Around the Bay of Dundalk is a special treat. Here the landscape of the past has a grandeur and diversity seldom encountered in a single archaeological project.

Among thirty-four excavated archaeological sites, highlights include a Neolithic ceremonial site at Balregan, a complex Bronze Age cemetery at Carn More, an early medieval cemetery-settlement at Balriggan, beautifully built souterrains at Newtownbalregan and Tateetra, and an Anglo-Norman earthwork castle on Fort Hill.

Archaeological investigations on the M1 Dundalk Bypass in 2002–2004 were principally carried out by Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd with supplementary work by Aegis Archaeology Ltd. They were licensed by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and funded by the National Roads Authority (NRA) through Louth County Council.