The ‘Check Before You Dig’ campaign for landowners has been launched today (Monday, December 4) by the National Monuments Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of archaeological monuments in the landscape and is particularly aimed at those planning to engage in land clearance and land reclamation.
As land-users seek to improve their land or change farming practice e.g., from pasture to tillage, they are being urged to check their property first to identify if there are any archaeological monuments present on the lands in question.
According to the department, this will protect the archaeological heritage and enable a greater understanding of the heritage that is all around us.
Landowners urged to check before digging
Anyone planning to carry out groundworks is being urged to check their property using an online map provided by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
The Historic Environment Viewer is a free-to-use online map that uses a digital database to display the known locations of archaeological sites and monuments.
The campaign highlights that not all archaeological monuments are immediately recognisable in the landscape and that landowners, especially the farming community, are custodians of some of the most vulnerable sites.
Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan commented:
“The Irish countryside is exceptionally rich in archaeological monuments, and we are rightly proud of their rate of survival, which is due in no small part to the role played by the custodians of these monuments for generations.
“We all have a role to play in ensuring the protection of our archaeological and architectural heritage and I encourage the use of the online tools provided by my department, to be informed about the monuments that surround us.”
Michael MacDonagh, chief archaeologist, National Monuments Service, added: “The aim of this campaign is to prevent damage to archaeological sites and monuments, particularly during land reclamation.
“The National Monuments Service investigates cases of damage to monuments, such as ringforts and enclosures, arising from groundworks and we feel that sharing the details of our comprehensive online resource will help landowners to avoid any impacts on these sites.
“All recorded archaeological monuments are protected under the National Monuments Act 1930 to 2014.”
Heritage
Ireland has over 145,000 recorded archaeological monuments around the country in private and public ownership, representing human activity over a period of 10,000 years.
In a European context, the survival of monuments on farmland in Ireland, due to our historic farming practices, is especially unique, according to the department.
These monuments include megalithic tombs; standing stones; barrows,; rock art; ecclesiastical enclosures; churches; graveyards; ringforts; souterrains; enclosures; field systems; fulachta fiadh; castles.