Farmer fined €25,000 for destroying ringfort and part of a souterrain
Submitted by jackdaw1 on Saturday, 03 March 2012 Page Views: 8484
Site WatchCountry: Ireland (Republic of) County: Co. Kerry Type: Stone Fort or DunInternal Links:
A 64-year-old farmer has been fined €25,000 (£21000 / $33000 approx) at the Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee, Ireland for destroying a 1,000-year-old ringfort, which was a protected national monument. In one of the first prosecutions of its kind to come before the courts, John O'Mahony pleaded guilty to carrying out work on the fort on his farm at Causeway in Co Kerry in February 2008, without notifying the National Monuments Service in advance.
[This is how the case was reported in December 2011. See the comments lower down for the latest update]
The court heard that the family of Mr O'mahony, a 64-year-old farmer, owned lands which contained a ring fort and a series of underground tunnels, or souterrains, which dated back to between 500 and 100AD.
The ring fort and souterrain system were deemed to be national monuments of historic importance and had been placed on a national register.
While landowners are allowed carry out works on or near national monuments that are on the register they must contact the Department Environment and receive express written permission from the minister before they proceed.
Judge Carroll Moran was told that in February 2008, without seeking permission from the department, John O'mahony hired workers who demolished the majority of the ring fort and used the materials to fill in a nearby pond which Mr O'mahony believed posed a safety risk to children and livestock.
In the course of the work, the majority of the fort was destroyed while two thirds of the souterrian was demolished.
When the Department of the Environment learned of the demolition they contacted Gardaí in Listowel who launched and investigation.
During the garda investigation, John O'mahony initially claimed he was unaware that the site had any great historical significance.
However it emerged that Mr O'mahony had previously objected to a planning application seeking permssion to construct four houses on the same site on the grounds that it contained a "historical ring fort".
More in The Kerryman
Note: In December 2011 it was speculated that he might be jailed for a maximum of five years. As a commenter has pointed out, €25,000 is 'petty cash for developers'. Please vote in our poll
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