Planning Process
PLANNING PROCESS
Archaeology was considered from the very beginning of the planning process for the M3 and is one of the criteria that is used in the evaluation of any proposed new road scheme. Initially all known sites of importance were highlighted in a Constraints Study so that they could be avoided, where possible. A Route Selection process then commenced in 1999 to evaluate the route corridors and various alignments within these corridors [Route Selection]. Once the preferred route was selected, an Environmental Impact Assessment was undertaken in order to fully assess the impact of this route.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL DESK-TOP SURVEYS
Desk-top surveys were carried out for the whole route as part of the Constraints Studies, Route Selections Studies and EIS. The surveys were predominantly based on the State's RMP and the files of the Sites and Monuments Record (SMR). The topographical files of the National Museum of Ireland, which is the national archive of all known artefacts, were also checked. In addition, a number of published and unpublished sources were examined including historical maps and modern aerial photographs of the route. Townland names were also researched for possible indications of forgotten or destroyed monuments. These surveys identified that two RMP (Record of Monuments and Places) monuments would be impacted by the route (ME038-001 and 002). These were an enclosure and an adjacent field-system at Ross, both identified as cropmarks from Cambridge University Collection Aerial Photographs taken in the 1950s. Neither of these sites had any upstanding features. [Click here for more detail on the archaeological investigations at Ross]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD WALKING
The whole route was walked by professional archaeologists as part of the EIS. The purpose of this survey was to examine known sites on or adjacent to the route and to identify new sites either visible from upstanding features or through artefact scatters. On the whole route 15 possible sites were identified.
Nine of these sites were located on the Clonee-Dunshaughlin section (Section 1) and consisted of a possible early modern tree ring at Derrockstown, the site of two sections of the disused early modern railway at Quarryland and Bennetstown, the reputed site of an early modern vernacular house at Pace [Anecdotal evidence gained from local sources during the public consultation process] and five possible earthworks at Dunboyne (1), Piercetown (1) and Knocks (3).
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| Early Modern tree ring at Derrockstown |
No new sites or possible sites were identified in the field survey of the Dunshaughlin-Navan section (Section 2). The site of the RMP enclosure and field-system at Ross was ploughed at the time of the survey but a series of walks across the field did not produce any pottery, flint or burnt material.
Four possible sites were identified on the Navan Bypass section (Section 3). Three were lazy beds at Williamstown/Bawn, Knockumber and Boyerstown, and one consisted of possible earthworks at Hanlonstown. No new sites or possible sites were identified in the field survey of the Navan-Kells section (Section 4). A possible earthwork was identified at Boolies on the Kells-North of Kells section (Section 5).
