> It is illegal to use a metal detector to search for archaeological objects anywhere in the Republic of Ireland, unless you have written permission from the go

> It is illegal to use a metal detector to search for archaeological objects anywhere in the Republic of Ireland, unless you have written permission from the government. So if you were (say) digging some footings for your new garden shed, found the items, and didn't much trust law enforcement - but were, in abstract, a patriotic sort, who wanted to do the right thing... True story: A friend of mine was digging foundations for a new shed in the back yard of a house he owned - and discovered human bones. Police got involved, and it was a big, big PITA. Even though experts from the local university pronounced "the remains were buried over a century ago; the victim appears to have died of infectious disease". And my friend had bought the house (from an unrelated party) just a few decades prior. And the house had been used as a hospital a century or so earlier, when "bury the paupers in the back yard" could easily be tiny-hospital SOP during an epidemic.