Hill of Tara protest interview

A great video interview of Jonathan by Vincent Salafia of TaraWatch about the Hill of Tara protest held last September was just posted to YouTube the other day:

Sources: Sheila, Hill of Tara Blog

Tara Hill protest

Reports on the Tara Hill protest held last Saturday are now coming in. You can view some photos from the event on Just Jared. 1 photo from the event was added to the Gallery. More will be added when possible.

From the Irish Independent:

Protesters play same sad tune
Monday September 24 2007

Perhaps there should be a prize for Protest of the Year. If it did exist, the front-runners would surely be the people who mounted the demonstration on the Hill of Tara yesterday.

More than 3,000 protesters against the construction of the M3 motorway close to the ancient site formed themselves into the shape of a harp for an aerial photograph. The Irish harp has been called a symbol of peace and culture. Yesterday it symbolised peaceful protest and recalled cultures stretching back to the beginning of history and beyond.

But it had its modern side as well. The organisers brought in the famous actors Stuart Townsend and Jonathan Rhys Meyers to support their case. Evidently they understood the value of publicity and celebrity. And Mr Rhys Meyers, in a speech to the crowd, showed that he had been well briefed. He made an important point when he said that not only was the motorway project “horrible”, so was the development it would bring.

Motorways are not horrible in themselves, but as the Tara protesters claim they may be built in the wrong place. Objectors to the present project have proposed an alternative route and/or the rebuilding of the Navan railway line. Their pleas have gone unheard, and in all probability the M3 will run as planned through the Tara-Skryne Valley.

That, however, does not have to mean permission for ugly and harmful associated development. Along with the archaeological finds, we must preserve the beauty of the landscape.

Read the rest of this entry »

more on Hill of Tara campaign

More on the campaign Jonathan is taking part in tomorrow:

Tara activists take campaign to US
Last Updated: 21/09/2007 15:09

Campaigners battling the development of the M3 motorway near the historic Hill of Tara will take their protest to the US this weekend.

Poets, musicians, historians and archaeologists will join the Save Tara group outside the Consulate General of Ireland in New York tomorrow. At the same time, protests will be held in Chicago, Los Angeles and Dublin.

Tara, in the heart of Co Meath, was earlier this year placed on the World Monuments Fund (WMF) list of the world’s 100 most endangered sites.

Bonnie Burnham, the WMF president, said the site is hugely important. “Tara Hill, which is the centerpiece of a large archaeological landscape with hundreds of significant sites, is the ceremonial and mythical capital of Ireland,” she said.

The New York protest will be opened by “Strings of Tara”, a group of young women harpers, and speakers include Pulitzer prize winning poet Paul Muldoon.

Campaigners have also enlisted the support of Hollywood actors Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Stuart Townsend, and the pair will fly over Tara on Sunday as 1,000 protesters gather below.

Source: Irish Times

Charity involvement plus another August Rush screening

The upcoming Chicago Film Festival will have a special screening of “August Rush” on October 13th at 12:00pm as part of a Family Focus showcase for films geared to family audiences. You can look into purchasing tickets online.

Like last year, Jonathan again played in a charity football match for St. Killian’s in Dublin to aid the Bray Women’s Refuge early this month. And this Saturday, Jonathan is expected to participate in a special event for Tara Heritage Day. From the Gaiety School of Acting website:

Help Stuart Townsend, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and internationally reknowned Aerial Artist, John Quigley create the worlds’ first GIANT HUMAN HARP at TARA HERITAGE DAY.

We need hundreds of people to gather at the Hill of Tara on Sunday, 23rd September from 1:30pm to 3:30pm to form the human aerial art image of a giant harp and a Tara heritage preservation message. Many of Ireland’s top harpists will accompany the performance. The event will be directed by internationally reknowned Aerial Artist, John Quigley and participants include Irish born international film stars Stuart Townsend and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as well as musicans, historians and scholars. The image will be photographed from an aircraft at 3pm. Families are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch.

Spectral Q and the Save Tara Campaign are hosting Tara Heritage Day. Spectral Q has created similar human ‘aerial art’ images around the world including the Arctic, Antarctica, the Amazon Rainforest, London, New York, Los Angeles, Geneva, Miami, Toronto, Washington D.C., Copenhagen, New Orleans and others. To see images please check: www.SpectralQ.com. The Save Tara campaign is seeking to reroute the M3 motorway to preserve the ancient sites of the sacred Tara Valley. For more information please check: www.savetara.com.

Sources: tdonline, mouret, Gaiety School of Acting