Carrickmines Castle is a controversial archeological site in County Dublin, in eastern Ireland. The castle was built in the medieval period to protect the English-ruled Pale around Dublin. The ruins of the castle have been the subject of a long running dispute since the M50 motorway was designed to run through the site of the castle. Preservationists, including historians and archeologists, have argued that the site's potential for historical study has not been fully realised. In 2002-2003, young activists who called themselves the "Carrickminders" camped out on the castle's ruins to prevent it being demolished to make way for the motorway. Statistics Province: Leinster County Town: Dublin Code: D Area: 921 km² Population (2002) 1,122,821 County Dublin (Irish: Contae Bhaile Átha Cliath), or more correctly the Dublin Region[1] (Réigiúin Átha Cliath), is the area that contains the city of Dublin, the capital and largest city of... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population... The Pale refers to at least two geographic areas: The Pale of Settlement in which imperial Russia allowed Jews to live. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... The M50 motorway is a motorway and National Primary Route in the Republic of Ireland running in a C-shaped ring around the northern, western and southern sides of the capital city, Dublin. ...

History

Carrickmines Castle was the site of an Hiberno-Norse settlement which during the 12th century became a fortified Norman castle and village, on the frontier between Dublin and Wicklow, Ireland. Guarding the southern plains, this fortress was once a central medallion in the necklace of the Norman castles and outposts dotted along the outskirts of The Pale - the area around Dublin under English rule during the medieval period. The Hiberno-Norse were a mix of Irish and Norwegians who inhabited certain settlements in Ireland in the 900s. ... A tower house near Quin. ...

As a major fortress, it had an extensive curtain wall flanked by towers protecting an area of some acres. Within this was settlement with a variety of wooden & stone buildings, mills, and a keep or hall house in the centre. The site still contains impressive defences, hewn into bedrock, and human remains from when the castle was overwhelmed in 1642.

In In the Irish Rebellion of 1641, the Catholic Walshs who owned the Castle sided with the native Irish and the Confederate attempt to create the first independent Irish parliament. They paid dearly - as a focus of the Irish Confederate Wars, the Castle was besieged by English forces, and when it was retaken over 300 of the Walsh, O'Byrne, and O'Tooles were massacred. The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted coup détat by Irish Catholic gentry, but rapidly degenerated into bloody intercommunal violence between native Irish Catholics and English and Scottish Protestant settlers. ... The Irish Confederate Wars were fought in Ireland between 1641 and 1653. ...

Planning & Recent History

One third of the site was recently destroyed during the completion of M50 motorway extension.However the junction which had been the real focus of conservationists ire, was also subsequently completed - decimating the remainder of site in the process. It had been argued the junction was unneccessary and it design was inspired to facilitate an off-shore land speculation company, Jackson Way, which would have been land-locked without this point of access. This was documented in the council minutes of the local authority when the Jackson Way lands were rezoned in 1997. These rezoned lands have since been confiscated by the Criminal Assets Bureau. For more on CAB see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_Assets_Bureau The M50 motorway is a motorway and National Primary Route in the Republic of Ireland running in a C-shaped ring around the northern, western and southern sides of the capital city, Dublin. ...

Jackson Way Lands at Carrickmines & The Criminal Assets Bureau

On July 26 2006, the Criminal Assets Bureau successfully obtained a High Court order freezing land assets of 107 acres at Carickmines, County Dublin owned by Jackson Way Properties Ltd and preventing their sale[3]. CAB contended that these lands had been rezoned on December 16, 1997 by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council from agricultural to industrial after Frank Dunlop bribed and made corrupt payments to councillors to secure their support in the rezoning vote. That vote increased the value of just 17 acres of the property from €8 million to €61 million. CAB has interviewed and took statements from Frank Dunlop and will use him as a witness against a number of property developers. The lands in question have been the subject of investigation by The Mahon Tribunal in 2003 and 2004.

Supreme Court ruling

The Supreme Court according to The Irish Times on July 26, 2006^[1] unanimously upheld the constitutionality of controversial new laws enacted to achieve the speedy completion of the South Eastern motorway, which had been delayed by legal challenges aimed at protecting the Carrickmines Castle site. The Supreme Court (Irish: Chúirt Uachtarach) is the highest judicial authority in the Republic of Ireland. ... The Irish Times is Irelands newspaper of record, launched in the late 1850s. ... July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 158 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

While noting that the new legislation - S 8 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 2004 - "removes a bundle of protections" from national monuments, the five-judge court found the Oireachtas is not prohibited under the Constitution of Ireland from enacting such laws. The Oireachtas is the National Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. ... The Constitution of Ireland is the founding legal document of the state known today as the Republic of Ireland. ...

