Sir, – I read with interest your Editorial (February 20th) and particularly the reference to the many significant archaeological excavations conducted on the national roads network during the boom years. Since 2001 the National Roads Authority (NRA) has undertaken more than 2,000 archaeological excavations. The NRA has several ongoing initiatives to ensure the information gleaned from this work is disseminated widely, with a particular emphasis on informing the public who ultimately fund these works.
In 2003 the NRA began publishing a monograph series called “Archaeology and National Roads Authority” to inform the public of archaeological works relating to the roads programme. In 2006 the NRA started publishing Seanda magazine. In December 2007 the NRA launched its second monograph series: describing the results of archaeological excavations along specific road schemes. To date we have published 16 books and six editions of Seanda.
Of the 2,000 archaeological excavations undertaken, more than 1,800 final excavation reports have been submitted to the statutory authorities (National Monuments Service and National Museum of Ireland). Also the authority has established an online database to access information on these excavations and this is available to the public.
Contributors to these publications include the NRA, freelance archaeologists, historians and specialists, the statutory authorities, archaeological consultancies and various academic institutions throughout the island. This represents a significant public benefit in terms of preserving “important information for future generations”.
See www.nra.ie/Archaeology/ for further information on NRA archaeology. – Yours, etc,