This report describes the results of an archaeological excavation completed 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 recognised the Woodstown site as 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. Granny 21 contained two periods of occupation, one dating to the prehistoric period, the other dating to the post-medieval period. The prehistoric archaeological remains comprised two large, flat-bottomed pits, a smaller pit and a possible posthole. Associated lithics suggest a Neolithic date, however, a pottery fragment and a radiocarbon date of 2123–1888 cal BC, on a sample of charcoal from a larger pit indicates that these features are more likely to date to the Early Bronze Age. The post-medieval features on this site comprised a roadway which traversed most of the site, two possible boundary ditches, a third ditch, possible post-holes and a pit. Granny 22 was located between Granny 21 and 23. A large number of features excavated within this area were undiagnostic and did not produce any datable artefacts. A charred hazelnut shell from the fill of one pit produced a Mesolithic radiocarbon date, 5729–5626 cal BC. Worked lithics were recovered from the fills of a number of pits, the most diagnostic was a flake from a polished porcellanite axehead, the other lithics can be broadly ascribed to the Neolithic. Some worn sherds of pottery were found in the fill of one pit which may be of Early Bronze Age date. Charred cereal grain from on pit returned a radiocarbon date of 1740–1534 cal BC. The post-medieval features comprised a curvilinear boundary ditch, two parallel ditches, a refuse pit and a limekiln. Granny 23 contained a small pit was truncated by a post-medieval boundary ditch is suspected to be of prehistoric date due to its proximity to prehistoric features identified in Granny 21 and 22.