County: Offaly Site name: TULLAMORE BYPASS
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A033, E2493
Author: Tom Janes, Headland Archaeology Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 633854m, N 725318m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.277111, -7.492390
Testing was carried out in advance of the proposed N52 Tullamore bypass national road scheme in County Offaly. The proposed road is to consist of 11.5km of standard single carriageway and 2.5km of wide single carriageway road, link road.
A sample of approximately 15% of the land-take was trenched. Where there were no previously identified sites, testing comprised a continuous trench measuring 2m in width along the centre of the road-line with off-set trenches across the centreline trench extending to the edge of the CPO at an angle of 90° to the centreline trench. This general strategy was altered to take account of on-site conditions, for example to test topographic features or geophysical anomalies of possible archaeological interest, or to avoid overhead and underground services where machine testing was impossible on health and safety grounds. Where archaeological remains were encountered the trench layout was altered in order to establish their extent.
Centreline testing (including metal detecting and topographic surveys) took place between 8 August and 15 September 2006. Due to tree coverage it was not possible to test the entire route. The completion of the site clearance contract enabled the remaining areas to be tested between 15 and 19 of October 2007. A total of 43,798.65 linear metres were excavated. Thirteen areas of archaeological potential were identified in the testing. Five of these areas were shown to comprise isolated small features and consequently were fully excavated during test excavation works.
Unit 1, Wallingstown Business Park, Little Island, Cork
