Press Releases

October 2004

31st Oct 04 - Action Group Call for Meeting with Ministers Cullen and Roche
25th Oct 04 - Action Group Welcomes Announcement on Second River Crossing for Waterford
8th Oct 04 - Action Group To Organise Field-Trip To Woodstown Viking Site
1st Oct 2004 - Action Group' Begins Series Of Lectures On Woodstown

31st October 2004

Save Viking Waterford Action Group Call for Meeting with Ministers Cullen and Roche

The Save Viking Waterford Action Group is calling on the Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, and the Minster for Transport, Martin Cullen, to meet with the group to discuss the future of the Woodstown Viking Site.

The National Monuments Act 2004, drafted by the previous Environment Minister, Martin Cullen, invests the Minister for the Environment with arbitrary authority over Ireland's heritage. The new act abolishes the democratic checks and balances which previously existed, meaning that Dick Roche now has sole authority over the future of the Woodstown Viking Site and other sites of crucial archaeological importance around the country.

As Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen now has authority over the National Roads Authority who have responsibility to ensure that best practise is kept in relation to any excavation which would occur at Woodstown.

SVWAG chairperson, Dr. Catherine Swift: "We have contacted both ministers through their offices to request that they meet with a delegation from the Save Viking Waterford Action Group, but as yet have received no reply from either. We believe that many issues need to be clarified with both ministers, including discovering when exactly Dick Roche is going to make a decision on the future of Woodstown".

"It now appears that Minister Roche may not make a decision until the New Year, despite the fact that the NRA report on the site is completed. The minister said previously that he was awaiting this report to announce his decision, so we cannot see why there would be further delay. Nobody benefits from this prevarication, the site goes un-excavated and the badly needed Waterford bypass is delayed. We want to meet the Minister to make the argument that that he should order a full excavation of the Woodstown site immediately so the roads programme can progress on time".

"We are also requesting a meeting with former Minister for the Environment and current Transport Minister, Martin Cullen. Mr. Cullen now has ultimate authority over the National Roads Authority, which would be responsible for any excavation of Woodstown. We want to ensure that the excavation of the site is carried by experts to international standards and that no expense is spared in exploring what is potentially one of the most important archaeological sites in Europe".

"The SVWAG has already held several public meetings and have started a petition to save Woodstown, and we can see that the people of Waterford want Woodstown fully excavated. Both ministers have a responsibility to keep both us and the public informed of any developments. To that end, we are asking both ministers to meet with the Save Viking Waterford Action Group now to clarify where they stand.

25th October 2004

Save Viking Waterford Action Group Welcomes Announcement on Second River Crossing for Waterford

The second Woodstown Lecture was held in the Cosy Thatch, Kilmeaden, on Thursday 21st. After the meeting, the Save Viking Waterford Action Group welcomed the news that the NRA confirmed this week that work on the new bridge between Gracedieu and Granny will begin shortly.

SVWAG chairperson, Dr. Catherine Swift said in reaction to the news: "Everyone in Waterford and the wider south-east has been waiting for this news for a very long time, almost thirty years in fact. The construction of this bridge is long overdue, and we welcome the fact that it will proceed soon".

The second Woodstown lecture was attended by many Kilmeaden locals and many who travelled out from Waterford, including staff from the WIT, local politicians and archaeologists who have worked on the Woodstown site. An enthusiastic discussion followed the talk in which it was suggested that the Woodstown Vikings may have been trading with Kilkenny kings, offering them imported silver in exchange for slaves.

Dr. Swift continued: "It's a pity the government couldn't have clarified the situation about the excavation of Woodstown whilst announcing the news about the bridge. Minister Cullen told the public on the 17th May that he'd be announcing a full excavation shortly. In newspaper reports this week, there's talk of Minister Roche refusing to make any decision on the issue until the New Year. That's a full eight months later. The Director of the National Museum said on Monday that the money is there to do it - so why won't the government announce their decision?"

"The only effect of their indecision is to force the NRA to transfer funds away from Waterford to other projects. Their spokespeople are now repeating the point we've been making all along - until the minister makes the decision, they can't move ahead with the road. Minister Cullen is now in charge of the NRA - can he not persuade Minister Roche to clarify the situation before January? Apart from anything else, putting off the decision means that there'll have to be yet more delay while the excavation contract is put out to tender. The sooner a decision is made, the sooner the site is excavated and the sooner the by-pass can be built. It is time for the government to make up their minds and make the decision that we will be best for everyone in Waterford: a full excavation of Woodstown."

