Metal detectorist in trouble in Ireland (Brian Hutton, 'Gardaí recover Bronze Age axe found in Adare following tip-off'' The Irish Times, Mon, Apr 8, 2019)
Gardaí have recovered a “beautiful” 3,000-year-old Bronze Age axe following a tip off to the National Museum about its discovery in the historic village of Adare, Co Limerick [...] after a picture of it was spotted on social media. [...]The socketed axe head [...] was unearthed as a result of “unlicensed metal detecting”. [...] It is illegal to use a metal detector in and around national monuments and archaeological sites in Ireland without a licence from the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Offenders face a fine of up to €63,486 and/or up to three months imprisonment. Anyone who digs up an archaeological object without an excavation licence may be guilty of an additional offence under the National Monuments Acts.Maeve Sikora, keeper of Irish antiquities at the museum, said they are very grateful to the member of the public who reported it to them, and warned amateurs against breaking the law by searching for artefacts.
“My advice would be that there are many other elements of community archaeology and other things to get involved in, and I would really advise against using a metal detector, because you run the risk of damaging archaeological monuments, which are not always visible above ground, but also archaeological deposits and objects,” she told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme. “This case is a good example of (the problem) - my view is that these objects belong to everybody and the National Museum’s responsibility is to ensure that these objects are preserved for future generations.Selfish heritage grabbers don't get much slack in the Irish Republic.
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