Campaigners took to the streets of Dublin today to voice their opposition to plans to build the M3 motorway through the historic Tara valley
The event organisers TaraWatch said that more than 1,000 people had participated in the 'Love Tara' march although other estimates put the number at less than 500.
Marchers carrying the flags of all 32 counties gathered at the Gardens of Remembrance and marched up O'Connell St and to the Department of the Environment at the Custom House.
A plan to hand in a petition of 50,000 signatures calling on the Taoiseach and the Minister for the Environment John Gormley to re-route the M3 motorway from Tara had to be scrapped as there was no-one there to accept the petition.
The orgainsers said the planned to send an email to the Minister instead directing him to view the online petition signatures and comments and deliver the written petition on Monday.
"The march was well attended, peaceful and powerful. The Gardai were very helpful and friendly and the crowd were very positive," Laura Grealish of TaraWatch said.
"Apparently Minister Gormley is getting annoyed at people saying that he does have the power to change the M3 route. Perhaps that explains why there were no Green Party representatives at the march today, unlike previous ones," she said.
"We filled O'Connell Street," said Vincent Salafia of Tara Watch.
"A flag from each of the 32 counties was carried during the march, and I think there was someone from every county representing them too.
"It was very successful and we worked closely with gardai who said they were pleased with the crowd.
"We didn't want the chance of any problems or anybody sabotaging the march."
This afternoon, a smaller group of campaigners will move their protest to Cloverhill Prison, where four conservationists are being held after being arrested while picketing at the site earlier this week.