PROTESTERS AT Rath Lugh, a small hill near Tara, say they can hold out for months in a series of tunnels they have dug into a hillside to try and stop construction of the M3 motorway.
The protesters say the tunnels descend from a barricaded camp built on the slopes of Rath Lugh, a prominent forested hill capped by ancient earthworks that protesters say dates to around 300BC.
Construction work will collapse the tunnels and risks killing the protesters inside, they say.
Part of the hill will have to be excavated to allow the passage of the motorway. A temporary protection order has so far prevented motorway builders from cutting into the slope, but the protesters expect the order to be lifted imminently. The protesters say they were told last week that they will be evicted from Rath Lugh.
The protesters, who object to a motorway cutting through an area dotted with ancient ruins and important historic sites, say they have spent six months building the tunnels, which they plan to occupy if construction work moves ahead at Rath Lugh.
"It's taken six months to build them," said Lisa Feeney, one of the protesters who has set up camp at Rath Lugh.
"We've built them with lump hammers, buckets and a string system," said Ms Feeney. "It's a labyrinth - a lot of the work was done by night over the last couple of months. Security hasn't really noticed because we've been bringing out bags of sand and dumping it nearby. Real Shawshank Redemption stuff."
The Irish Times had to take the protesters at their word, since they would not allow a viewing of their underground excavation. "We don't want anyone to know exactly where the tunnels are," said Ms Feeney.
There were plenty of places at Rath Lugh where tunnel entrances could be hidden. The site is covered with trees and dotted with tents, including a kind of canvas teepee headquarters that was warmed by a wood-burning cooker. When The Irish Times visited yesterday, the protesters were using it to cook a breakfast of eggs. Smoke escaped through an opening at the top of the teepee.
Ms Feeney said that the tunnels are stocked with food, and will be occupied at the first sign of excavation work. She said it would be difficult to remove protesters because the tunnels will be considered too dangerous for gardaí or rescue personnel to enter.
Ms Feeney said protesters were prepared to risk their safety in the tunnels. "Look, we're not a bunch of anarchists trying to get rid of corporate greed. We're just trying to save this valley. I don't know if I want to live in a world that doesn't have places like Tara in it."