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Hidden History or hidden agenda – the real story Oct 08 07 The Pearsons & Mr. Muldowney : The End Nov 18 06 The Turoe Stone offaly | history and
heritage | news report
 Monday October
15, 2007 21:14 by
Vercingetorix
 Did you know that in the name of protecting it, The Irish Government have decided to move The Turoe Stone (the most important piece of Celtic stone-art in the world) from its rural home environment in Turoe to a museum in Galway City? A petition has been set up for protecting the Turoe Stone
in the area where it now stands (i.e. in Turoe): which may well have been
the Iron Age Capital of Ireland, and which our "experts" in places like
NUI (National University of Ireland) Galway have been keeping deceptively
VERY quiet about for several years now, in spite of all the hard
archaeological and historical evidence that has been surfacing during the
period in question, and which includes at least two new books on the
subject (please see http://www.turoeandathenry.com/
for example).  printable
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Comments (21 of 21)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21"Knocknadala" - "Cnoc na Dála" in the Celtic language - LITERALLY means "Hill of Parliament". As far as I know, there is no other place in Ireland (or anywhere else in Europe) called Knocknadala at the present time.
It is my understanding that this is not the first time the Turoe Stone has been moved. I read that the original location of the stone was near the Rath of Feerwore, nearby Kiltullagh. It is unfortunate that so many things ancient are being moved/changed/destroyed. Unless a miracle occurs, I fear that this destruction will not be stopped.
Please note though that the move you write about Susan was just a matter of a few hundred yards or so.
As far as I know none of the local people ever objected to that particular move, which possibly happened around a hundred years ago - because, for one thing, it meant that it was much more easy for visitors to find and to view the Turoe Stone in the slightly changed location.
In my view the Turoe Stone should be put back to where it was a hundred years or so ago inside a protective enclosure of some kind, that is on the "Rath of Feerwore" where it originally stood, and with new and easy access for visitors provided.
One possible meaning for the "Rath of Feerwore" by the way is: "Fort of the Great Men" - from "Fir Mhor" (literally "Big Men" in the Celtic language).
Local, I agree with you. The Turoe Stone should be placed back in its original spot. But, who is to say that spot is the original one? I have just returned from the U.K., where I had the opportunity to visit Stonehenge. Knowing that those stones were also moved made the visit less special. Original intent of energy, whatever that energy might be, is made null and void.
I really think that people should be looking at lobbying the heritage agencies and councils
on the issue of a re-instigation of a statutory agency for the protection of natural and built
heritage. I have been saying this since 2003 when Duchas was abolished. Is it so very
difficult for a meeting of concerned conservationists to lobby the State on their duty of
care to monuments????
Since the Tara campaigns began, the focus has been both local and national
but apart from An Taisce and the work of people like Dr Martin Kaye and the people
who organised information symposia out in Dalgan park, no-one has focussed
on:-
1. The Planning laws from Housing Bill (miscellaneous Provisions) 2002
2.The National Monuments Act 2004 (as amended)
3.The creation of the NRA and the statutory implication of its role as a profit making body.
4.The SIB.
5. Our Culture and the necessity to protect it in the face of unsustainable policy
and urban sprawl.
It is imperative that the issues round planning and the DOE are looked at in the context of
fast-track planning without a separate set of legislations on protection.
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/74597
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/74361
A collection of photographs and drawings, which includes photos of several sections of the ancient Celtic defence system surrounding Turoe which have survived the centuries, can be viewed at http://www.handofhistory.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=1 .
there's a shed been put over it I can't find picture of that but this is the glimpse you get at it
http://www.keithandkathleensadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/63_turoe_stone.jpg
http://www.megalithomania.com/hires/800x600/turoe.jpg
setting beside playpark with cattle grid
http://www.lookaroundireland.com/celticinteractive/turoe.htm
panorama
there was an article in the tribune or sbp can't find it right now.
http://www.midirelandtourism.ie/new/sightseeingEntDtl.php?entid=171&catid=10
tourism buff for americans
An effort was made yesterday (via e-mail) to try to ensure that several of our senior public servants became aware of the general situation regarding what's involved in the "Turoe Stone" situation: which is a LOT more than most people appear to realise (in my view).
