The final millennium project, the purchase of the site of the Battle of the Boyne, is unlikely to appease critics of those charged with spending the alternative Budget 2000.

Laudable though it is, the fact that the Commissioner of Public Works has formally agreed terms for the acquisition of the site of the battle for £9 million has very little to do with the millennium. In fact, the Government established an interdepartmental committee on the matter early in 1998, one year before the millennium committee was set up.

It seems as though, in an effort to beef up its millennium fare, the committee has stamped its logo all over an existing project. It has pledged £500,000 towards the first phase of the development, a small amount of the overall cost.

Interestingly, the announcement came as a complete surprise to the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands which yesterday was not aware of the plans.

The purchase of the battle site joins the Last Light Ceremony, the People's Millennium Forest, the Restoration of Lightkeepers' Houses and the Children's Hour in what millennium mandarins are calling Five Flagships for the Future.

At a lunch in Dublin Castle to announce the final package of millennium programmes, Mr Seamus Brennan TD, chairman of the Millennium Committee, acknowledged the criticism of certain projects. He explained that the committee's decisions had been influenced by the public. They had received submissions in support of a dignified celebration. "The public told us not to go out and build a great big dome," he said.

Earlier, a few of the committee members had posed in the Castle Yard with some town criers who shouted "Hear ye, hear ye, bring on the millennium" and seemed awkward. They were soon joined by some professional bellringers from Christ Church Cathedral. Then a committee member, Deirdre Purcell, started up the Hallelujah Chorus.

The mood inside was equally jovial. This was the last time the Minister was going to do the millennium job, he assured us, before advising those assembled to live this millennium as if it were our last.

Asked to respond to the criticism of their millennium plans, particularly the televising of Frank McNamara's Messiah XXI, Mr Brennan said it was "a good decision, and it will come right". He didn't have the turn of phrase of the Irish Times critic who was scathing of the performance and he hesitated in quoting any such phrases, "because we are about to have lunch".

The purchase of the Boyne site is unlikely to stop the steady march of the millennium-bashers. Their campaign flickered into life at the news of the Last Light candle project and spread to a towering inferno of criticism at The Messiah on which £700,000 was spent.

With the announcement of the final package we have the full picture. But there is at least one project that will provide future generations with a poignant snapshot of this time.

Each of the 2,208 pages of the National Millennium Book contains originally produced, unedited drawings, poems and life stories from schoolchildren all over the State. Organised by Deirdre Purcell, the books are divided into leather-bound volumes, to be stored in the National Library.

The pupils of fifth class in Scoil na Croise Naofa in Co Donegal decided to submit just one entry. Shaun McFadden wrote My Life Story for the book on Friday, May 14th. The following Monday he died in a car accident. Against this tribute, it's easy to be cynical about candles and television spectaculars.

The committee's £30m budget has been allocated as follows:

Elderly, homeless and disadvantaged children £6.5m

The environment £9.5m

The community £6m

Arts and culture £3.8m

Religious £2m

Celebrations over millennium weekend £1.8m