8th October 2004

Save Viking Waterford Action Group To Organise Field-Trip To Woodstown Viking Site

The 'Save Viking Waterford Action Group' is planning a field-trip to the Woodstown Viking Site, just outside Waterford City. The announcement was made by the chair of the SVWAG, Dr. Catherine Swift, at the first in a series of lectures on Woodstown which the group is planning to hold over the coming months. The lecture which was given by Dr. Colman Etchingham of NUI Maynooth on "Woodstown - The Historical Context", was attended by over 80 people on Thursday last.

Dr. Swift informed those at the lecture that following an informal meeting between former Minister for the Environment Martin Cullen, and activists in the campaign, Mr. Cullen agreed to help facilitate a field trip to the site of the archaeological dig for those who are interested.

Although there is currently no excavation going on at Woodstown due to the expiration of the licence, the site still holds great fascination for all those interested in archaeology, history and finding out more about Waterford's past.

Dr Catherine Swift commented in reaction to Mr. Cullen's offer: "We are extremely pleased that Mr. Cullen has offered to facilitate a field-trip to the site for those interested in seeing Woodstown. A veil of secrecy has surrounded the site since it was discovered last year, and it is extremely difficult to discover exactly what is going on there. Eminent historians and archaeologists have been refused access to the site, leading to a lot of speculation".

Dr. Swift continued: "We hope that people from across Waterford and the south-east will avail of this opportunity to view Woodstown. After all this is part of all our pasts and it belongs to the local people, not to the government and certainly not to the private company which will eventually build the road. Once people appreciate the scale and importance of the site, I'm sure they will join with us in calling for the new Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, to order the full excavation immediately".

Save Viking Waterford Action Group was established to call for the full excavation of the Woodstown Viking Site and will be organising a series of events over the coming months, highlighting the importance of Woodstown.

1st October 2004

'Save Viking Waterford Action Group' BEGINS SERIES OF LECTURES ON WOODSTOWN

Dr Colmán Etchingham of NUI Maynooth will give the first lecture in a series of presentations on Viking Woodstown in the Granville Hotel on 7th October at 8 p.m. His paper is entitled "Woodstown and Viking Waterford the Historical Context" and will outline the written evidence for the arrival and development of Viking power in the Waterford region.

Dr Etchingham is a national authority on Irish medieval history. Best known for his monograph on the church organisation in Ireland 650 to 1000 (1999), he has also published a book on Viking raids on Irish church settlements (1996) and has another book in preparation on the Vikings in Ireland in the ninth and tenth centuries. He has also lectured and published on Irish/Viking studies in Britain, France, Norway and Sweden.

The Save Viking Waterford Action Group was established following a public meeting in the Granville Hotel attended by over 100 people. The group will be holding a series of lectures over the coming months with national and international academics, outlining the importance of the Woodstown Viking Site.

In launching the series, the chair of the Action Group, Dr Catherine Swift, called on the new Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, to distance himself from Martin Cullen's statement that public comment on Woodstown was 'unhelpful'. "How can it be unhelpful?" she asks "As Irish tax-payers we've been paying since April 2003 to investigate this site and as Irish citizens, we're eager to find out what knowledge has been gained. Why does the government feel the need to keep it secret? Aren't we all entitled to learn about our past? I hope we'll have lots of public comment and debate about Woodstown because it belongs to the people of Waterford and surely they have every right to express their views."

Dr. Swift continued: "We are holding these lectures to inform local people of the importance of this site and trying to put pressure on the Minister for the Environment to order the full excavation of Woodstown. We will also be taking up petitions and organising a string of public events to ensure that Waterford's heritage is protected".

The Save Viking Waterford Action Group has joined with the National Museum, the Heritage Council and the NRA as well as national and international scholars in calling on the Minister to order a full research excavation of the entire Viking site and not a partial or rescue excavation. A senior NRA engineer, Mr Ray Burke, pointed out to Waterford City Council in the summer that until the Minister had clarified what he intends to do, it is unlikely that the various consortia will be prepared to make bids to build the bypass.