Today marks two years since the unauthorised erection of a broadband mast at Knock Iveagh summit. Since that time, and under the noses of both the local council and the Department for Infrastructure, numerous additional works have taken place, the vast majority of which were unauthorised & took place without planning permission. This means that the public and government archaeologists never got a chance to have their say! There has never been an Environmental Impact Assessment at Knock Iveagh to assess the cumulative impact of all these piecemeal developments, and the turbine itself was never subject to an EIA despite fulfilling the criteria... The scheduled burial cairn at Knock Iveagh's summit is not an isolated monument, it dominates a landscape full of important sites including a Bronze-Age barrow, a very large 'Royal Enclosure' and a medieval bawn (discovered by the Friends in 2018). Beneath the cairn is a layer of burnt ash which may indicate that the hill had a ritual function before the cairn was constructed. This layer is nearly 6,000 years old. Experts believe that Knock Iveagh was the centre of local power and the inauguration place of the petty kings of the Ulaid Uí Echach Cobo tribe. The hill was retained within the lands belonging to the medieval Lords of Iveagh and formed part of their inauguration complex (see map below). Knock Iveagh has been accessed freely by the public for millennia until recently when developers have tried to prevent access in what we believe is a breach of common law. These additional works which have been allowed to take place here include (but are not limited to):
The fact that additional unauthorised development has been allowed take place on top of the earlier consultation failures raises very significant questions about the protection of heritage in Northern Ireland and the 'integrity' of our planning process. Despite all of the evidence presented to them, and the good faith and transparency shown by our group in all our dealings, the DFI have failed to step in and have maintained for two years that this is a matter purely for the local council. We consider that this 'arms-lengthing' of development at this ancient, and culturally important hill, is utterly indefensible. The unauthorised works at Knock Iveagh have greatly damaged both the site, AND the hilltop setting of the burial cairn, and the vast majority of the works took place after the authorities were alerted. There is no way to reinstate or record archaeology retrospectively, once it's gone, it's gone and the damage cannot be undone. Since the DFI have, for two years now, refused to intervene at Knock Iveagh we are now asking supporters of our campaign to provide their 'consultation' feedback DIRECTLY to Angus Kerr, Chief Planner and Director of Regional Planning at the Department for Infrastructure. Please use the form below to ask him to step in and ensure the hill is restored, in so far as is possible, to its former condition. If the planning process is to retain any credibility whatsoever in Northern Ireland, these issues MUST be resolved. Knock Iveagh has been respected as a burial place, and the centre of a ritual landscape for 6,000 years. Not on our watch! THANK YOU! *retrospective consultation (!) has been required for the access road, but in isolation - in a process known as 'project splitting'. This strategy can be used to avoid assessing the cumulative impact of developments, and this has been found to be unlawful. You can view this application under reference LA08/2017/1734/F
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AuthorThe Friends of Knock Iveagh Archives
September 2019
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