Ireland's dead deserve
to rest in peace
The dead still keep turning
up in Ireland. Recent
stories have told about
the burial site holding
over 1,200 graves discovered
at Ballyshannon, Co.
Donegal, during work
on the construction
of a by-pass road. The
proposed route of the
by-pass was opposed
by many local residents,
but their objections
were ignored and over-ruled.
Authorities now say
"tweaking"
the route will allow
preservation of the
cemetery and nearby
chapel ruins.
Had an alternative route
been chosen, as advocated
before road building
began, the dead would
have been allowed to
rest in peace.
A similar case has arisen
in County Meath where
the proposed route of
the M3 motorway is being
opposed by residents.
A test trench has uncovered
another graveyard and,
as in the Ballyshannon
case, six graves have
initially been discovered.
Whether the site will
holds hundreds more
is yet to be determined.
The 60km motorway will
link Clonee to North
of Kells at an estimated
cost of 650m,
and will bypass Dunshaughlin,
Navan and Kells.
It will also pass through
the historic Tara Skryne
Valley, and opponents
may take legal action
to have the proposed
route changed.
The proposed desecration
of a nuns' burial ground
in Cork was the subject
of another recent item
on this web site. A
developer plans to build
an office complex on
that ground.
There is room in Ireland
for the living and the
dead. A little exploratory
work by the living can
ensure the dead remain
undisturbed. Being hell
bent on speed and progress
should not lead to uncaring,
unfeeling, disregard
for the dead who deserve
to rest in peace.
Meanwhile a 3,800 years
old 'cist' burial site
has just been discovered
on a farm near Castlefin
on the bank of the River
Finn in County Donegal.
It contains a small
urn and skeletal remains.
Caroline Carr, assistant
curator at the Donegal
County Museum, said
the area where the discovery
was made is of rich
archaeological interest.
"This is a very
important find",
she said. "The
urn is in excellent
condition considering
it has been in the ground
so long and was unearthed
by a digger. The urn
is fairly small, about
the size of a human
hand, and is beautifully
decorated on the outside
in a lozenge design."
If anyone doubted that
Donegal was one of the
earliest regions in
Ireland to be inhabited
by an advanced people
who cared about their
dead, the Castlefin
find should lay that
doubt to rest.
--30--
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