1999:704 - NAVAN–TRIM GAS PIPELINE, Meath

Monitoring was conducted along the route of a four-bar, 250mm gas pipeline from Navan (Kilcarn Bridge, SMR 25:39) and, on the specific request of Dúchas, followed the construction of the line of the existing roadway to Trim for a distance of c. 16km.

Before the construction of the pipeline an archaeological appraisal of the proposed route was conducted, which identified only three known areas of archaeological potential: Kilcarn Bridge (SMR 25:39) south-east of Navan town, and a church and graveyard (SMR 36:14) and cropmark (SMR 36:15) in Kilcooly townland. The last two sites formed part of a complex on top of a hill adjacent to the western side of the roadway (the pipe was laid on the eastern side). The stretch of road in the vicinity of these monuments had also been straightened and upgraded recently. The report recommended that monitoring concentrate on the excavation of the trench across Kilcarn Bridge only after monitoring of trial-pits, before construction works, adjacent to SMR sites 36:14 and 36:15 led to the conclusion that 'given the location of the proposed pipeline within several metres of the road and in previously disturbed and built-up ground, the possibiIity of archaeological deposits surviving in situ is extremely limited'.

The required monitoring of this pipeline confirmed the recommendations made in the archaeological appraisal report (that monitoring should not have been required along the full length of the route) and proved that the additional inspections required were useful only in that they proved that the level of monitoring required was both wasteful and unproductive on this project. It should be pointed out that excavation for this pipe was generally no more than 0.4m deep and a maximum of 0.6m wide. It is almost impossible to view archaeological features successfully in such a narrow trench.

2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin