This report describes the results of an archaeological excavation carried out in advance of construction of the N25 Waterford City Bypass. Waterford City Council procured two archaeological services contracts in February 2002. The contracts covered the assessment of 274 hectares of land required for construction of the bypass and made provision for the excavation and preservation by record of any previously undocumented archaeological sites identified. Contract 1 was awarded to Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd; Contract 2 was awarded to Archaeological Developments Services Ltd. Geophysical survey and test excavations commenced on the scheme in March 2002 and assessment works continued on-site until July 2002. Following receipt of statutory approval for the scheme in October 2002 archaeological excavation services recommenced in 2003; these works comprised the excavation of remains identified during the previous year’s test excavations. Additional test excavations were also carried out in lands that had been inaccessible the previous year. In early 2004 Waterford City Council awarded archaeological services Contract 3 to Headland Archaeology Ltd. This contract covered the completion of test excavations in a number of areas and the excavation of sites identified in 2003. Contract 3 commenced in February 2004 and site works continued until January 2005. By that time all the available lands which were to be acquired for the bypass, as originally designed, had been archaeologically assessed and all identified archaeological remains impacted by the bypass had been excavated and preserved by record. In total 68 excavation licences were issued for the excavation of 71 sites under Contracts, 1, 2 and 3. In 2003 test excavations in Woodstown townland uncovered extensive archaeological remains associated with a previously undocumented Viking-Age settlement (designated Woodstown 6) which extended along approximately 500 m of the proposed bypass and also extended outside the boundary of the lands acquired for road construction. In February 2005 the Minister for Environment, Heritage & Local Government declared the Woodstown site a National Monument and, using powers acquired under the National Monuments (Amendment) Act (2004), directed Waterford City Council to identify an alternative route for the section of the bypass so the monument could be preserved in situ. Additional test excavations and geophysical surveys were undertaken on the 25 hectares of land required for the Woodstown Alternative Alignment in 2006 as an extension to Contract 1. Following receipt of statutory approval 12 archaeological sites identified on the alternative route were excavated by Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd between April and July 2007. These excavations were carried out under Ministerial Direction ref. no. A037, though part of one site (Bawnfune 2) identified during topsoil stripping of the wayleave for the diversion of a gas pipeline was excavated in 2006. Archaeological monitoring of construction works in previously inaccessible areas (approximately 4% of the total scheme) was carried out by Sheila Lane & Associates on behalf of Celtic Roads Group, the consortium that had been awarded the Public Private Partnership (PPP). Construction works in 11 areas were archaeologically monitored between June 2006 and September 2009, under Ministerial Direction ref. no. A037. The only significant archaeological site identified was a fulacht fia in Newrath (designated Newrath M) which was excavated and preserved by record. Ballyduff East 43 consisted of two areas approx. 150 m apart. Area 1 contained a pit with heat-shattered stones and charcoal. Area 2 contained two fulachtaí fia. The northern fulacht fia (Mound A) was irregular in plan and measured approx. 30 m x 15 m. A number of phases of use were identified. Six small troughs represented the first phase of use. Two of the troughs were rectangular, and may pre-date the other, circular, troughs. The mound (017) comprised heat-shattered stone in a matrix of charcoal-rich silt. A sample of ash charcoal from the fill of one of the rectangular troughs (049) returned a date of 1113–904 cal BC. The second phase involved construction of a large plank-lined trough. A sample from an oak plank lining the trough returned a date of 1374–1123 cal BC, a sample of alder charcoal from the sandy fill beneath the plank lining returned a date of 996–829 cal BC. A complete saddle quern was found in the fill of the trough. The third phase was represented by a large rectangular trough, a hearth with eight associated stake-holes and deposits of burnt mound material. The southern fulacht fia (Mound B) measured approximately 9 m in diameter. It consisted of a shallow spread of burnt mound material covering an oval-shaped trough.