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Correspondence including between Father Francis X Martin (FXM) and Nicholas (NR) and Mary Robinson (MR) 02/01/1978- 19/12/1978; between NR and The Law Agent [William Dundon], Dublin Corporation 09/01/1978-29/08/1978; between NR and MR in their official capacities 09/01/1978-09/06/1978; between NR and Donal Barrington, Senior Counsel 12/01/1978-; between NR and Chief State solicitor 16/01/1978-23/1/1978; copy of letter from Ole Klindt-Jensen, Director of Prehistoric Museum and Institute of Archaeology, University of Aarhus to Dublin Corporation 26/01/1978; from City Manager to SS McCarthaigh, Chairman, Commissioners of Public Works, 30/01/1978-19/04/1978; between Dr Joseph Raftery, Director National Museum of Ireland, to George Hegarty, Dublin Corporation 02/02/1978; between Principal Officer, [Dublin Corporation?] and Dr Joseph Raftery, 10/02/1978-17/05/1978; between P Russell, Dublin Corporation and Stephenson Associates (consultant architects) 22/02/1978-15/05/1978; from NR to J McCarthy, Chairman, Commissioners of Public Works, 01/03/1978-04/05/1978; letter from FXM and George Colley, Minister for Finance, 03/03/1978; letter for Pascal Scanlan, Principal Officer, Office of Public Works, National Parks and Monuments branch 21/03/1978; J McCarthy, Chairman, Commissioners of Public Works, and J Molloy, City Manager, Corporation of Dublin 19/04/1978; letter from City Manager to Dr Joseph Raftery, 19/04/1978; letter from Dr Joseph Raftery to JM Molloy, City Manager, Corporation of Dublin, 21/04/1978; correspondence between Alf Smyth, University of Kent and Frank [FXM?] 21/04/1978-22/05/1978; correspondence between FXM and Peter Addyman, Director York Archaeological Trust, 13/04/1978-22/05/1978; letter from Professor Dr Walter Janssen to Dr Anngret Simms, 23/05/1978; letter to Dublin City Council from Scandinavian participants in the archaeological summer-colloquy of International Council of Museums, Svenborg, Denmark with signatures and institutions attached, 10/06/1978; letter from Anngret [Simms] to NR 22/06/1978; letter from Bob O'Driscoll, Celtic Arts, Canada to FXM in support 26/06/1978; letter from NR to TX Smyth, SC, 27/06/1978; correspondence between NR and Kevin Fox, Hon Sec, National Monuments Advisory Council 30/06/1978-10/07/1978; postcard from Consuelo O'Connor to NR 02/07/1978; correspondence between NR and AJ Hederman, SC Office of the Attorney General 13/07/1978; letter from MR to Irish Press, Irish Independent and Irish Times Editors re secrecy surrounding and high security at site 09/09/1978; invite to farewell party for Anngret and David Simms, from Friends of Mediaeval Dublin 25/09/1978; typed copies of Senator MR's statement (address?) 23/09/1978 "Wood quay has taught us a very valuable lesson, that democracy demands more of citizens than a passive role between elections"; letter from Ruairi [Quinn?] architects office Burke-Kennedy Doyle and Partners re press statement 01/10/1978; copy of letter to MR as Senator from [O'Doherty Owens?] asking her to do utmost to have civic offices built outside of city centre, 05/10/1978; letter to MR as Senator from Alice J Moore, chairperson of Local Government and Public services Union, regarding motion being debated in Seanad Éireann, 06/12/1978;

The file also includes minutes (photocopies) of National Monuments Advisory Council Standing Committee meeting 04/05/1978 and some handwritten notes re costs.

Save Wood Quay Campaign 1978

[Archivist's Note: photocopies of some reports and correspondence are duplicated across this subsubsubseries as they were being used for research purposes, as part of briefs for counsel and/or as exhibits in court.]

Folder labelled “Privileged documents - correspondence with solicitors relating to the action and misc. documents such as copy pleadings already known to defendants". Material includes copies of some of the material in P143/1/2/9/2/1-2; correspondence between the consultant architects Stephenson Associates, and Father FX Martin (FXM), 20/07/1978; photocopy of list of documents sent to counsel; copies of affidavits of FXM, Consuelo O'Connor, George Eogan, George Hegarty, Kevin B Nowlan, George Francis Mitchell, Peter Harbison, Joseph Raftery, Michael Joseph O'Kelly, Cornelius N Sheehan, Kevin Byrne, Ruaidhri de Valera 28/11-12/12/1977; correspondence between Principal Officer, Dublin Corporation and Director of National Museum of Ireland 30/06/1976-07/09/1977; correspondence between Director of the National Museum and the City Manager 07/09/1977-12/12/1977; correspondence between Principal Officer, Dublin Corporation and the Secretary, Office of Public Works (OPW), National Parks and Monuments Branch 08/09/1977; copy of circular from Deputy City Manager to members of Dublin City Council 30/08/1977; copy of statement of claim 13/12/1977 (delivered by Nicholas Robinson); letter from consultant architects Stephenson Associates to George Hegarty, Dublin Corporation, Development Section, 12/12/1977

