The Hill of Tara is to be added to the New York-based World Monuments Fund (WMF) list of 100 most endangered sites, The Irish Timeshas learned.
It is also believed that re-routing the M3 motorway to avoid sensitive archaeological sites, is one of the key demands being made by the Green Party in its talks with Fianna Fáil this week.
An application to the WMF to include Tara on its "watch list" was made earlier this year by TaraWatch, one of the groups campaigning against plans to route the M3 through the Gabhra Valley, between the ancient seat of Ireland's high kings and the Hill of Skryne.
The list is intended to draw international attention to threats facing cultural heritage sites around the world. The inclusion of the Hill of Tara on the list, to be announced in London tomorrow, will add further weight to the campaign to protect its setting. Compiled by an international panel of experts, the "watch list" is described as "a global call to action on behalf of sites in need of immediate intervention, bringing them to international attention and helping to raise funds for their rescue".
Vincent Salafia, spokesman for TaraWatch, said he hoped the designation of Tara as an endangered site could make his group eligible for funding for an independent archaeological report and possible litigation costs in the event of another judicial review. The group is considering taking another action in the High Court if Minister for the Environment Dick Roche directs the National Roads Authority to permit the destruction of the recently-discovered henge at Lismullen.
The inclusion of Tara on the 100 most endangered sites list, however, does not guarantee that funding will be available from the WMF. TaraWatch will be able to make an application but the outcome would depend on a thorough review of the case.
The WMF bills itself as the foremost private, non-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation of endangered architectural and cultural heritage sites throughout the world. Since 1965 it has helped to save some 450 irreplaceable sites in more than 90 countries. These range from the vast temple complexes at Angkor, Cambodia, to the historic centre of Mexico city and the 18th century Qianlong Garden in Beijing's Forbidden City.
The prehistoric ceremonial site at Lismullen was not identified by previous archaeological surveys and test-trenching along the route of the M3. The director of the National Museum, Dr Pat Wallace, has advised that it should be fully excavated. For the past few weeks protesters have been blocking heavy machinery leaving construction compounds on the motorway route.
