County: Laois Site name: SPA BRIDGE, Portarlington
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Niall Brady
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Bronze Age (2200 BC-801 BC)
ITM: E 654376m, N 713310m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.167494, -7.186771
Laois County Council commissioned an underwater inspection to be carried out in the River Barrow in advance of construction works on the Spa Bridge, Portarlington. The survey area extended from c. 10m upstream of the bridge to a point c. 40m downstream of the bridge. A visual search and a licensed metal-detector survey revealed only one artefact of archaeological interest: a bronze ring of possible Later Bronze Age date. It was recovered from an upstream location and outside that of the proposed works.
