John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 359: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when the report on the Woodstown Viking site will be completed. [24310/04]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Viking site at Woodstown has been discovered during the course of works on the construction of the N25-Waterford bypass which are being carried out on behalf of Waterford City Council under the auspices of the NRA. The nature, extent and archaeological value of the site is still under examination and a variety of tests are being undertaken at the site and the adjacent marsh area.

In addition to the preliminary archaeological excavations completed earlier this year, my Department has also given directions, under the National Monuments Acts, 1930 to 2004, in relation to further works of an archaeological nature to be undertaken by the road developers in respect of the marsh area. These are palaeoenvironmental coring to establish the nature and extent of the sediments in this area; archaeogeophysical prospecting techniques to establish the presence or absence of archaeological features, artefacts, etc., and specialised test trenching to establish the archaeological potential of the area. My Department understands from Waterford City Council that reports arising from these tests will be available within the next few weeks.