3 ms·
The law says it is illegal "to use a detection device to search for archaeological objects anywhere within the State or its territorial seas; without the prior
by eggy 2y ago
The law says it is illegal "to use a detection device to search for archaeological objects anywhere within the State or its territorial seas; without the prior written consent of the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht"
What if you are searching for gold, lost items, underground cables, or other, and you stumble upon an archaeological object? You were not hunting those objects, so I would say you were within the law. What you do with the fortuitous find is another matter (IANAL).
My brother and I were the first to buy a house in our immediate family. My Uncle Vic was the first to say you never really own your house or land. You pay property taxes after you have paid off your house. Your land can be taken with little compensation in some matters, etc. I can see why you would be happy and worried at the same time discovering artifacts whether you were looking for them or not.
- actionfromafar 2y agoI don't know Irish law, but there are usually excemptions for other activities, like cables etc. In that case, you'd report your finding to relevant authorities.
- fullspectrumdev 2y agoSo using them for searching for cables/pipes or lost items is “allowed, sort of” - you can readily buy metal detectors in Ireland for these purposes. Prospecting for gold, on the other hand, is a legally thorny subject in Ireland. Finds above a couple of grams have to be reported and handed in. If you happen to “stumble across” historical artefacts on your land you are meant to stop doing whatever caused you to find them (eg construction), report it, and then wait forever while archaeologists eventually show up and spend ages poring over the find to ensure you don’t destroy anything of historic value.