McNamara's at it again.

Happyman42

Wonder what he is up to. Amazing and bizarre construction


http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14219%3Aanglo-avengers-achill-antics&catid=23%3Anews&Itemid=46

Anglo Avenger’s Achill antics


Mystery surrounds Achill-henge project

Achill
Edwin McGreal

A massive Stonehenge-esque structure has appeared on an Achill hilltop over the weekend. The man behind the clandestine project, the purpose of which remains unclear, is Achill native Joe McNamara, also known as ‘The Anglo Avenger’ after his high-profile protests against Anglo Irish Bank last year.
Reportedly over six months in planning, the enormous circular structure, which is located on commonage land above Pollagh, was erected at great speed but with a high level of precision. A group of men, with McNamara in charge, worked long hours over the weekend on its construction. The projected cost of its manufacture and installation is believed to be in excess of €1 million.
The structure – dubbed Achill-henge – was built without planning permission, a spokesperson for Mayo County Council told The Mayo News. Towering nearly 15 feet from its base, it is 30 metres in diameter and has a circumference of close to 100 metres. Over 30 articulated trucks arrived in Pollagh on Friday from Galway carrying pre-cast concrete, and work began in mid-morning. Mayo County Council has taken the matter to the High Court.
Speculation is rife as to the purpose of the project. There have been some suggestions that it is being built as a tourist attraction. It is not impossible, given Joe McNamara’s history in relation to protests, that the monument could yet prove to be some sort of political statement. McNamara famously drove a cement lorry with the words ‘Toxic Bank’ and ‘Anglo’ painted on its side, to the gates of Leinster House in September 2010.
When questioned by The Mayo News at the Achill site on Sunday morning, Joe McNamara himself declined to comment on anything relating to the project.
With work taking place over the weekend, often in fading light, there was an ‘under the cover of darkness’ feel about the operation. Many locals were confused about what was afoot. There were rumours that an incinerator was being built, such was the cloaked nature of the project. The Mayo News understands that the project was completed in near darkness on Sunday evening, shortly before 6pm.

Court action
A Mayo County Council planning officer arrived on the site on Friday afternoon and asked for work to cease as there was no planning permission for the project. However, work continued and several more visits to the site were made by council planners. Mayo County Council initiated High Court proceedings on Friday and both parties appeared before the court yesterday. The matter has been referred to a High Court sitting expected to take place later this week.
A council spokesman told The Mayo News that ‘the matter is the subject of ongoing enforcement proceedings and will be back before the courts this week’. He would not comment further as, he said, the matter was ‘sub-judice’.
The project is constructed on commonage on a hill in Pollagh looking down on the village and the nearby villages of Keel and Dooagh. McNamara has, reportedly, access to the commonage.
The circular construction is built using precast slabs, which are curved. It would appear that, on close examination of the site, a lot of time and expense has gone into the project.
It is believed that a road is to be built from beside the Achill Head Hotel in Pollagh, which McNamara owns, to the site. Construction access this weekend was via an existing road further down on the road to Dooagh, with a large stretch of the climb being on a rough, bog road.
The Mayo News also understands that the project is based on Stonehenge in more than just appearance. Reportedly the Pollagh version has been built to sync with sunrise on the summer and winter solstices and March and September equinoxes.



It is believed that the sun will rise and shine through the gaps between the ‘stones’ to light up a centre-piece on the site – a centre-piece yet to be built or revealed. What can be seen in the centre is a semi-circular outline for some sort of structure, but what shape or form that will take is unclear. It is believed that it won’t form part of the current development at Achill-henge but may be installed later. However, there is little doubt, on foot of yesterday’s High Court action by Mayo County Council, that it will not be a straightforward matter.
Joe McNamara is a native of Achill Island but has lived in Galway for a number of years. A one-time successful developer, he fell into some financial difficulty in recent years and reportedly owes Anglo Irish Bank €3.5 million.
In his early 40s, McNamara was dubbed ‘The Anglo Avenger’ after a series of protests in 2010. As well as driving the ‘toxic bank’ lorry to the gates of Leinster House, he abandoned the same cement lorry outside Anglo Irish Bank’s offices on Forster Street in Galway and also parked a giant cherry-picker hoist outside the bank’s HQ on St Stephen’s Green.

orourkeda

The boul' mcnamara.

Einhard

Hope they knock it down. Does this guy think that all laws and regulations are exempted when it comes to him?

Morrisseeee

a centre-piece yet to be built or revealed

A statue of Bbbbbbertie :pac:

Pacing Mule

A guy who protested about the banking crisis / collapse, who owes 3.5 million to the bank spends 1 million on a sculpture ? Did I miss something or has he just destroyed his credibillity ?

