Residents of the scenic Deele Valley at Murlog, near Lifford, Co Donegal, are up in arms about a proposed road from the Manorhamilton junction to Lifford, which they say will endanger important historic sites and cut local farms in two. The Jacobite army camped in the picturesque valley before the Siege of Derry and King James II dined at Cavancor House. The house was saved from destruction by the king's protection and later became the home of former US president, James Knox Polk.

Joanna and Eddie O'Kane, who run a tearoom and craft centre at Cavanacor House, say the proposed new road could destroy the landscape and ecology of the entire valley forever.

"Original plants in the garden and the natural habitat of the valley will be wiped out by pollution from heavy traffic. It's not the only route - there are others," they say. Most of the proposed routes also cut through the lower slopes of Croaghan Hill, an ancient royal burial site. Despite local farmers agreeing to sell alternative land, four out of five of the proposed routes encroach on the hill.

According to a senior county council engineer, there is "broad acceptance" of the new proposals. Croaghan Hill, he says, would be "impossible to miss" when building the road. A consultants' report is due in about two weeks' time, when the council will decide which route to recommend.