Ah here.

The Laws on Metal Detecting

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51 thoughts on “Stop That

  1. Conall

    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?

          1. Nick

            After i posted that comment an advert for Paddy Power popped up on the phone.Is this the Broadsheet app?

          2. GiggidyGoo

            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.

          3. Papi

            State owned land, National parks, any area considered of archaeological significance and private land without landowners permission, sling your hook detectorists.

  2. Optimus Grime

    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!!

    1. martco

      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?

  3. Joxer

    @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

    1. GiggidyGoo

      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.”

  4. Jeffrey

    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.

      1. Spaghetti Hoop

        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.

        1. Janet, I ate my avatar

          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

      2. Papi

        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.

  5. shayna

    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.

      1. B9Com From No

        So do I, they are just fantastic and always make me smile, remind me so much of a dear friend, now sadly exiled

    1. Spaghetti Hoop

      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.

      1. Papi

        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.

        1. martco

          jasus @Papi

          will remember next time I’m doing groundworks with the 13 tonner Komatsu to avoid you at all costs, wha ;)

          1. Papi

            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.

          2. Janet, I ate my avatar

            yup the roads do a pretty thorough grid system,
            plus anything found is automatically state owned,no reward incentive there, it’s not yours

      2. shayna

        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.

    2. V

      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

      1. shayna

        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.

        1. V

          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

          1. shayna

            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

  6. Lilly

    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.

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