Our new Nordic Gods

We've noted several times the mania of Ireland's National Roads Authority for paving over the Republic's historic sites, particularly the ones in the eastern part of the country covering many vintages of Irish settlement. But they still have the upper hand in these struggles, by virtue of the power of government. Therefore we constantly watch for any sign that they finally tread on the powers-that-be, as opposed to some old dudes' graves. And we have it, from Friday's Irish Times:

The National Roads Authority (NRA) may oppose the Ikea superstore proposed for Ballymun in north Dublin.

Mr Peter Malone, the chairman of the road building agency, has warned that the NRA is concerned the development will add further to congestion on the M50 motorway.

... the Swedish-owned furniture retailer is expected to lodge a planning application by the summer. It follows the relaxation earlier this year of the planning guidelines to allow the one-off development of large stores in designated areas.

In the quest for furniture whose names contains lots of weird letters, Irish shoppers must currently travel to Britain, and the Ballymun store is intended to anchor a retail regeneration of a depressed area known to the world via U2's "seven towers" reference. So a lot of people, including the father of a certain sappy novelist, are behind this project.

Viking heritage, No. A chest of drawers named Kvork for 50 euro that'll fit in the boot of my Twingo? Hell Yes! And who's trying to stop me from having this?