Save Viking Waterford

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The discovery of the Woodstown Viking site was made public in early 2004. This is a settlement that was inhabited by Gaels in the 5th century and Vikings in the 9th century. It has not yet been thoroughly excavated, and is already being threatened by the construction of a new bypass. :mad:

http://www.vikingwaterford.com/svwag.html

http://www.petitiononline.com/viking/petition.html

[Scramaseax]

Would you look at this:


13th May 2005

Action Group Welcome Minister's Announcement

The Save Viking Waterford Action Group have welcomed the fact that Minister Roche has finally confirmed his decision to re-route the Waterford bypass in order to protect the Woodstown Viking Site.

Dr Catherine Swift said in reaction to Mr. Roche’s statement: "When 130 local people came together in September 2004 to
form the Save Viking Waterford Action Group, our primary aim was to ensure the safety and integrity of the Woodstown site and lobby for the full excavation of the Viking settlement. With this announcement we have now achieved the first of those aims".

"Despite the interminable delay, we are pleased that Minister Roche has acknowledged the huge importance of Woodstown and decided to follow the suggestions of the National Roads Authority in re-routing the road. This means that the site will not now be dug to a schedule imposed by road-builders, which can only improve the quality and reliability of the information which we can obtain. This is a victory for all those who have supported the Save Viking Waterford Action Group since our inception including the thousands who have signed out petition on the streets of Waterford and thousands more internationally who signed our on-line petition".


"The working group which has been established to devise a long term strategy for the site which includes the National Museum, Department of the Environment and Waterford City Council, should move quickly now and order the full research excavation of Woodstown. The prevarication of the government has meant that it has taken over a year to reach this stage. We can’t allow the same sort of period to elapse before we have a decision on a potential archaeological investigation of this extraordinary site".

It just goes to show, we can change things. For some reason Ireland seems intent on plowing motorways through it's heritage. :confused: