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The National Monuments Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has launched the 'Check Before You Dig' campaign.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of archaeological monuments in the landscape around us and is particularly aimed at those planning to engage in land clearance and land reclamation. It highlights that not all archaeological monuments are immediately recognisable in the landscape.
Land-users are being asked to check their property first to identify if there are any archaeological monuments present before they make changes to improve their land or change their farming practice. This will protect the archaeological heritage and enable a greater understanding of the heritage that is all around us.
An online map provided by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage can be used before land-users carry out groundworks. 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.
Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, said: "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, said: "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 and further details on how to be in compliance with the law protecting monuments can be found at www.gov.ie/CheckBeforeYouDig".
