A major Iron Age find has been made in Laois during preparations for construction of a motorway.
One of the most significant archaeological finds of recent times was made during work on the new Portlaoise bypass. Workers have been painfully excavating the discovery of four ring ditches, which are believed to have been constructed in the first century BC.
They are part of an Iron Age complex discovered in Ballydavis just north of Portlaoise.
Construction on this section of the bypass has temporarily ceased as archaeologists carry out further investigations.
Archaeologist Valerie Keeley says this is a major find, the first of this type of monument in the area that has been excavated to such an extent.
We feel that it's going to make a major contribution to the early Iron Age period in Ireland.
A burial box found in one ditch contained human remains, a bronze brooch and approximately eighty beads, which have now been handed over to the National Museum of Ireland.
Minister for the Environment Brendan Howlin says that when a site of archaeological significance is discovered, nothing will be built on it. When the site is not so significant, excavations will be carried out for any artefacts. Michel Tobin, National Roads Authority, says that work is ongoing to put major finds from construction projects on public display.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 6 November 1995. The reporter is Carole Coleman.
