The Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland (IAI) recognises the growing expressions of concern within the profession in relation to the proposed development of a deep-water port at Bremore, County Dublin. This is the first large scale maritime infrastructure project which has been proposed within Ireland in modern times.

IAI first made direct contact with the Drogheda Port Company in 2006 to articulate the concern of its members regarding this proposed development and the need for a detailed and comprehensive assessment of the potential impact of such a development, in advance of detailed design, so that an informed planning decision can be made.

The proposed location is an area with a rich, recorded and designated prehistoric and historic archaeological heritage.  The most well known element is the passage tomb cemetery on Bremore Head which extends along the coastline to include outliers at Gormanston. The Bremore tombs are designated National Monuments, with the attendant significance and protections this implies.

Acknowledged experts in the archaeology of prehistoric Ireland suggest that this cemetery group is comparable to the complexes at the Boyne Valley and Lough Crew in County Meath as well as Carrowmore and Carrowkeel in County Sligo.

Archaeological survey in the area has also recorded evidence for settlement and occupation in the vicinity of the tombs from the Neolithic (4000-2400BC) and Bronze Age (2400-500BC). The site of the post-medieval port of Newhaven is located immediately to the south of Bremore Head reflecting the numerous historical references to the Meath/North Dublin coastline as an important entry point into the country from the early medieval period (5th-12th centuries AD) onwards. The coastline also possesses a significant number of recorded and designated, historic wrecks.

A survey of the passage tombs at Bremore was published by Etienne Rynne (Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, 1960) and recent publications in Archaeology Ireland (Cooney, 2008; Condit, Moore and Brady, 2008) have stressed the significant and integrated nature of the prehistoric and historic archaeological remains in the area. In addition, recent modern developments in the locality, including the Interconnector Gas Pipeline and the Gas Pipeline to the West have given rise to the discovery of numerous prehistoric and early historic sites. These are recorded in the annual Excavations Bulletin.

IAI expects that a project of this nature will be subject to the highest professional standard of multidisciplinary, scientific archaeological survey, investigation and assessment in order to articulate the significance of the Bremore tombs and to ensure that appropriate and informed planning decisions can be made in relation to the location and nature of the proposed development. The project, with its maritime component, poses a unique challenge in an Irish context, though projects of this scale have been undertaken in a wider European context. International standards of best practice have been developed and used on projects such as the Storebælt Bridge, in Denmark.  Equivalent standards should be implemented on this project, if not improved upon.

The protection, designation and management of natural landscapes and cultural landscapes are important strands in the on-going Review of Archaeological Policy & Practice and also the proposed National Landscape Strategy of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. IAI expects that a detailed and comprehensive assessment of the potential impact of such a development will take account of this and anticipates that any planning decision taken will have full regard for the work of the department in this area.

At this juncture, IAI urges all interested parties within the profession to engage in open-handed and informative dialogue on the matter .