“without a change in material circumstances..”

The new Irish Government Minister of the Environment, John Gormley of the Green Party [Is he still blogging? – Ed], has announced plans for “a major review of archaeological practice and policy as it relates to his department.” – beginning with a seminar in the autumn to draw up the terms of reference for the review. He’s also released a file of documents on the controversial Lismullin henge site at the Hill of Tara, available here [scroll down]. As the Irish Times report notes, he again restated that he had “received unequivocal advice from the Attorney General that, without a change in material circumstances relating to the newly discovered monument, it is not open to him to review, or amend, the directions given by his predecessor in this case.” Although that advice doesn’t seem to have been included in the published file.. There’s also a new controversy about another site, at Baronstown, which the Director of the National Museum, Pat Wallace, had said had an equally compelling case to be designated as a National Monument.. and which was destroyed, apparently without being fully documented, earlier this week.

Pete Baker