The Court found that in issuing directions, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government was entitled to balance the benefits of archaeological preservation against the wider public interest that would accrue as a result of the road development. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is responsible for: election matters such as the general election and presidential elections, including electronic voting; the environment, Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland; heritage; local authorities and related services. ...

Section 8 effectively provided that the works affecting the Carrickmines Castle site were to be carried out on the Minister's directions. Provided the Minister exercised his discretion under section 8 in a constitutional manner, he could give such directions as he thought fit, the Court found.

This effectively means that the works at Carrickmines Castle are no longer to be regulated under the National Monuments Acts, the court said. Carrickmines Castle, it noted, was accepted as being a national monument and the road works would mean a large part of a moat discovered at the site would cease to exist.

Under section 8, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, as landowner, did not need consent from any statutory body for undertaking the works and Oireachtas approval was not necessary. There was also no requirement to obtain a licence under the 1930 National Monuments Act and An Bord Pleanála was precluded from considering whether proposed works were likely to have a significant effect on the environment and from directing an environmental impact statement. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is one of three local authorities in the greater Dublin Ireland area that caters for a population of approximately 192,000 persons. ... An Bord Pleanála (or The Planning Appeals Board) determines appeals and other cases under the national planning acts in the Republic of Ireland. ...

There was "only the requirement that the works be carried out on the directions of the minister", the court said. It rejected claims that those directions - issued by the Minister, Dick Roche, in August, 2004 - breached provisions of European Commission environmental directives and were therefore null and void.

The Supreme Court was delivering its judgment on an appeal against the High Court's rejection in September 2004 of a challenge by Dominic Dunne, Collins Square, Benburb, Dublin, both to section 8 and to the ministerial directions. Dunne indicated that he intends to take his case to the European Court of Justice. September 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December See also: September 2004 in sports Events Deaths in September • 27 Tsai Wan-lin • 24 Françoise Sagan • 20 Brian Clough • 18 Russ Meyer • 15 Johnny Ramone • 12 Fred Ebb • 11 Peter VII of Alexandria • 8... The European Court of Justice (ECJ) is formally known as the Court of Justice of the European Communities, i. ...

