The Mary Wallopers react as controversial development beside Cú Chulainn's Castle approved

A large scale housing development bordering Cú Chulainn's Castle in Dundalk has been approved, despite efforts from The Mary Wallopers, Jinx Lennon and many others to stop the construction.

“Only the start of this folks the fight ain’t over by a long shot! Keep er lit don’t take shit xoxo,” reads the caption of an Instagram story post from The Mary Wallopers.

On June 21, several performers played a ‘special solstice concert’ to support the campaign to ‘save Cú Chulainn's Castle.’

Louth Council granted permission to Grandspect Ltd to build more than 1000 housing units near the historical site, just outside of Dundalk.

“The government uses these arguments to shame people, but the real problem is the houses being hoarded by landlords,” said Charles Hendy of The Mary Wallopers at the charity gig. “There are so many empty houses, loads of buildings and land, and greedy landlords won’t share it.”

Cú Chulainn's Castle, also known as Dún Dealgan, is a national monument in State guardianship said to be the birthplace of Irish mythological hero Cú Chulainn.

An online petition – which has garnered over 10,250 signatures – claims that the development "risks permanently damaging the visual character, heritage value, and archaeological integrity of the area."

The permission to build was granted under 51 conditions, including that one apartment block be reduced in size and that a 50m buffer area is implemented around the recorded monuments.