An ancient settlement discovered under the path of a controversial new road will be concreted over this week after a team of archaeologists completed a race-against-time excavation.
As the final samples were taken from the 1400-year-old Drumclay Crannog in Enniskillen, Fermanagh, experts who oversaw the dig on the man-made wooden island have hailed it as one of the most incredible finds ever in Ireland.
Excavation director Dr Nora Bermingham said: "I think it would be fair to say this is probably the pinnacle of my archaeological career and I would say everybody here knows that they are working on an incredible excavation that we probably won't see the like of again.
"It's just amazing the material we are finding."
The decision to proceed with the road has been met by vocal local opposition.
Archaeologists worked nearly non-stop for 10 months to peel back century upon century of perfectly preserved remains from the site while the A32 road project was halted.
More than 4000 artefacts were uncovered.
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