Full details of the e-mail used can be seen in the copy which has now been placed at the following address:
http://www.europeancourtofhumanrightswilliamfinnerty.com/ChiefJusticeMurray/17October2007/Email.htm
Among other things, and as can be judged by the contents of the above e-mail (which includes information on two separate written petitions), there appears to be an extraordinary "blindness", and/or "denial" of some kind, regarding this whole "Turoe / Knocknadala" business, and the planned PPP "N6 Upgrade" which is now scheduled to destructively plough right through the middle of that particular part of East County Galway.
As many will already know mainland Europe was the main "home" of the ancient Celtic peoples, up to the time the Roman Legions decimated their numbers and destroyed most of their local communities, during the centuries just before and just after the time of Christ.
That the Celtic communities living in Ireland survived all the vigour and wrath of the mighty Roman Legions (fully intact), is, in all probability (as far as I know), due entirely to the massive defence system they centred around the Turoe Stone: possibly the largest, most sophisticated, and most successful defence arrangement that they ever constructed anywhere in Europe.
The small mountain of gold jewellery (and other treasures) the Celts in Ireland were well know to possess was not something the leaders of ancient Rome were likely to be ignorant of?
It is also of course the case that the Roman Legions already knew VERY well what it was like to be on the receiving end of right good beating from the Celts: as had been administered to them from time to time by (for example) people like Vercingetorix in France (see http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Vercingetorix%2C+Caesar&btnG=Google+Search , and Boudicca in England (see http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Boudicca%2C+Nero+&btnG=Search ).
threw this together to see if your right about the N6 upgrade from the maps linked here http://www.nra.ie/RoadSchemeActivity/GalwayCountyCouncil/N6GalwaytoBallinasloe/SchemeName,10632,en.html
this collection of photos and maps here http://www.handofhistory.com/photos/displayimage.php?album=1&pos=33
a lat/long info on googlemap here http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/2397/turoe_stone.html#inlineMap
seems you are unfortunately
what was the original location, within the hill just to the north?
boy they chose a perfect location for that road n6 didn't they not.
REd is N6 upgrade Knocknadala(top) Turoe(lower) hills, red point current location
I presume they intend to move the Stone to the new Galway Civic Museum -if so -
the museum has come in for some harsh political criticism of late for the dearth of artefacts and such items it houses.
Could it be that this 'move' has more to do with political considerations than any concern for the Stone?
"sketcher" (Fri Oct 19, 2007 04:27 above),
Well done with the map!!
As far as I can remember (from a visit to the site about four years ago), the original location of the Turoe Stone was just a fraction to the left of where you have indicated its present position in your drawing above - about the same distance on the map as the width of the letter "a" in the word "Loughrea" (on your map above) - and to the LEFT.
From the Turoe Stone's present location, I recall walking about one to two hundred yards and crossing over a stone wall along the way - which I think may have had a small inbuilt stone style of some kind. (In fact there seems to be a VERY faint trace of the wall in question on your map.)
As stated in one of the postings above, the original location of the Turoe Stone is know as the "Rath of Feerwore" (which gets spelt in a variety of ways), and there are still a number of fairly large undecorated stones remaining at that location. (It seems likely these would have formed part of a stone circle when the site was in use for ceremonial purposes.)
I notice there seems to be plenty of information available on the "Rath of Feerwore" via the following link: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Rath+of+Feerwore&btnG=Search
Also, one of the MOST important facts about the Rath of Feerwore, and the Turoe Stone, is that they both sat on the Esker Riada (An Sli Mor): arguably the oldest and most important road in the world (from a human history perspective): more on this at http://homepage.tinet.ie/~williamfinnerty/chaplefinnerty/esker/riada1.htm
Some may be interested in the additional information relating to the Turoe Stone contained in the "Appeal to Bord Pleanala" dated September 22nd 2004, which was copied to several senior "public servants", and a copy of which can be viewed at http://www.finnachta.com/Hotmail22Sept2004/KnocknadalaN6.htm
The above appeal to An Bord Pleanala contains clear mention (in "Section 2") of what it is thought many would see as wholly unreasonable, undemocratic, (and possibly unlawful?) interference regarding the matter of the way "Route Choice" was conducted IN PRACTICE: by a Government Minister.
