Theresa McDonald, Managing Director of the Achill Archaeological Field School, voiced her objections over the Achill-Henge structure which was built at Pollagh (Achill Island, County Mayo, Ireland) in November by Joe McNamara. The archaeologist believes that a prehistoric site could be less than half a kilometer from where Achill-Henge is now standing.
     McDonald said, "We're worried that there is an archaeological site, mostly prehistoric, less than half a kilometre from the site. It is mostly covered by bog, as are a lot of sites in Ireland. The [archaeological] site is on the Sites and Monuments Record for Co. Mayo. There is evidence of there possibly being a bronze age monument and we don't know how extensive the site is, in theory it could stretch to the site of the Henge."
     Achill-Henge is a Stonehenge replica, and according to a spokesperson for Mayo County Council, it was built without planning permission. Towering nearly 15 feet from its base, the modern structure is 30 metres in diameter and has a circumference of close to 100 metres. To build it, over 30 articulated trucks arrived in Pollagh from Galway carrying pre-cast concrete.
     McDonald explained how McNamara supposedly did not adhere to proper procedure when planning and constructing the Achill-Henge. Had he done so, he would have been required to partake in an archaeological survey of the area and the results of the survey would have influenced the permissions for building.
     The builder of Achill Henge and the Mayo County Council are set to head to court on January 31. However, the Council indicated it will seek an order forcing McNamara to take the structure down.

Edited from Irish Central (13 January 2012)