The Save Bremore group launched their campaign at the Martin Brennan conference at Newgrange. The group hope to highlight the threat of major industrial development to the North County Dublin area near Balbriggan.
     The Bremore-Gormonstown coastline is among the most beautiful and unspoiled areas of coast left on the north east side of Ireland. However, this idyllic landscape is under serious threat of being destroyed in order to make room for a massive $300 million deep water port and the associated infrastructure, pollution and industrial and suburban sprawl that this will bring. Drogheda Port Company has launched a process to have this port included under the Strategic Infrastructure Act and if successful they could use this Act to bypass much of our current environmental and heritage protection. The Save Bremore group call for an independent study before a development is allowed which will again wreck local history, heritage and environment. The heritage in question here consists of the Bremore Passage Tomb Complex - a National Monument, a series of several unclassified monuments in the Knocknagin townland as well as the mid 16th century Newhaven Bay.
     Archaeologist Prof George Eogan has stated that "Bremore may have been the first point of entry for the settlements of what is now known as Fingal/East Meath and the Boyne Valley area". According to Dr. Mark Clinton of An Taisce "The two cemetery complexes must be considered within the greater context of other passage tombs nearby at Knowth, Dowth and Newgrange", and also that "It would be more appropriate that the World Heritage site of Brú na Bóinne be extended to include the Bremore-Gormanstown complexes rather than Drogheda Port extended to include them. In terms of archaeological importance Bremore is comparable with Tara: Tara started with a passage tomb known as The Mound of the Hostages and developed over different periods: likewise the Bremore tombs would appear to be the start of Brú na Bóinne. The parallel is clear - no Mound of the Hostages no Tara: no Bremore no Newgrange"
     The Save Bremore group invite you to join our campaign. Additional information and updates are available at groups.yahoo.com/group/SaveBremore/

Source: Save Bremore Press Release (19 December 2009)