A PROPOSED housing and commercial development in Tulsk, Co Roscommon, has been blocked by An Bord Pleanála on the grounds that it would interfere with a ring fort and prejudice the preservation of archaeological remains.
The village is reputed to have been the home of the legendary Queen Maeve and the seat of the kings of Connacht and there are 60 national monuments within a four mile radius.
Overturning a grant of planning permission by Roscommon County Council for nine houses and a commercial building, the board also ruled that the proposed development would detract from the established character of Tulsk.
The Department of the Environment had objected to the development as it would have an unacceptable impact on archaeological heritage of national significance.
The department pointed out that the Discovery Programme, a State funded archaeological research programme, has carried out detailed investigations at the site which is believed to have been "a strategic centre for the control of the region from the 9th to 17th centuries".
It added that this area was mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters and is associated with the Flight of the Earls.
