The Green Party yesterday called on Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and the National Roads Authority to reroute the south-eastern leg of the M50 motorway so that the critically important heritage of Carrickmines Castle may be preserved.
The site is "of enormous historical and archaeological importance", according to Dr Sean Duffy, chairman of the TCD-based Friends of Medieval Dublin, as one of a series of "fortalices" or garrisoned forts built to protect the English Pale from the rebel Irish of the Leinster mountains.
The Green Party is calling on the council to reroute the motorway so that the remains of the 13th century castle can be preserved. "We believe the road can be rerouted within the land that the council already owns," said Mr Ciarán Cuffe, the Dún Laoghaire TD.
The party had written to the Ministers for Transport and the Environment, he told a press conference, as well as the National Roads Authority and the county manager, "urging them to visit the archaeological dig immediately and change the route".
His party colleague, Mr Eamon Ryan TD, agreed the local authority owned sufficient land to allow the route to be changed: "Raising part of the motorway over the castle remains would also help to minimise the damage."
Carrickmines Castle was one of the most important archaeological finds in Ireland since Wood Quay, the Green Party TDs insisted. And it could be a superb tourist attraction: "We also call on the council to allow public access to the excavations during the dig and after construction so that people can see for themselves these incredible remains."
The castle's significance was not realised until the dig, directed by Dr Mark Clinton, a veteran of the Wood Quay excavation, began two years ago. The findings include a well-preserved wall, enclosing 1.5 acres of buildings, workshops, houses, kilns, wells and ditches. Some 20,000 pieces of medieval pottery have been recovered as well as coins, cannon balls and other weapons, textiles and human skeletons.
The NRA said in June that the finds would not affect the routing of the road - and Dúchas, the heritage service, said the road development complied with the necessary requirements.
An Taisce, however, has called for other options to be considered including a feasibility study on a revised road development to preserve the monument.
The council and the NRA have been asked by the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, to prepare a report to that he can address the environmentalists' criticisms.