Road development and archaeology

Project Description

Large scale road development in many countries can have negative impacts on communities, their environment and cultural heritage.  Salvage archaeology, mainly private sector, is often deployed to excavate archaeological sites lying in the path of these roads.  However, a growing number of archaeologists are also using other tools to defend heritage and support community opposition to unnecessary, destructive and potentially corrupt projects.  Road development in Ireland since the 1990s has led to a number of controversies regarding its impact on rural communities in particular, their health, livelihood, quality of life and landscape including cultural heritage. 

Figure 1: Construction of the M3 close to the Hill of Tara.  Photo: Save Tara

A number of staff in the Department of Archaeology, NUI Galway have contributed for several years to campaigns against the M3 toll motorway, routed through Tara’s landscape.  Since 2008 and at the request of community groups, research for the archaeology and development project has drawn from experience in Turkey, Mexico and elsewhere to examine the impact of road development in Ireland particularly focusing on the M3.  The work has contributed to supporting widespread community opposition to the motorway.  It continues to stimulate national and international public debate on ethics and standards in the profession of archaeology, academic autonomy, privatisation and the role of professionals in development.

For further information on the Department’s work on the M3 and resources, see Tara and the M3 motorway.

Contact Details

Maggie Ronayne ( Profile)
Department of Archaeology
School of Geography and Archaeology
NUI Galway

Tel: +353 (0)91 493701
maggie.ronaynenuigalway.ie

Project Publications

Selected Publications 

• 2009. Commitment, Objectivity and Accountability to Communities: Priorities for 21 ^st Century Archaeology. Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites 10 (4), 367-381.  Published by Maney at www.ingentaconnect.com/content/maney.  ( Article in PDF Format - 101.27KB)
• 2008. The State We're In on the Eve of World Archaeological Congess (WAC) 6: Archaeology in Ireland vs Corporate Takeover.  Public Archaeology 7 (2), 114-129. ( Article in PDF Format - 248KB) (Published online at www.ingentaconnect.com/content/maney).
• 2008. Archaeology Needs to Recover Its Core Principles and Ethics. Irish Times, July 15th, 2008.

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