Tara TV (Panel Show) Postponed
This is just a quick announcement to say that the panel show planned for this coming St Patrick’s Day will not go ahead on the day. Unfortunately there was not enough interest in being on the panels and in the given time frame it was decided to pull the plug rather than do something which would be largely a waste of time.
This is still on the table however and you are encouraged to take part in the discussion right here, right now. You can leave video or audio comments below. This is the preferred way of doing this for inclusion in the documentary. Don’t be shy!
You can also use the Facebook platform to become part of the dialogue. Become a fan on the Facebook page here.
here is the postponement announcement from yesterday..
Published by itison on March 5th, 2010 tagged project notes | 1 Comment »
Tara TV : Panel Show : March 17th : Participation Callout
info is here…
if you would like to participate right now.. the comments are open where you can also leave a video or voicemail…
[EDIT: video comments not working well.. bubblecast option (The "Add Video Comment" link on the very bottom), here is how you get in..
tarasara
gabhra
]
Published by itison on February 12th, 2010 tagged campaigns, news, project notes | 7 Comments »
Update: Feb 2010
Well this blog hasn’t ben used in a while for the purpose of the project, but it goes on nonetheless. The latest chapter is the planned panel show discussion in association with DCTV on March 17th. See next post.
Published by itison on February 12th, 2010 tagged project notes | Comment now »
motorway radio mashup
Published by itison on December 22nd, 2009 tagged activism, audio, music, tangent, transport, video | Comment now »
WAC6 + project update
Well a lot has happened since the last post here back in May….
At the Guth Gafa festival where I spoke on a panel about this project I met Chris Eva who is a film-maker from Derry. He was very interested in the project and has since become part of the team. Chris has been doing great work with his Sub Culture Productions outfit exploring the culture of hip-hop in music and graffiti in Northern Ireland. It is great to have Chris’s talent and eagerness added to this film project, which has taken a lot of my time and energy so far, so I am very happy to welcome him on board.
Back at the beginning of July we went along wo the World Archaeology Congress (WAC6) which was held in UCD here in Dublin. This was an important global gathering for the archaeology profession and apt that it took place here in Ireland while the Tara / M3 issue was ongoing. However at the event, the issue of Tara was a touchy subject and there was a lot of red tape so to speak. On the Thursday there was a (closed) session on the Tara / M3 Debate and we waited outside where we spoke to Maggie Ronanye, Julietta Clancy, Laura Greelish and Sean Gilmartin about what was discussed. Although this was a closed session, it was probably the biggest public debate on the issue of Tara & the M3 thus far. The following day at the plenary session the issues were that were raised about archaeology practice and its role throughout the world in the preceding sessions were voted upon. Campaigners supporting Tara were heard but the reaction was quite divided. Many of the delegates were not aware of the issues as the Tara / M3 story was not part of the official programme and its inclusion in the plenary session was a last minute decision. This raises other questions of course. Anyway, for now, here is a sequence of interviews shot at WAC 6.
Camera – Mark Cantwell and Chris Eva
Interviewer – Mark Cantwell
Editor – Chris Eva
Sound – Edward Crowther.
Two other things to mention here also:
Firstly, congratulations to the two girls for getting the promo we made together for this project accepted as a short documentary piece into a number of film festivals. It’s amazing the freedom collaboration gives you and it was a surprise to me on many levels.
Also, Brendan and Micheal of Crewger are very supportive of this project and hopefully this will be a good way to get more people involved in it.
More video updates soon
Mark
(comments are of course encouraged and they can be video or audio as well as text – click below)
Published by itison on November 25th, 2008 tagged activism, archaeology, campaigns, news, project notes, video | 3 Comments »
From the hills of Donegal…
An update on the project is well overdue. There are a lot of blanks to be filled in below, fixes to be made to the video links and much more material to be uploaded. However, the latest news is that I was invited to the Guth Gafa documentary festival in Gortahork, Co. Donegal to speak at a seminar entitled “Activist Filmmaking – The Creation and Distribution of No-budget Films”. It was a really great experience, and I met a lot of really nice people and got to talk about the trials and tribulations of making an important film with no money. There seemed to be a lot of moral support for the ideals behind the Tara Saga project and in the wider sense where the voice of the people is systematically silenced.
