Save Kilmessan village, Co Meath

Kilmessan village, a tranquil heritage village in Co Meath, will have it's
beauty and serenity undone forever if Iarnrod Eireann get their way. There
are plans afoot to soon have the railway return to the village after many
years, on the face of it a worthy attempt to bring economic development to
the hamlet. Look closer at the processes used to bring back the railway and
what becomes obvious is that in doing so Iarnrod Eireann have trampled on
the rights of locals, misled them and, if their plans for a new section of
road and bridge are not changed, may in fact inhibit economic development by
squandering the areas tourist potential.

Many villagers and nearby residents are up in arms because officials from
the railway have not asked or consulted them about having substantial chunks
of their gardens stolen from them but instead are told this is the way it's
going to be, that they have no rights in the matter. Indeed, families with
children are fraught with anxiety over the whole affair.

The village itself is a declared heritage village and as such has the
potential to attract many tourists who want to visit quaint Irish villages,
a rarity after the economic boom that saw mass construction in areas once
fabled for their beauty. Indeed, the reopening of the railway could
facilitate such tourists. The railway is not the problem of course, but
rather what villagers consider to be bad planning and bully boy tactics by
officials. An option to bypass the village exists that may be significantly
cheaper as it requires less infrastructure such as bridges, retaining the villages attractive profile and making the area safer for both residents and tourists alike. Of course such alternative options would also uphold villagers rights and prevent a squandering of state funds.

What can we do about it? Well some villagers are presently drawing up a
petition and will be asking the public to sign it and submit it by email.
This is not the only approach of resistance that will be taken by the
villagers, but it is something that all members of the public can do no
matter where you are in the world. When the petition is complete and ready
for issue, People Before Profit Dundalk will post it up on this site and we
hope as many readers as possible will fill it in.

People Before Porfit Dundalk, together we are strong.