To go directly to a copy of the 100% OFFICIAL letter in question, by Minister Noel Treacy T.D. dated 20th August 2001, please click on http://www.finnachta.com/Hotmail22Sept2004/MTL.htm
What chance would local people have of genuinely participating in the decision-making process with letters of the kind at the address just above flying about? - which might (?) of course be just one of many similar ones penned by Minister Treacy and his colleagues in GOVERNMENT.
Hi all,
I went to visit the stone myself yesterday and couldnt believe it when I was directed to a SHED. This Tacky and Dour looking monstrosity houses this beautiful stone , hiding it away as if in shame. You can look in at it through 2 small windows.
It stands on a pet farm and the owner informed me that the SHED was put there by the OPW to protect it from alleged damage caused by the animals and children. Unreal.
If it really needed protection couldnt they have come up with something less dour and tacky like a glass dome maybe? Can anyone put a picture up of the OPW solution here as it really is scandalous. I cant seem to compress pics small enough for printing here. I see someone else has asked previously too.
Ya gotta see it to believe it. I had to really suppress a very strong urge to pull the whole thing down. How dare they!!!!
Carmel
Here are the pics Carmel was talking about.
Thank you so much for posting the pics, it is very important that people see them.
Would appreciate it too if a local could tell us exactly how many months this Temporary structure has been in place.
( And if ye are looking for firewood for Halloween look no further!)
In my opinion the stone should be put back to where it came from. The land can be dowsed to find the location or an educated guess made by Astronomers and those who study Stone Circles, as these energy spots are , in nearly all cases markers for Astronomical events. Moving it back to its original position would far better serve as a testament to the advanced Scientific knowledge of our Celtic Ancestors.
Put it Back!
Apparently it was put in its present position by an English Landlord during the Famine.
Carmel
For those who have never seen it up close (minus the shed!!), some better views of the Turoe Stone are provided in the photographs below. (They have been copied from the following location: http://www.handofhistory.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=1 )
Some local people believe that during ceremonies the Turoe Stone would have been painted in vivid colours, and the black and white sketch below gives a very rough indication of how it might have appeared with colours added. The sketch is by Michael Duignan, as can be seen at http://www.foundationsirishculture.ie/wide.php?id=29&print=on , and who may (it seems) have been connected with NUI (National University of Ireland) Galway.
Local people also claim it was a member of the Dolphin family who, during the Great Famine years, moved the Turoe Stone from the nearby "Rath of Feerwore" - just so it would appear in front of his house. And, that he used horses and chains to pull it along the ground for the few hundred yards between the original and present location - which might explain the fairly large chunk that's now missing, as can be seen on the photograph at the "foundationsirishculture" address above (roughly two-thirds way down on right-hand side of photo).
Sketch on left by Michael Duignan
Turoe Stone after being cleaned
"Several Dolphins were among the largest landowners in Co. Galway at the end of the nineteenth century and one held Turoe."
"An example of an old English name, of Norse origin, which became thoroughly hibernicized."
Seriously, Bullaun/Turoe as a massive enclosed defensive 'oppidum' which scared away the nasty Romans. This is pure fantasy. Yes the stone is one of the finest, if not the finest, example of La Tene art in all of Europe - which is exactly why it should be moved from an exposed field in the middle of dreary east Galway and put on display in a location where people will bother to visit. The Priest's book is pure conjecture and even features an ancient conspiracy theory where the ancient scholars plotted to downplay the fantasy capital of Turoe to promote Tara. His great ramparts are pure fantasy - no archaeolgical evidence. The advance testing for the road by archaeologists revealed zero, nothing, nada!
Knocknadala - so what if there are no other hills with Dal in the name. There were Dala all over the country - it just means place of assembly - many small tuath had dala!
Who are you anyway?
You don't even know your own name?
Idiot!!
Discordion, would that have been NRA Archaeologists by any chance? Seeing as they have done such a crap job at Tara, (imagine missing an entire Henge!!!) I believe nothing.
And by the way, people come from all over the world to visit the Stone.
A selection of lawyers and politicians in County Galway (Republic of Ireland) were reminded today of the socially disastrous plans to run the "N6 Upgrade Road" through the "Turoe & Knocknadala" set of ancient heritage sites located in East County Galway.
A copy of the e-mail used can be seen at:
http://www.humanrightsireland.com/GalwayPoliticiansAndLawyers/2Jan2008Email.htm