I will talk about the festival more in a later post as the audio from seminar was recorded and I will include that also. For now though I would like to offer my thanks to all the wonderful Guth Gafa crew for putting on an important festival showcasing some great international documentaries. I hope this gets bigger and better every year. Thanks also to those who attended the seminar.
More to follow.
Published by itison on May 19th, 2008 tagged activism, project notes | Comment now »
Rath Lugh Abú
Well, there has been a lot happening this week. The issue of Tara and the M3 has surfaced in the media again thanks to the efforts of Lisa Feeney and the other activists at Rath Lugh. The latest on that is that Lisa came out of the tunnel yesterday evening and left the site accompanied by her parents and gardaí.
I was up there at Rath Lugh filming on Thursday and interviewed Senator David Norris on the issue on Tuesday. I will get this up online as soon as I can. Hopefully over the next few days, but it may be towards the end of the month as I am away to London from a week from Wednesday.
One thing I am more and more surprised about is the way the media handle the issue. Some are sympathetic and cover it in good detail while others call it ‘the latest in delays’ in the road building. I won’t say which media outlets are which, I think that is easy to figure out. One thing which is fairly apparent, is that some of the outlets are mouthpieces for a bigger propaganda machine.
So, what is with these polls? I mentioned in a comment in a post below that there seem to be the same percentages used in support of the road and in defense of Tara. Well, these figures don’t add up. The Red C polls, which indicate over two thirds of people don’t approve of the M3 route, can be relied on a bit more than some politician pulling figures out of his… well, see the Prime Time report from this week for more on that (it’s linked below). Yes he did say “80% of (his) constituents” ….. so that’s 80% of Fianna Fail supporters in his gang!
Anyway, the Indo have a poll on there front page and the comments are quite interesting. At time of writing there are only 25 comments, it’s true these are moderated somewhat but there should be a lot more. A poll breakdown on numbers, location etc should also be done. I’ve made a suggestion just now to somebody who can direct people to this poll to do so and hopefully the comments will multiply and we get some international voices on it too.
The comments take a while to get moderated, usually a full day from what I can gather. I did leave a comment and also put this site on it which was removed. Yes, I was trying to get some traffic here so people can find more information and have the opportunity to contact me about this documentary. The pics here show you the Indo’s eraser at work…
Speaking of polls, the RTE Poll is always good and doesn’t beat around the bush about putting words in your mouth! Pity, they haven’t talked about Tara in a while, not since the aerial art event. I’m surprised they haven’t got some public opinion this week.
You will notice in this photo that the majority of gardaí choose not to display their numbers while protecting the M3! Is this not a legal requirement?
Also, it is my intention to get up to Rath Lugh later this evening and spend tomorrow, St Patricks Day, in the environs of Tara.
Also related to this:
Comments on post on ITISON.net
This site is set up in such a way as to inspire feedback and discussion. You can leave a comment by typing in the comments box (click comments below) or by leaving a video or audio message from your webcam. Please do have your say…
Published by itison on March 16th, 2008 tagged activism, news, poll | Comment now »
Squeak In A Hole
Breaking News
A brave protester known as Squeak is down in a tunnel at Rath Lugh in a surprise move in the campaign. She has firmly embedded herself beneath the path of the road. The tunnel is the result of massive undertaking over the past few months by protesters opposed to the construction of the M3 motorway in the Gabhra Valley. This is an eleven minute cutdown of the video released by Tara Pixie earlier. You can see the full half hour video which shows another confrontation at the national monument between the activists, road workers and gardai on Tara Pixie’s LiveVideo site
Statement on behalf of the Rath Lugh Direct Action Camp
21st century souterrainThe Protectors at Rath Lugh have planned a Direct Action method used for the first time on protest sites in Ireland. They have dug a tunnel under the route of the M3 directly in front of the Rath Lugh promontory fort in the Gabhra Valley, Co Meath. The Protectors intend to occupy this tunnel and seal themselves inside indefinitely to prevent construction traffic from passing overhead. They are laying their very lives on the line to protect and preserve Tara’s
landscape from the destruction wrought by their own Government.The Protectors said: “We want to draw attention to the continued erosion of the esker by passing construction traffic, hence damaging the base and foundation of the rath.”
This is a continuation of their non-violent direct action. The tunnel acts like a souterrain giving the occupant protection and making it very difficult for the enemy to enter.