for themselves - including the Irish Ministry for the Environment gaimned by Irish Green party Leader John Gormley for himself, and this Ministry deals directly in forcing the M3 motorway through the Tara valley.
Minister Gormley then stated that he could not reverse the decisions of his Fianna Fail predecessor in Office - though he is more amebnable to sitting down with us and sorting it out.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
This is a new website, we will access ready-made links in the Save Tara Campaign and amongst supporting environmental groups in Ireland and worldwide.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
Don't know, it'ws new, was an old webite that we resurected to this purpose. DCourtesy of Google.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
Less than a week. Until our reasonable goals are achieved reasonably.
Replace this with a question of your own
What does the world think of Druids now ?
We are not all pagans at all, that is a fallacy, nor are we a Church or a Religion. We belong to all Churches, and try to walk the ancient Druidic Path of Wisdom, devoting such knowledge, talents and wisdom as we pick up along the way in the service of An Firinne - Gaelic Irish words for The Sacred Truth.
Michael McGrath Archdruid of Ireland (Elected and Hereditary) Chosen Chief of the Order of Druids in Ireland, 1993. Honoured Associate of the Council of British Druid Orders, 1995.
Kilkenny City, Ireland. 2nd October 2007.
What is your website address?
Save Tara in Ireland Discussion Group