Copies of report by Dr Frank Roche, Director of Colin McIver Associates Limited, "Exploratory Study of the Tourism Potential of Wood Quay", submitted to Irish Hotels Federation 12/1977; "Dublin's Wood Quay", a Civic Heritage Publication, Nuala Burke, Ph.D., signed by Nick Robinson, 20/11/1977; pull out map "Dublin c840-c1540, The Years of Mediaeval growth", prepared by the Friends of Mediaeval Dublin and printed by the Ordnance Survey 1977.

Material in this folder consists of correspondence and minutes relating to the case and includes correspondence between An Taisce [The National Trust of Ireland] and JB Molloy, City Manager, City Hall, Dublin 03/08/1977; minutes of meetings between representatives of Dublin Corporation, "Friends of Mediaeval Dublin" including FX Martin (FXM) and the Consultant Architects, Stephenson, Gibney and Associates 11/08/1977; letter from Michael J O'Kelly, Department of Archaeology, University College Cork to Dr Joseph Raftery, Director of The National Museum, 01/09/1977; letter from Principal Officer [Dublin Corporation, Development Section?] to the Secretary, Department of Education, relating to extent and nature of archaeological excavations, 08/09/1977; letter from Dr Michael Herrity, lecturer in Celtic Archaeology, UCD to Councillor Michael Collins, Lord Mayor of Dublin 13/09/1977 and response to it from Deputy City Manager to the Lord Mayor 20/09/1977; press release from Herrity "The Wood Quay Problem: an archaeologist's View" 09/1977; copy of letter from FXM as chairman of "Friends of Medieval Dublin" to Public Works Commissioners HQ, Dublin requesting that first Viking fortification at Wood Quay be designated a National Monument, 27/09/1977; letter from Dr Joseph Raftery to JB Molloy, 06/10/1977 and P.J. Molloy, City Manager 12/12/1977; minutes of special meeting of Dublin City Council, 10/10/1977; letter from Minister for the Environment [Sylvester Barrett] to Senator Trevor West, re representations about site and Corporation's proposed development, 13/10/1977; minutes of meetings between representatives of Dublin Corporation, the National Museum, John Paul and Company Limited [builders?] and the Consultant Architects, Stephenson, Gibney and Associates, 26/10/1977; letter from Michael J McCarthy, President of the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) to Jack Lynch, Taoiseach, along with an address to the IHF's AGM by Dermot Walsh, Donegal Branch of the IHF 16-18/11/1977; letter from the consultant architects to Dublin Corporation 28/11/1977; correspondence from the consultant architects and The National Museum 01-16/12/1977 and letter from City Manager to SS McCarthaigh, Chairman, Commissioners of Public Works, 19/12/1977.

Material in this folder consists mainly of court documents, handwritten notes of Nicholas Robinson (NR) and draft affidavits. It includes letter from NR, solicitor, to John Paul & Co Ltd [construction company] informing them that Justice Costello, High Court had granted an injunction restraining defendants from demolishing, destroying etc. on contested site until 30th November 1977; draft plenary summons "The Right Honourable The Lord Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of Dublin, Stephenson & Associates and John Paul and Company, Defendants", 28/11/1977; draft and typed affidavits for Francis X Martin, George Eogan [lecturer in archaeology UCD], and Consuelo O'Connor, [Deputy Chairman of An Taisce, the National Trust of Ireland], 28/11/1977; notice of motion for FX Martin to apply for a restraining order on 30 November 1977, 28/11/1977; draft and typed copies of Justice Costello's order, following FXM's motion, that defendant's be restrained from further work until 06/01/1978; handwritten notes (NR's) including a statement of claim, early Dec 1977; bound documents labelled "1977 No. 5919P The High Court Between The Attorney General at the relation of Francis X Martin, Plaintiff, and The Right Honourable The Lord Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of Dublin, Stephenson & Associates and John Paul and Company, Defendants, Documents Relating to the Supreme Court Appeal Against Injunction, Nicholas Robinson & company, Solicitors...", 12/1977.

Save Wood Quay Campaign 1977

[Archivist's Note: some of this material was possibly photocopied at a later stage as part of briefs for counsel in the late 1970s but has since been separated. It is presented here based on date of creation of the original record, not when the copy was made.]

