Aerial Archaeology in Ireland - The Heritage Council

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4.3 Reconnaissance and Assessment of Areas Earmarked for Development Context of Economic Development In relation to development, the use of aerial archaeology needs to be considered not just within the context of general archaeological responses to development pressure. This is very broadly reflected in the National Development Plan 17 which sets out the overall national programme and level of public investment in major new economic and social infrastructure. This has grown rapidly in the last 15 years: National Development Plan 1989-1993 1994-1999 2000-2006 (Total Investment) €12,275m €16,800m €57,111m Within the figure for 2000-2006, €22.35 (44%) was allocated for investment in Economic and Social Infrastructure, averaging €3.19 billion per year. Within this programme, social housing accounts for 34%; national roads 27%; public transport 12%; health infrastructure 11%; sustainable energy 1%; with the remaining 14% allocated to employment services. Further public infrastructure investment is channelled through regional programmes. Growth of public investment in infrastructure in the previous period is reflected in general and sectoral trends for construction industry output (DoEHLG 2001). Between 1994 and 1999, construction output grew from 13% to 20% of GNP. By 2000, Ireland had the highest level of construction expenditure per GNP in the EU, except for Portugal. By 2000, residential construction accounted for 54% of the value of construction output. Over the period from 1996 to 2001, the value of construction output by sector increased as follows: • • • • Residential: €3.2bn to €7.6bn Commercial non-residential: €1.4bn to €3.2bn Productive infrastructure: €1bn to €3.1bn (including roads €438m to €1.1bn; energy €222m to €779m) Social infrastructure: €467m to €1.4bn Since the 1980s, aerial surveys have been used increasingly for major developments, principally roads and pipelines. Specially commissioned photography for these purposes tends to provide more detailed large-scale coverage than existing national vertical surveys. The value of this type of threat-related reconnaissance and mapping was demonstrated by pipeline projects in the early to mid 1980s (Cleary et al. 1987; Gowen 1988). Air photography has since become more widely recognised as a valuable means of ensuring fuller and earlier recognition of archaeological constraints. This is now included in a series of policy statements on archaeology in relation to various types of land-use change (e.g. Heritage Council 1998; DAHGI 1999a, 1999b; National Roads Authority undated; Bord Gáis undated; Irish Concrete Federation and DAHGI 2002; DoEHLG undated). However, such guidance is not specific as to whether this means consulting existing sources, using general-purpose air photography taken for the scheme, or commissioning specialist archaeological aerial reconnaissance. In practice, the use of air photography for these purposes varies, from consulting those images taken for general engineering and planning purposes that are made available to archaeologists, to those specially commissioned as part of the archaeological assessment process. 17 http://www.ndp.ie 85
86 Roads The National Roads Authority’s archaeological code of practice was drawn up in recognition of the major road construction programme outlined in the National Development Plan for 2001-2006. It outlines a basic framework of integrating archaeological assessment and mitigation of construction impacts for all stages of road development projects, from route selection to on-site construction. This includes the NRA’s commitment to ensure that a project archaeologist is appointed by the local authority to oversee the archaeological process. One of the stages of work within this role is a requirement ‘…to prepare the specification for the consultant archaeologist at EIA stage and ensure that all preparatory archaeological work (desk study/field walking, aerial photography and if necessary geophysical surveys etc.) for the EIA is of the highest standard…’ While this allows for some flexibility of application, the NRA archaeologist reports that NRA undated, Appendix 1 ‘Currently we are requesting all potential new routes to be flown and photographed from an archaeological perspective. The time of the year that the aerial photography is carried out is crucial.’ Daire O’Rourke pers. comm. The NRA itself, along with archaeological consultants and contractors, report a considerable increase in the use of aerial archaeology in the context of road schemes, having a role at several different stages from Environmental Impact Assessment to recording of sites (Figures 36, 42, 46, 47). Since individual schemes cross different geographical areas, the practical application of this policy varies. In general, more aerial photography is being carried out on road schemes due to requests by Project Archaeologists, but it appears from comments by practitioners that this can be tempered by various factors such as their own level of experience, the attitude of contracting engineers commissioned to design schemes, the nature of the scheme, and the terrain covered. Figure 46: The Aghaboe ecclesiastical complex in Co. Laois, with possible associated earthworks. Photographed in February 2002 for the Environmental Impact Assessment of the M7 Portlaoise–Castletown/M8 Portlaoise–Cullahill motorway scheme (Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd, courtesy of the NRA)
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A I R A N D E A R T H A E R I A L A
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© An Chomhairle Oidhreachta / The
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3.9 Integration with other Types of
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Figure 14: The Discovery Programme
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Figure 39: This vertical photograph
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10 Foreword One of the initiatives
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12 Acknowledgements It would not ha
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14 Key Priorities for Aerial Archae
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16 • A practical handbook in arch
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18 • A series of pilot studies co
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20 5. Any new strategy for reconnai
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22 As a means of discovering archae
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24 Drawing on the work of O.G.S. Cr
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26 2 PRINCIPAL SOURCES OF AIR PHOTO
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28 National Museum of Ireland While
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30 Other material held by the GSI i
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32 Figure 9: An infrared vertical i
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Page 43 and 44: 42 3.2 Aerial Platforms The equipme
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Page 103 and 104: 102 5 QUALITY, RESOURCES AND ORGANI
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Page 115 and 116: 114 Doody, M G, 1995. ‘Ballyhoura
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Page 119 and 120: 118 Raftery, J, 1951. Prehistoric I
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