(pun noted)

hondasam

It's in Mayo, who cares no one will see it.

kippy

hondasam wrote: »

It's in Mayo, who cares no one will see it.

You and whoever else has seen and will see this thread will have seen it........

Chuck Stone

Gobshite

hondasam

kippy wrote: »

You and whoever else has seen and will see this thread will have seen it........

I did not open the link, i did not see it.

oppenheimer1

Pageant Messiah wrote: »

A guy who protested about the banking crisis / collapse, who owes 3.5 million to the bank spends 1 million on a sculpture ? Did I miss something or has he just destroyed his credibility ?

(pun noted)

He had no credibility before this.

kippy

hondasam wrote: »

I did not open the link, i did not see it.

Lies.

ejmaztec

McNamara's Tomb sounds good.

hondasam

kippy wrote: »

Lies.

No you have my word, I have no intentions of opening the link.

Happyman42

It may have cost a bit to build it, but it will cost an astronomical fortune to remove especially if the usual state agencies; consultants, insultants, experts, H&S, various shovel huggers are involved.:rolleyes:

SafeSurfer

Maybe its the Irish answer to the Georgia Guidestones.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones

Wertz

I hope it says "F*ck you Bertie" when viewed on Google Earth.

scholar007

Is it a habitable structure or is it going to be like all the ghost estates - totally uninhabitable? Not to worry if he puts enough metal in it, it will be torn down and sold for scrap in no time.

johnr1

hondasam wrote: »

It's in Mayo, who cares no one will see it.

Why the insult?

hondasam wrote: »

I did not open the link, i did not see it.

Bull !

hondasam wrote: »

No you have my word, I have no intentions of opening the link.

If you're that unconcerned with it, why take the trouble to post 3 times on the thread? postcount ??

Wertz wrote: »

I hope it says "F*ck you Bertie" when viewed on Google Earth.

That would be excellent wouldn't it

Cianos

Can we get a TLDR for the more attentively diverse amongst us.

Napper Hawkins

Einhard wrote: »

Hope they knock it down. Does this guy think that all laws and regulations are exempted when it comes to him?

Seems to be the only individual on the island who has the balls to do something other than complain, however ridiculous it is.

Build on McNamara! Build on! **** the bastards!

cosanostra

Were did he get the money to do this or was it stock he had for another job and decided to throw it together and make a stone henge out of it?

ThisRegard

Pageant Messiah wrote: »

A guy who protested about the banking crisis / collapse, who owes 3.5 million to the bank spends 1 million on a sculpture ? Did I miss something or has he just destroyed his credibillity ?

(pun noted)

He only had credibility with Joe Duffy, most of the population I'm sure could see through his little man against the machine act.

Einhard

Napper Hawkins wrote: »

Seems to be the only individual on the island who has the balls to do something other than complain, however ridiculous it is.

Build on McNamara! Build on! **** the bastards!

Yeah, because building a tourist attraction near his hotel without planning permission is really sticking it to the government.

Chuck Stone

Napper Hawkins wrote: »

Seems to be the only individual on the island who has the balls to do something other than complain, however ridiculous it is

Isn't he just another failed property speculator whining at the government about his woes?

Don't we have enough of those bastards walking around the place, unharmed, without making a folk hero out of one of their ilk?

What am I missing here?

Napper Hawkins

Einhard wrote: »

Yeah, because building a tourist attraction near his hotel without planning permission is really sticking it to the government.

Yeah, cos there's a whole lot of that going on already isn't there?

Einhard

Napper Hawkins wrote: »

Yeah, cos there's a whole lot of that going on already isn't there?

That's not the point. This action of his had nothing to do with opposing the government and everything to do with enriching himself, and yet you act as if they are the actions of a latter day Gandhi.

Napper Hawkins

Einhard wrote: »

That's not the point. This action of his had nothing to do with opposing the government and everything to do with enriching himself, and yet you act as if they are the actions of a latter day Gandhi.

Nah, I think he's a knob and what he's doing is just yet another example of the absurd ****e that people get away with in this country.

We're pretty much a laughing stock at this stage so I say why not play up to it? We're headed right down the ****ter anyway so why not go out in style.

I hope he builds lots and lots of stupid, expensive pointless crap all over the place because we ****ing deserve it for letting it happen.

Chuck Stone

Napper Hawkins wrote: »

We're headed right down the ****ter anyway so why not go out in style.

I hope he builds lots and lots of stupid, expensive pointless crap all over the place because we ****ing deserve it for letting it happen.

Well... now that you've nemtioned it... I guess we could build I giant pyramid on top of Athlone with the rubble of the ghost estates.

