I found a person illegally metal-detecting an archaeological site this morning. The person was on holidays from another country and brought a metal-detector with them. I find this shocking. People, please respect our laws on metal-detecting.
— Catherine McLoughlin (@SMLarchaeology) August 19, 2019
Ah here.
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Perhaps as a tourist to Ireland he was taking literally the stories about buried crocks of gold.
Metal detectors were very popular here in the 80s – do Irish people still use them?
ilegal now
as apposed to my criminal spelling
Only if searching around archeological sites.
Not allowed use them anywhere in the state unless licenced by minister for culture
Does this apply to hair metal aswell?
After i posted that comment an advert for Paddy Power popped up on the phone.Is this the Broadsheet app?
And again.
Morisons grill for me
I am starving
Sorry. Should have been clearer. Illegal if being used searching for archaeological items. But say if you’re using on a beach to find a watch or ring they aren’t.
depends which beach, that varies county to county
Correct, Joxer. I can use one, you’se lads cant! Ha!
State owned land, National parks, any area considered of archaeological significance and private land without landowners permission, sling your hook detectorists.
So they’re not actually illegal then. Except for what Papi designates. ROFL
Get up off the floor, giggles, you’re hurting man on fire.
I bought my daughter one for christmas last year….it’ll break my heart to have to call the cops on her as she plays in the garden but hey the law is the law!!
yes @Optimus…and think of all the benefits
for example you’ll never have to suffer a shock if you were by chance to catch sight of her bip-bip-bipping away in your garden, wha?
@giggidygoo from the museum.ie website
The term ‘archaeological object’ is defined in the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2004 and has a broad meaning in terms of type and age of objects.
Commonplace objects of relatively recent date, such as coins and militaria, including 20th century material, may fall within the category of ‘archaeological object’.
Such objects may come within the terms of the definition regardless of their date and degree of antiquity.
It may not be apparent until an object has been dug up that it is an archaeological object. In that event, the damage will already have been done and an offence is likely to have been committed.
further reading:
https://www.museum.ie/The-Collections/Metal-Detecting-in-Ireland-The-Law
That’s fascinating, actually
Burial chamber, sewage tank, … who would need a metal detector anyway in Ireland?
But if not, they are still legal – would I be correct?
Are JCBs also illegal?
Note the consistent use of the word ‘archeological’ in what the National Museum have written. The illegality occurs if they are being used with reference to archeological purposes. Nowhere does it say other uses are illegal.
“To prevent damage to our archaeological heritage by the unauthorised use of metal detectors, the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2004 regulate the use of metal detectors for archaeological purposes throughout the State of Ireland and its territorial seas.
Unless you have formally applied for and received a Detection Consent from the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht under the National Monuments Acts, it is against the law
to be in possession of a detection device in, or at the site of, a monument subject to a Preservation Order, or a monument in the ownership or guardianship of the Minister or a local authority, or a monument entered in the Register of Historic Monuments, or a monument included in the Record of Monuments and Places or a restricted area;
to use a detection device for the purpose of searching for archaeological objects anywhere within the State or its territorial seas.
The penalty for an offence in relation to the above is a fine of up to €63,486 and/or up to 3 months imprisonment.
Anyone using a metal detector in contravention of the above restrictions and who, following detection of an object, digs to retrieve an archaeological object without an excavation licence, may be guilty of an additional offence under the terms of the National Monuments Acts.”
Yes sadly backward Ireland does not allow Metal detectors, I believe even in your backyard. Its not really surprising when you see the state of some of historical sites – the have no need more discovery I suppose.
Just read the entire piece here: https://www.museum.ie/The-Collections/Metal-Detecting-in-Ireland-The-Law – Its comical. Maybe they think discovery will be made by magic or something. This country never cease to amuse me.
I know. Can’t have folk finding stuff!
Rather than educate people about social responsibility and custody of our past, they just ban metal detectors. I’d say a walk on the bog of Allen could get you shot by a government sniper.
they had a great organisation Duchas that handled a lot of these topics well but they had to be split up and divided into loads of pesky organizations with no budget so k ow one knows who’s doing what or how well because pesky Duchas had too much clout for the taste of developers
pesky is my word today
For instance, the practice of ripping the pikes out of graves around Vinegar hill to sell to pubs so they could hang them over the bar. Feck the skeleton or any other organic remains, or historical relevance of location or patterns, yeah, those backward fools banned METAL detectors. What are they like?
Metal detectors are not archaeology detectors.
I didn’t know this. I found a Celtic dagger, a dirk as I was turning over soil before planting potatoes – I know? I brought it to school and showed it to my history teacher, she sent it to The Belfast Museum – it’s been on display ever since.
I love, love, love your stories Shayna.
So do I, they are just fantastic and always make me smile, remind me so much of a dear friend, now sadly exiled
Did you even get a reward? Or a mention on the printed description?
Imagine if people – especially retirees and students – were incentivised to beach-comb and metal detect, think of all the treasures we would unearth.Imagine if it were even a nationwide scavenger-style hunt and a list of objects to find…the fun that would entail. We really need to sack the decrepid nanny running this state.
Sorry hoop, but that’s just not ok, metal detectorists dig metal straight out with no concept or care about it’s context or associated non metal finds. Also, finds are not the driving force of archaeology, they’re nice, yes, but the context is the main aim.
Having an afternoon of fun with the kids and granny while destroying centuries of information is not responsible. Or informative.
jasus @Papi
will remember next time I’m doing groundworks with the 13 tonner Komatsu to avoid you at all costs, wha ;)
Monitoring those takes up most of the testing programme for road schemes and development, so that’s not the problem. It’s yahoos destroying and stealing archaeology is.
yup the roads do a pretty thorough grid system,
plus anything found is automatically state owned,no reward incentive there, it’s not yours
Not so much, my teacher received a letter from the museum thanking her for her donation? I was twelve, 40 years ago, receiving a letter was a big deal, they didn’t send it to me. I’m over it – actually, I’m not really.
Broadsheet Shayna Chronicles
Mighty Stuff
In all fairness
From Iberian road trips to Les Dawson to Tyrone football to driving Boy bands around the country to getting grassed out by the Irish Times
Who the hell are Trinity and their Book of Kells
Anyway huh
Sniping doesn’t become you
Well
Trinity could do with a bitta comeuppance
In fairness like
You remember the Les Dawson story – I think you may have been Frilly Keane back then? He just sat at the piano during rehearsals and effortlessly reeled out gag after gag. There was no audience, just the tech crew, he was hilarious.
I do tend to over-share. Sorry!
Nooo
It was a fabulous story to share
Jaysus if I worked with Les Dawson ye’d never hear the end of it
And
No point in denying it I suppose
But if I was in the back of that Fiat Panda with ye Christ knows what state we’d all be in now
That’s kind of you Vanessa – my co-pilots couldn’t drive – we were kids? I let Simon drive for a bit – so I could sleep – 10 minutes later, he crashed into a parked lorry, going the wrong way down a one-way street in Portimao. He’d brought his guitar – which was in the boot that – the crash needed me to change a tyre – I pulled out the guitar, I was so close to smashing it, I didn’t , .Simon is a mixed martial arts guy
Hahah
Calm down Catherine.
It was just a little dig…
Wondering Catherine McLoughlin find that person using a metal detector?
Let’s say that tourist finds the Ardagh chalice. They’re hardly going to bundle it into a suitcase to display beside their basketball trophies, now are they. Let them have a bit of fun mooching about Stephen’s Green.
Too many unknowns beneath Irish soil.
+1