National Museum hopes prosecution raises awareness of laws protecting Irish archaeological heritage

The National Museum of Ireland has welcomed a court judgment that has seen a fine of €1,000 being imposed upon a man who used an unauthorised metal detector to discover medieval artefacts.

Kaspar Salmins (45) from College Manor, Dundalk, Co Louth was fined arising out of an incident on April 4th, 2019 in which he discovered medieval coins and a horse harness. The site of his find was not named in court.

It is against the law to use a metal detector in a place designated as a national monument without the express permission of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

The fine included his prosecution for not informing the National Museum 96 hours (four days) after his discovery, which is an offence under the National Monuments Act.

The museum monitors online postings that may advocate for the unlicensed searching for archaeological objects. Staff routinely assist gardaí in investigating the possession of unreported archaeological objects and related offences.

Maeve Sikora, the museum’s keeper of antiquities, said she hoped the prosecution would lead to a greater awareness of laws in place to protect Ireland’s archaeological heritage.

“Ireland’s archaeological heritage belongs to everyone. Artefacts have survived for centuries and often millennia and should be available to be studied and enjoyed for generations more to come,” she said.

“No individual has the right to unnecessarily risk the preservation of our priceless archaeological heritage and we ask the public to be vigilant and to report any potential unlicensed metal detecting to An Garda Síochána.”

Ms Sikora reminded the public that archaeological discoveries do not belong to the individual who finds them, but to the State.

“The Museum builds relationships with finders and their communities through this work and we would also like to thank the many genuine finders who contact us on a daily basis to report their discoveries,” she said.