Material in this folder consists mainly of research material, photocopies of press articles, minutes of meetings between Dublin Corporation, the National Museum and the consultant architects for the proposed project, and correspondence. It includes correspondence between Dublin Civic Group and Dublin Corporation 15/01/1968; correspondence between Dept of Local Government and Dublin City and County Manager, City Hall 31/07/1972; copy of judgement delivered in similar case Tormey v Commissioners for Public Works, 21/12/1972; correspondence between Richard Haworth, Archaeologist, The National Institute for Physical Planning and Construction Research, and H Byrne, Principal Officer, Development Section, Dublin Corporation 28/02/1974- 07/05/1974; report of public meeting, Mansion House, Dublin, 12/03/1974 relating to Archaeological Investigation in Dublin and Wood Quay; minutes of meetings of Dublin City Council, Dublin Corporation and between representatives of Dublin Corporation, the National Museum and the Consultant Architects, Stephenson, Gibney and Associates 13/03/1974-01/07/1975; correspondence between The National Museum and the Consultant Architects 09/04/1974; correspondence between H Byrne, Principal Officer, and others, Development Section, Dublin Corporation and the Consultant Architects 07/05/1974-13/03/1975; copy of letter from Senator MR to Professor Otway-Ruthven following his verbal expression of worry, and including letter from several professors to the Irish times, 26/09/1974; correspondence between The National Museum and Dublin Corporation 10/3/1975-30/07/1976; photocopy of telegram from Irish Association of Professional Archaeologists' AGM requesting mechanical work on site be suspended, 23/04/1975, and correspondence from them 30/04/1975; letter between secretary, Department of Education and Dublin City Council 10/07/1975; report to Assistant City Manager from Assistant Development Officer, Development Department, Dublin Corporation, 20/01/1976

Archivist's Note: some of this material was possibly photocopied at a later stage as part of briefs for counsel in the late 1970s but has since been separated. It is presented here based on date of creation of the original record, not when the copy was made

Material relating to a campaign to preserve Wood Quay, a significant archaeological riverside site of a Viking settlement, which was owned by Dublin Corporation (now Dublin City Council) and had which had been selected by them for construction of new civic offices and their headquarters. The Corporation announced a competition to developers and a design by Sam Stephenson was selected as the winner. The plans were submitted for planning approval, resulting in two city departments rejecting the plans on technical grounds. However, the city manager, Matt Macken, decided to override these objections and grant full approval on 24 December 1970. More than 30 groups and individuals lodged objections, including the National Monuments Advisory Council. Many also appealed to the relevant minister, Bobby Molloy. An oral hearing was held in March 1971, with Molloy eventually confirming the decision by Macken in July 1972. This approval had 15 conditions, including "that all reasonable opportunities and facilities shall be afforded to the National Monuments Advisory Council to inspect, record and recover matter of archaeological interest" from the site. Large-scale archaeological excavations were conducted on the site by the National Museum of Ireland at intervals between 1973 and 1981, led by Pat Wallace, after some initial exploration of the site in 1969.

The campaign to preserve the site of Viking settlement at Wood Quay, Dublin and for Dublin Corporation to build the new civic offices in an alternative location, began in 1976, headed by Professor F.X. Martin (FXM), Chairman of the Friends of Medieval Dublin, along with others including Mary Robinson. In 1978 the High Court declared the area a National Monument, but Dublin Corporation who owned the land, used a loophole in the law to allow them to build new civic offices on the site. The campaign resulted in a large protest march on 23 September 1978, attended by 20,000 people called "Save Wood Quay". When the media attention and mass public protests brought no results, and when a crucial part of the site was bulldozed after the collapse of the legal challenge, dramatic plans were hatched to seize and occupy Wood Quay. The site was stormed on 01 June 1979 as part of ‘Operation Sitric’ (named after the Hiberno-Norse king of Dublin, Sitric Silkenbeard, c 970-1042) and eventually 52 protestors held the site, supported by thousands of members of the public. While conditions were rough and relations with the construction crew very hostile, it was the decision of the Supreme Court to uphold an injunction against them that forced the occupiers out, on 21 June 1979. The archaeological excavation resumed for a further two years, until March 1981, and the new offices were finally opened in 1986.

While the campaign ultimately failed and the development went ahead, the extra time spent over the protests and legal battles over the preservation of the site meant that the excavations were more extensive than initially planned. It also led to the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994 which introduced several safeguards to ensure that Wood Quay would never happen again.

Large black and white poster produced by Friends of Medieval Dublin "Save Our National Monument At Wood Quay", advertising a public meeting at Mansion House on 29/03/197[9] with FX Martin as Chair and Dr Henrik Jansen as speaker, and Wood Quay rally and march on 31/03/197[9].