Archaeologists are to appeal to An Bord Pleanala this week against Offaly County Council's decision to approve a major leisure development at Durrow Abbey, one of the most important monastic sites in Ireland.
The £130 million project, located some six miles from Tullamore, includes a 105-bedroom hotel, 475 houses and apartments, an 18-hole golf course and other facilities, including a swimming pool and conference centre.
The scheme is being planned by Radleigh Developments Ltd, of Crofton Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin. The company, which is controlled by Mr John Maher, a midlands-born property developer, has acquired an option on the land from its present owners, the O'Brien family.
County councillors unanimously adopted a material contravention of the county plan to permit the development to proceed, mainly because of its job-creation potential. It is also being supported by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, whose constituency would benefit from the jobs.
Durrow Abbey is ranked alongside Clonmacnoise, Kells, Armagh and Iona, because of its association with St Columcille. It was also where the Book of Durrow, one of the treasures of early Christian Ireland, was composed in the 7th century.
Contacted by The Irish Times, the director of the National Museum, Dr Pat Wallace, expressed grave concern about the proposed development. If necessary, he said, he would join archaeologists in appealing against the county council's decision.
"This is a major sacred site," Dr Wallace declared. "It would be unthinkable and ironic if the Christian millennium were to be marked by the State's agreement to allow one of its most important historic monuments to be converted into a country club."
Durrow was unique because it was "the only site of its size and importance which has had little or no later medieval or modern interference either in the form of urban development or an extensive cemetery".
Dr Wallace pointed out that only one of the 31 conditions laid down by Offaly County Council in its decision related to archaeological concerns. It specifies that the areas of interest must be assessed before work starts on the proposed development.
In his view, this would not offer adequate protection. "Put simply, the scale of the development is entirely inappropriate for a site of this importance. Even if it were to avoid the area of the principal enclosure, the impact on the monument would be overwhelming".
It would "divorce" the relationship between Durrow Abbey and the surrounding landscape contrary to a ruling by the Supreme Court some years ago against a proposed dump close to the Carrowmore passage tombs in Co Sligo.
Durrow was one of those sites which, by virtue of their historical and archaeological significance, were of such national and international importance as to merit total preservation both of its immediate surroundings and of a generous buffer zone.
He also noted that in the case of a promontory fort at Loughshinny, in north Co Dublin, the Supreme Court had held that the right of the State to protect a historic monument for the common good took precedence over the rights of land-owners or developers.
In a letter to the Minister for Arts and Heritage, Ms de Valera, he said the Supreme Court's rulings in the Carrowmore and Loughshinny cases had "significantly strengthened the State's hand to appeal against Offaly County Council's misguided decision".
Dr Wallace urged the Minister to use her influence to ensure that the site was protected. "I would respectfully advise that the State acquire the whole site and its environs so that an appropriate conservation and presentation programme can be undertaken."
But Duchas, the Heritage Service, which operates under the aegis of Ms de Valera's Department, has decided not to appeal to An Bord Pleanala because it has been offered - free of charge - the monastic site, a further two acres around its well and space for a car-park.
Duchas will also have a role in certifying a detailed archaeological assessment of the site, in accordance with the requirements of the county council. This is regarded by the developers as an "onerous" condition because it means that they might have to change their plans.
Mr Alan Whelan, of Frank Benson and Partners, Radleigh's planning consultants, defended the scheme, saying it would be "not just good for Offaly, but for the whole midlands" because it would bring more tourists into an area that tended to be ignored.
Mr Whelan also noted that planning permission had been granted in 1992 for a 100-bedroom hotel and 42 holiday chalets on the 300-acre demesne. This permission was never acted on and has since expired, but could be cited as a precedent.
An Taisce has expressed concern about the "huge housing content" of the scheme in what its planning officer, Mr John O'Sullivan, described as a "relatively unspoilt, if neglected, landscape" traversed by Esker Riada, on which an impressive beech wood had been planted.
He said An Taisce was less opposed to the golf course and hotel, which would be located near a 19th-century house, also called Durrow Abbey, once owned by the Williams family of Tullamore Dew fame. But it was likely an appeal would be lodged.
