The Management of Archaeology on National Road Projects in the Republic of Ireland

Abstract

Until the late twentieth century, Ireland had a largely rural character, a low population density and an economy based for the most part on the export of primary agricultural products, principally meat and dairy products. The form of agriculture practised was low intensity and did not require large-scale mechanisation. Apart from the construction of canals and railways and some limited industrialisation, Ireland was not generally affected by the nineteenth century industrial revolution. Neither was Ireland physically affected by mechanised warfare in the twentieth century. These factors have led to the survival of an estimated 100,000 archaeological sites spanning 10,000 years of recorded human settlement in the Irish landscape.