External links

Carrickmines Castle Homepage

Carrickmines Castle Discussion Page

Historic Irish Houses and Castles

Áras an Uachtaráin | Allenstown House | Ardbraccan House | Ardgillan Castle | Ashtown Castle | Avondale House | Birr Castle | Blarney Castle | Bunratty Castle | Cahir Castle | Carrickmines Castle | Carton House | Castleknock Castle | Castletown House | Chichester House | Clonalis House | Clontarf Castle | Deerfield |Desmond Castle | Donegal castle | Doonagore Castle | Drimnagh Castle | Dromoland Castle | Dublin Castle | Dunboy Castle | Dunguaire Castle | Durhamstown Castle | Emo Court | Farmleigh | Frescati House | Foulksrath Castle | Grianan of Aileach | Howth Castle | Iveagh House | Kilkenny Castle | King John's Castle | Knappogue Castle | Leap Castle | Leinster House | Lismore Castle | Malahide Castle | Mansion House | Mornington House | O'Dea Castle | Ormonde Castle | Parkavonear Castle | Powerscourt House | Rathfarnham Castle | Redwood Castle | Rock of Dunamase | Ross Castle | Russborough House | Slane Castle | Swords Castle | Trim Castle | Tyrone House dublin castle tower File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Áras an Uachtaráin (formerly the Viceregal Lodge) is the official residence of the President of Ireland, located in the Phoenix Park on the Northside of Dublin1. ... Allenstown House was a large 5-bay, 4 storey Georgian mansion in County Meath, Ireland. ... Ardbraccan House (known sometimes historically as Ardbraccan Palace) is a large Palladian county house in County Meath in the Republic of Ireland. ... Ardgillan Castle (Ardgillan Demesne) is a large country house in Balbriggan Dublin with castellated embellishments. ... Astown Castle is a 16th Century fortfied house in the Phoenix Park in Dublin. ... Avondale House, Avondale, County Wicklow, Ireland is the birthplace and home of Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891) one of the greatest political leaders of Irish history. ... Birr Castle is a large castle in the town of Birr in County Offaly, Ireland. ... View from the top of the castle of the surrounding grounds Kissing the Blarney Stone See Also Blarney Stone of Eloquence External Links Official Blarney Castle Website Categories: Ireland geography stubs | Europe buildings and structures stubs | Castles in Ireland ... Bunratty Castle Bunratty Castle,Newmarket-on-Fergus,County Clare, Ireland is of Norman Architecture. ... Categories: Ireland-place stubs | Castles in Ireland ... Carton House is one of Irelands greatest stately homes and one time ancestral seat of the Earls of Kildare and Dukes of Leinster. ... Castleknock Castle is the ruins of a Norman castle in the grounds of Castleknock College in Castleknock, Dublin, Ireland. ... Castletown House, Irelands finest Palladian country house, is an imposing building built in 1722 for William Connolly, the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. ... Clontarf Castle was built in 1172. ... Deerfield is currently the official residence of the United States Ambassador to Ireland and was formerly the official residence of the Chief Secretary in Ireland before Irish independence. ... Desmond Castle is an example of an urban tower house located in the town of Kinsale in County Cork, Ireland. ... Donegal Castle showing keep, on right, and Jacobean wing. ... Doonagore Castle, overlooking Doolin and the Atlantic Ocean Doonagore Castle is a 14th Century round tower house with a small walled enclosure, located on the outskirts of the small, coastal town of Doolin in County Clare, Ireland. ... Drimnagh Castle is a Norman castle located in Drimnagh, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. ... A large castle and five star hotel in County Clare, Ireland. ... Dublin Castle. ... Dunboy Castle was a stronghold of the OSullivan Bere, a Gaelic clan leader and Chief of Dunboy. The castle is located on the Beara Peninsula in south-west Ireland and was built to guard and defend the harbour of Bearhaven. ... Dunguaire Castle (Irish: Dún Guaire) is a 16th century tower house on the southeastern shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland, near Kinvara. ... 1885 Map showing the location of Durhamstown Castle Durhamstown Castle is a 500 year old towerhouse in County Meath in Ireland. ... Emo Court, located in the village of Emo in County Laois, Ireland, is a large neo-classical mansion, formal and symmetrical in its design and with beautifully proportioned rooms inside. ... Farmleigh was formerly one of the Dublin residences of the Guinness brewing family. ... Impression of Frescati. ... Foulksrath Castle (Irish: Caislean Ratha) is a 15th century Norman tower house located in Jenkinstown in County Kilkenny, Ireland. ... Exterior view of Grianan of Aileach situated in County Donegal. ... Howth Castle lies close to the village of Howth, north of the city of Dublin in Ireland. ... Iveagh House is now the Department of Foreign Affairs as it was donated to the Irish State by the Guinness family in 1939. ... Kilkenny Castle Interior courtyard Kilkenny Castle is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland. ... King Johns Castle sits on the southern bank of the River Shannon. ... The Knappogue Castle & Walled Garden, built in 1467, is located in County Clare, Ireland. ... Leap Castle is an Irish castle near the town of Birr in County Offaly. ... Leinster House The former palace of the Duke of Leinster. ... Lismore Castle is a castle in County Waterford in the Republic of Ireland. ... Malahide Castle lies close to the village of Malahide 9 miles north of Dublin in Ireland. ... The Mansion House on Dawson Street, Dublin, is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin and has been since 1715. ... Mornington House was the Dublin social season georgian residence of the Earls of Mornington. ... ODea Castle near Corofin, Co. ... Ormonde Castle was the seat of the Butler family—Earls and later Dukes of Ormonde, who acquired the castle in 1315. ... Parkavonear Castle is a 13th Century Norman castle ruin, situated at Aghadoe, overlooking the lakes of Killarney, Ireland. ... Irish Palladianism. ... // Origins Rathfarnham Castle Rathfarnham Castle was originally an Anglo-Norman castle built to defend the Pale from the Irish clans in the nearby Wicklow Mountains. ... Redwood Castle Co. ... Dun Masc or the fort of Masc, as it was known by the Celts, is one of the most historic sites in Ireland. ... Ross Castle Ross Castle Ross Castle is the ancestral home of the ODonoghue clan. ... Irish Palladianism. ... Slane Castle is a castle located in Slane village, County Meath, in the Republic of Ireland. ... Swords Castle was built as the manorial residence of the Archbishops of Dublin around 1200 or a little later. ... Trim Castle (Dublin Side) Trim Castle, [[Trim] (Baile Atha Troim in Irish)], Ireland has an area of 30,000 m². It is the remains of the largest castle in Europe, which was Norman in origin, built primarily by Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter. ...