The judges who will crown the best street in Ireland or England believe the country’s only finalist  — Oliver Plunkett Street in Cork — has everything needed to win.

The earliest Vikings settlers of 11th century Cork were recycling and land reclamation experts, and were trading with Europe, a major report on two of the city’s most significant archaeological sites has found.

Archaeologists have trained volunteers to map headstones and record the stories and folklore from historic cemeteries as part of a nationwide project aimed at reaching out to the Irish disapora.