A medieval fort may hold up completion of the M50 motorway.
Heritage group An Taisce say the archaeological find at Carrickmines is as significant as the Wood Quay site in Dublin city centre. They now want construction to stop until a new route is found. The National Roads Authority say this is not possible.
An ancient fort that guarded the southern approaches to the Pale and took up one and a half acres.
Up to 20,000 pieces of medieval pottery have already been discovered on the site, as well as cannonballs, weapons and human bones. The site which is located on the route of the new M50 motorway but archaeologists have been told that their time on the site is nearly up. Ian Lumly from An Taisce told RTÉ News that had a proper appraisal of the site happened in 1997, the road route could have been realigned at that stage. Instead, the assessment was left until the last minute which he says is no way to plan a major development with such a large environmental impact.
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council say that the road must go ahead and the National Roads Authority (NRA) say that it is simply not feasible to realign the motorway at this stage in the project.
This dig will end in one month's time to allow the bulldozers to move in.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 12 July 2002. The reporter is Ray Kennedy.
