Anger over 'pressure' on Tara tunnel protester
The National Roads Authority has been accused of using "psychological pressure" to force a subterranean eco-warrior out of her tunnel.
Paddy O'Kearney said his former girlfriend Lisa 'Squeak' Feeney (26), is 'rattled' after abandoning her protest against the M3, following pleas by her dad.
The Dublin-based bicycle courier started her protest near the motorway building works last Thursday but finally surfaced on Saturday night.
She had brought supplies and a book by Padraig Pearse to help get through a planned two-month stay in a 33-foot deep tunnel near the historic Rath Lugh fort, near Tara.
Her underground occupation was part of a protest to stop the motorway cutting through an area that is dotted with ancient ruins and historic sites.
Her father Jim, a hotelier pal of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, persuaded her to end her campaign.
Ms Feeney, from Kerry, also succeeded in getting an offer from the National Roads Authority to postpone work at the site until April 17.
"She's in good health but is a bit rattled and was under an extreme amount of psychological pressure," said her ex-boyfriend Paddy O'Kearney last night. "It was quite brutal.
"The NRA was constantly worrying her parents by telling them she was in grave danger, when for them, it was just a case of their mounting costs.
He denied reports that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had given her a 'dig out' of any kind and said he had nothing to do with the ending of the protest.
Ms Feeney was recovering from her ordeal with her family in Tralee yesterday and is planning to take a few days off next week.
The psychology graduate does not see the abandonment of her sit-in as a defeat.
However, there were mixed feelings among over 30 members of the Rath Lugh Direct Action Camp who continued their campaign overground yesterday.
Protester Terry Canty said it was difficult not to see it as a defeat.
- Anne-Marie Walsh
