An investigation was under way today after a man was seriously injured during the felling of trees for the controversial M3 motorway in Co Meath.
The man remains in a critical but stable condition in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda following the incident at Lismullen, near Tara.
The worker, understood to be a health and safety officer, was rushed to hospital after being injured at around 4pm yesterday while overseeing the clearing of the trees as part of preliminary work ahead of the building of the motorway.
Gardaí and the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) are investigating how the incident happened.
A spokeswoman for Meath County Council confirmed that a serious accident had occurred and the injured man was not an employee of the council.
Protesters have been attempting to disrupt preparatory work along the route as part of their bid to have the road moved away from the historic Hill of Tara.
The demonstrators were watching the felling of trees from the public road but did not observe the incident.