A cross-border heritage group has been protesting against plans to build a rubbish incinerator near the site of Newgrange and the Battle of the Boyne in County Louth (Ireland). The demonstrators called on the Irish Government to stop what they described as "cultural vandalism".
     Each year, Orangemen commemorate Protestant Prince William of Orange's 1690 Battle of the Boyne victory over Catholic King James II. "We are protesting at plans to build a large municipal waste incinerator literally right on the footprint of the battle site and just minutes from Newgrange," said Brian Hanratty of the group, the Battle for the Boyne
     The site in the scenic Boyne Valley has been developed in recent years as a tourist attraction. The protest was timed to coincide with the winter solstice which is marked at Newgrange, a neolithic burial mound in County Meath.

Source: BBC News (21 December 2003)