Newgrange and Knowth open to visitors for first time since 13th March

The Newgrange megalithic complex which had been closed for the last four months because of the Covid-19 crisis opened again today for visitors but with a strict new health safety regime in place.

The centre, along with many other cultural institutions, had closed its doors to the public on 13th March. It has remained in lockdown since then.

OPW staff member Jackie Finnegan opens the gates to the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre.

However, shortly after nine o'clock this morning, Office of Public Works staff member Jackie Finnegan performed the official opening of the gates and admitted the first visitor, an Italian native Mr Antonello Vacca, a taekwondo expert from Sardinia who was on his last day's holiday in Ireland.

The OPW staff had set up a reception station in the car park of the complex where visitors who had pre-booked tours online were registered. Strict health procedures were in place.

Visitors to Newgrange could visit the mound but the famous chamber is off limits to visitors for the present. The OPW said that just 14 visitors had registered to visit Newgange today but it expected this number to pick up in the coming days.

The organisation advised people intending to come to Co Meath to see the complex to ensure they registered online beforehand.

Two other early morning visitors were John and Catherine O'Reilly from Dunlavin in Co Wicklow, who were paying their first visit to Newgrange. Mr O'Reilly said that he and his wife would normally visit the south or the west but decided to try Ireland's East on this occasion. They said they were very much looking forward to their visit.

Meath first county council to condemn racism

Meath County Council yesterday became the first county council in the country to pass a resolution condemning racism in all its forms and pledge to promote diversity and inclusion in the community.

The motion was proposed by Fine Gael Cllr Yemi Adenuga who last year became Meath's first black public representative  when she was elected to the council on a Fine Gael ticket.

Fine Gael councillors with Cllr Yemi Adenuga, who proposed the motion.

Stressing the importance of emigrants sharing their lived experiences of racism and the need for indigenous Irish, not just to hear those stories, but to actively play the role of ally who would help reduce incidents of racism in their community, she said she had been called offensive names while canvassing in last year's local elections.

She said that sadly, because many indigenous Irish people had never seen racism happen first hand, they did not realise the level of emotional, mental and sometimes physical pain migrants had to endure as a result of racism. Asking for support to help educate people about racism, Cllr Adenuga said this could be done through information sharing bu also through hearing the real lived experinces of emigrants here in the community. Gwee motion was supported unanimously by the council.

Cuts to M3 Parkway train services criticised

A decision by Irish Rail to cut some train services between the M3 Parkway in Meath and Clonsilla was sharply criticised at a meeting of Meath County Council on Tuesday.

Fine Gael Cllr Maria Murphy tabled an emergency motion at the council calling on the rail company to restore the M3 Parkway to Clonsilla service which she said was currently not operating on Saturdays and Sundays. In addition, she claimed there were large gaps in the off-peak services from Mondays to Fridays.

The company had implemented a revised train timetable for the period of the lockdown but brought in further changes from last weekend which Cllr Murphy said were having a serious effect on train services leaving Meath.

She told councillors that trains were running at only peak times so there was no train leaving M3 Parkway between 10.30am and 16.35. The last training leaving M3 Parkway towards Clonsilla is 19.40 and the last train arriving in the M3 Parkway from Clonsilla is 20.04, she said.

She said she felt strongly that this was a serious downgrading of the services and would impact on the county council's aim to extend the train service to Navan.

Quarry operators circumvent planning laws

Many quarry operators throughout the country have been able to circumvent planning laws and challenge the system of regulation through judicial review applications in the High Court but are still able to continue excavation and blasting without planning permission, a meeting of Meath County Council heard yesterday (Tuesday).

Aontu Cllr Emer Toibin said that a recent investigation had shown that  there were 151 quarries operating throughout the country without planning approval. This folowed a survey of all local authorities and she said this showed that the problem was not just confined to Meath.

The councillor said that many councils across the country were customers of these quarries as they needed to purchase large quantities of stone for construction projects. However, appeals in the courts by quarry owners could take years to resolve and their activities could continue in the meantime much to the annoyance of residents who had to put up with unauthorised activity on their doorsteps.

Cllr Toibin said that Meath County Council was trying to address his unusual and questionable situation where developers were permitted to carry on with their unauthorised development by simply challenging it in the courts. The developers should be put under court injunctions until any such challenge was determined, she said.

The meeting was told that the county council had had to get government assistance of e6 million in order to clear up one site in the county where unauthorised dumping of waste had occurred.