Napper Hawkins

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Well... now that you've nemtioned it... I guess we could build I giant pyramid on top of Athlone with the rubble of the ghost estates.

Now you're on the trolley!:D

For Forks Sake

SafeSurfer wrote: »

Maybe its the Irish answer to the Georgia Guidestones.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones

We already have those, they're pointing east http://tinyurl.com/43he2c2

starbelgrade

hondasam wrote: »

It's in Mayo, who cares no one will see it.

It's on Achill, quite close to Keel, which is one of the most popular tourist spots in the west of Ireland.

So, a lot of people will probably see it.

hondasam

I see everyone has lost their sense of humour in AH's.

@johnr1 why are you so concerned about me opening a link, I said I didn't open it. Post count might mean something to you but not to me.

starbelgrade

hondasam wrote: »

I see everyone has lost their sense of humour in AH's.

Haven't you heard... Tuesday is "Serious Night".

It's in the revised charter.

hondasam

starbelgrade wrote: »

Haven't you heard... Tuesday is "Serious Night".

It's in the revised charter.

Thought Tuesday was drink night. AH's doing serious what ever next:pac:

ejmaztec

Perhaps he's been sentenced to hard labour, cracking rocks in a chain-gang, and the court-case has been kept out of the media.

Logical Fallacy

hondasam wrote: »

No you have my word, I have no intentions of opening the link.

Fight the powah.

finbarrk

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

Fight the powah.

Logical?

Logical Fallacy

finbarrk wrote: »

Logical?

Tree?

mikom

The projected cost of its manufacture and installation is believed to be in excess of €1 million.

My hole it will.
Usual bollox from the papers.

Big Nasty

hondasam wrote: »

Post count might mean something to you but not to me.

Says your wan with...........the guts of 40 posts a day!!!:eek::eek::eek:

conorhal

Napper Hawkins wrote: »

Nah, I think he's a knob and what he's doing is just yet another example of the absurd ****e that people get away with in this country.

We're pretty much a laughing stock at this stage so I say why not play up to it? We're headed right down the ****ter anyway so why not go out in style.

I hope he builds lots and lots of stupid, expensive pointless crap all over the place because we ****ing deserve it for letting it happen.

He already has, they're called ghost estates and empty apartment blocks. Perhaps he's hoping that those can be designated as 'modern art installations' and then he can get himself a grant from the Arts Counsel....:rolleyes:



.

johnr1

hondasam wrote: »

I see everyone has lost their sense of humour in AH's.

@johnr1 why are you so concerned about me opening a link, I said I didn't open it. Post count might mean something to you but not to me.

I'm not one bit concerned whether you opened the link or not, I was more interested in the fact that you felt the need to take a shot at another part of the country even though you couldn't be bothered to look at the photo and had expressed no interest in the story. Again: Why post then??

Postcount clearly means a lot to me; yeah- I'm not the one with 20k posts in a year and a half, :rolleyes:

irishgeo

it would be more in his line to fill in the huge hole in the ground he has left in keel village first.

inforfun

Monorail!

it's a shame he wouldn't start paying off his debts rather than taking every opportunity to show off like a spoiled child. That many people hold him up as some sort of hero shows just how backwards so many people in this country are.

ziggy

This post has been deleted.

ejmaztec

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1202/breaking45.html

Property developer Joe McNamara has been jailed until next Tuesday by a High Court judge for contempt of an order requiring him to immediately cease building a ‘Stonehenge-like structure’ which he intends as a “place of reflection” on Achill Island.
Mr McNamara, acquitted earlier this year of criminal damage and dangerous driving over an incident where a cement lorry with the words “toxic bank” was driven at the gates of Leinster House, was asked by Mayo County Council’s planning officers last week to stop the unauthorised works but continued with them.

The council then brought proceedings against Mr McNamara (41), with addresses at Achill Island, Co Mayo and Salthill, Co Galway, and secured orders on November 26th last requiring him to cease the works.

It claimed works continued after he was served with those orders and it then initiated proceedings for attachment and committal of Mr McNamara.

After hearing from the sides yesterday, Mr Justice Roderick Murphy found Mr McNamara had continued work on the structure, an outer ring of large columns with tapping stones placed on top, despite being properly served with the order to cease those works.

The failure to comply was “a serious matter”, planning laws and regulations were in place for a good reason and were not designed to thwart people, the judge said.

As Mr McNamara was not prepared to purge his contempt, he was to remain in Mountjoy prison until next Tuesday, the judge said.

padd b1975

irishgeo wrote: »

it would be more in his line to fill in the huge hole in the ground he has left in keel village first.

Think thats his brothers "project."