Promote heritage value of Loughcrew cairns, says Tóibin

A Navan TD thinks that the county's lesser known megalithic tombs could be key attractions for tourists. Sinn Féin's Peadar Tóibín is calling on the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Office of Public Works (OPW) to ensure that the Loughcrew and Sliabh na Cailliagh burial grounds outside Oldcastle are not only protected, but promoted. "Loughcrew is a site of considerable historical importance in Ireland," said Deputy Tóibín. "Contained on the site are megalithic burial grounds dating back to approximately 3,500BC and 3,300BC. Some of the cairns are engineered in such a manner that the sun illuminates the passages during the equinox." He believes there has been deliberate vandalism on the ancient stones. "These sites are major heritage value and have an international significance due to the large amount of megalithic art to be found on the site. "They are, in fact, older than Newgrange. It has come to my attention that there has been damage caused to some parts of the site some unwittingly and some purposefully. Some stones have been moved and some have been removed altogether. Indeed, there has been graffiti sprayed on some of the stones. It is of the utmost importance that the OPW and the minister put in place a system of protection for the sites," he said. He believes the area could be a prime draw but was being neglected. "It is also important that the sites are promoted and that their value is realised. Newgrange receives tens of thousands of visitors a year and yet we have a site of similar importance outside Oldcastle and little if anything is done to harness it as a commercial resource for the locality. "The whole Boyne Valley and the Kells, Oldcastle area is being underutilised and it is beyond time that serious efforts were put in place to protect, package and market the area as a tourist destination," he added.