Carrickmines Castle

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.

[citation needed] In 1402, the O'Byrne clan of County Wicklow, who periodically raided Dublin, moved a large mercenary force to the banks of the River Dargle at Bray, but, as the direct route to the city would bring them close to the stronghold of Carrickmines, they apparently hesitated before attacking.

It began in 2002 when activists, including Vincent Salafia and Gordon Lucas, who called themselves the "Carrickminders", camped out on the castle's ruins to prevent them from being removed to make way for the motorway.

They were joined by preservationists, including Professor Sean Duffy, Head of the Department of History at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), and Dr. Mark Clinton, who was the archaeologist employed by the National Roads Authority (NRA) as Site Director.

[citation needed] The Supreme Court, according to a report in The Irish Times on 26 July 2006,[1] unanimously upheld the constitutionality of new laws affecting the preservation of the Carrickmines Castle site.

[citation needed] The Court found that in issuing directions, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and 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.

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.

[citation needed] The NRA proposed a solution which they said would preserve extensive areas of the unique historical remains while ensuring that the South Eastern Motorway proceeded on schedule.