We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
FILMING BEGINS TODAY on scenes from the new Star Wars film on Skellig Michael off the coast of Kerry.
However, concerns have been raised about the potential impact that the film crews will have on the site, with Birdwatch Ireland particularly concerned that the filming is coming in the middle of breeding season for puffins and other birds.
The Unesco World Heritage Centre has confirmed to TheJournal.ie that it has asked for information on the granting of filming rights at the sixth century monastic site, but a spokesperson said that they could not speculate what would happen.
Roni Amelan, a spokesperson for the World Heritage Centre, told TheJournal.ie that the lightsabers and droids may cause damage, but that doesn’t automatically mean a loss of Skellig Michael’s status.
“The issue not with filming, it’s with what effect that filming will have.
“We can speculate but don’t know yet. If you look at the site and the features for which it was inscribed, you have to look at the effect it will have.
We are specific that properties on the list are there for specific features, but all sites are vulnerable. You often have damage to a site, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it would be taken off the list.
“It’s very rare that a pristine site will be inscribed.
“It’s about getting all of the information.”
In the original decision, the committee outlined why Skellig Michael was chosen and no mention of wildlife or scenery is made.
The Committee decided to inscribe the nominated property on the basis of cultural criteria (iii) and (iv) considering that the site is of outstanding universal value being an exceptional, and in many respects unique example of an early religious settlement deliberately sited on a pyramidal rock in the ocean, preserved because of a remarkable environment. It illustrates, as no other site can, the extremes of a Christian monasticism characterizing much of North Africa, the Near East and Europe.
Only two sites have ever been removed from the Unesco World Heritage List; the first a sanctuary for oryx (a type of antelope) in Oman, the second the Dresden Elbe Valley.
In the Oman case, the size of the sanctuary was decreased by 90%, meaning that the oryx were forced to live in captivity. In Dresden, the construction of a four-lane road bridge was found to have altered the valley sufficiently to warrant its removal from the list.
In both cases, Amelan says, the sites were “fundamentally changed”.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Paper tax,insurance and nct discs should have been scrapped years ago. Failure to integrate systems and deploy anpr left the country using last century processes. Worthy of a case study to fix our inability to progress and deploy technology in a timely manner
@aYc221Lw: waste of cops time for €70. Even that could be done remotely.
I’m presuming this will mean there won’t be a charge for buying tax in instalments then for those who can’t afford to pay one year at a time? The government were able to charge 33% interest under current rules.
@James Groden: I’ll guess this will remain as its the same with Insurance, pay more over a longer period of installments.
@James Groden: Monthly direct debit should be the normal way to pay car tax.
@James Groden: a vehicle is not a right, if you choose to go into debt to drive ti is no ones proiblem but your own
What’s new about this? Discs haven’t been used on cars in most European countries for years. Just once it would be refreshing to come up with a new initiative.
UK got ride of Paper Tax disc years ago, the number of people not getting there cars taxed also went up, and they have ampr cameras. We don’t or body cams on cops or a functioning judicial service! What could possibly go wrong?!?!?!
@patrick kelly: actually your very wrong since paper discs were abolished the proportion of car drivers without tax has dropped dramatically. Less than 2 percent of U.K. vehicles are estimated to have no tax. It also helps that all U.K. police cars are equipped with .a.n.p.r ( automatic number plate recognition).
@Neil Brooks: actually your wrong
Paperless discs have been used in the UK since October 2014. The Sunday Times in the UK reported in 2015 that the decision to scrap the tax disc in cars resulted in £45 million a year in lost revenue.
@patrick kelly: quoting a 9 year old newspaper article?
@Nala Ytrennif: That’s when the change to paperless disc tax happened, Hench the report, so yes 9 year old facts that’s how facts work! If youe point is that the UK needed reg cameras to stop tax dodging when I think we already covered that as we don’t have any where near as many cameras in Ireland…
Great to see that Gardai dont have to man roadside checkpoints if Gat vans can just scan no plates & impose fines.
Or am I jumping ahead of the process?
What is really needed is for the motor reg crew to post notice to registered users that fail to renew that they have 14 days to pay up, or the car will be impounded. No prosecution process, no fines, just impound the wagon & register the debt, cumulatively, including pound costs.
Theres hardly a road in Ireland with untaxed vehicles a lot of which end up in wrong hands for wrong uses.
@William Kelly: there will always be a need for check points. ANPR can’t scan for driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs or can’t scan for a disqualified driver etc.
So just like the ukrainean cars
That’s my Baked Beans label redundant so ….
scrap the car tax , also the tv tax .
now that would help
@Dominic Leleu: and increase your income tax or vat? Has to come from somewhere
@reg morrisey: hopefully this has been before the courts and dealt with it not he will walk free
At last, an end to the “Banana Republic Confetti” is in sight.
in the near future, all non paid insurance, late nct and car taxes will just get filed to the justice system or revenue and people will automatically get fined.
at least it’s going this way. Why the guards would even get involved …
like permanent radars in bunkers already existing in europe, they will come up as well.
you get what you voted for….
@Dominic Leleu: i certainly hope so
@reg morrisey: It’s on RTÉ if your looking to read it so badly.
Get foreign plates so they dont pay tax dont have to either,problem solved
@reg morrisey: Sunday World covered it and believe it or not it’s on RTE. Journal.ie will probably put it up at midnight.
Well I know for a fact that in Spain while the authorities dont issue Road Tax Receipts, they do issue receipts for payments. And if you dont have the receipt, you car can be towed away. Most regions have no way of La Guardia Nacional or the Local Police anyway of checking by the roadside
Be able to see more out the windscreen! Good to see joined-up thinking too. All the discs should be gone, but, no harm to have them in the glove box when the system crashes.
@reg morrisey: jailed for 2 years 3 months
Older folk won’t be happy.
have your say