National Monuments (Amendment) Act, 1987

Amendment of section 23 of Principal Act.

15.Section 23 of the Principal Act is hereby amended by the substitution of the following subsections for subsection (1):

“(1) A person who finds an archaeological object shall, within 4 days after the finding, make a report of it to a member of the Garda Síochána on duty in the district in which the object was found or the Director of the National Museum or a servant or agent of his and shall when making the report state his own name and address, the nature or character of the said object and the time and place at which and the circumstances in which it was found, and shall also, and whether he has or has not made such report as aforesaid, and irrespective of the person to whom he has made the report (if any), give to any member of the Garda Síochána or to the said Director or a servant or agent of his on request any information within his knowledge in relation to the object or the finding thereof and shall permit—

(a) any member of the Garda Síochána or the said Director or a servant or agent of his to inspect, examine or photograph the object, and

(b) the said Director or a servant or agent of his to take possession of the object.

(1A) A member of the Garda Síochána to whom a report under subsection (1) of this section is made shall, without undue delay, notify the said Director, or a servant or agent of his, of the finding to which the report relates and the said Director, or a servant or agent of his duly authorised by him in that behalf, may take possession of the object to which a report under the said subsection (1) relates and the said Director may retain possession of it until the expiration of the period of 6 weeks from the time when the said Director or a servant or agent of his was informed in pursuance of this section of the finding and the Director shall then return the object to the person from whom possession of it was taken under this subsection.”.