St patrick statue should never have been removed from hill of tara conor newman

Archaeologist Dr Conor Newman, chairman of the Heritage Council, said the removal of the original statue of St Patrick from the Hill of Tara in 1992 was something that never should have happened.
“What sort of creature was responsible for this,” he asked at the launch of a book, ‘My Tara’, a public art project by Michael Fortune, in the visitor’s centre on the Hill last week. The statue had been erected at the end of the nineteenth century to mark the association of St Patrick with the hill, and lay in rubble at an Office of Public Works yard in Duleek for years after its removal.
It is currently housed at the OPW depot in Trim, and photographs of it feature in Michael Fortune’s work, launched by Council chairman, Jim Holloway on Tuesday last.
Conor Newman, who was director of the Discovery archaeology programme on the Hill, said the action was deplorable for three reasons. One was that the Discovery Programme was blamed for it, as it occurred at the same time it started, and another was that it happened without by regard for what archaeology may have been underneath it, removed overnight before anyone had a chance to check.
But the main reason it was so disgraceful, Dr Newman said, was because it had been done without any consultation with the people who lived around and cared for the Hill of Tara.
Dr Newman said that this type of action was no longer one that would happen, as local people and stakeholders were consulted on a management plan for the hill, the draft of which is currently with the Minister for Heritage.
This plan, which has been seen by the Meath Chronicle, looks at management framework and responsibilities, archaeological intervention, community participation, and access and circulation amongst other issues.
One action recommended states: “In order to protect the monuments from erosion or other damage due to intense visitor movement patterns, a number of dedicated routes will be designed and implemented to safeguard both the monuments and the visitors. A risk mitigation plan and an overall visitor safety management strategy will be put in place to deal with emergencies and to make every effort to reduce any risks as far as is reasonably practicable and without causing damage to the site.”
Dr Newman said that the county should be making more of its heritage.
“There are so many wonderful sites and attractions,” he told the gathering. “It is said that ‘Navan is only an hour from Dublin’ - it should be the other way around - Dublin should be an hour from Navan, and the town used as a focal centre for all there is to offer in Meath.”
‘My Tara’ is a project which set about documenting a range of people’s experiences in relation to the Hill. It is a collaborative project between the heritage and arts offices of Meath County Council, and as well as local people from around the hill, also features contributions from one of the neighbouring primary schools, Skryne. Photographs, stories and memories of the Hill are featured in the publication which Michael Fortune has spent the past two years working on.
Cllr Holloway said that Michael Fortune had undertaken a participative public art project by engaging with people who live near or visit Tara to explore what this special place mans to them and how it has shaped their sense of space.