Following a public appeal, Westmeath farmer Thomas Dunne has revealed that two Early Bronze Age axeheads, sent anonymously to the National Museum of Ireland, were discovered in his field while cutting silage.
On 12 July, the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) issued a public appeal for information after receiving two Early Bronze Age axeheads, dating to 2150–2000 BC, in the post at the end of June. Carefully packaged in foam cut-outs within a cardboard porridge box, the axeheads had been sent anonymously. An accompanying letter indicated that the artefacts were discovered together in the Westmeath area using a metal detector. However, the letter provided no contact details or further specifics, leaving the precise location of the finds unknown.
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Experts at the National Museum identified the artefacts as flat axeheads from the Early Bronze Age; however, to fully appreciate these 4,000-year-old artefacts and understand their context, it was crucial to determine the precise location where they were found.
>>> RELATED: National Museum seeks information on Early Bronze Age axeheads found in Westmeath
The museum is now one step closer to a deeper understanding of these objects after Thomas Dunne, a farmer from Co. Westmeath, identified himself as the landowner. The discovery of the two axeheads was made in his field in the townland of Banagher, not far from the villages of Coralstown and Killucan.
Mr Dunne said that the axeheads were found by chance after a piece of steel fell off a mower when cutting silage back in June. He told the Irish Times:
“I was cutting silage one day and a bit of metal fell off a mower. We started looking for it then because we thought it might go into the silage harvester and break it up. So, I got a man with a metal detector to look for it and that’s how it was found. It was in the side of a field underneath a row of huge beech trees; there would have been ancient forts on the land around here.”
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While there are four recorded ringforts in the townland of Banagher, these sites date to the early medieval period and post-date the axeheads by well over 2,000 years; there are other medieval monuments and an old trackway also in the townland. In the neighbouring townlands of Porterstown and Riverstown to the east, however, are several barrows and ring barrows, which typically date to the Bronze Age or Iron Age; these sites could potentially be contemporary with the axeheads.
Mr Dunne, whose family has owned the land since the 1980s, mistook the axeheads for pieces of old horse ploughs or scrap metal and has been “shocked” to learn of their archaeological significance. However, the individual who had assisted Mr Dunne with the metal detector thought the items were unusual and decided to send them to the museum.
“I only found out about it a week after it had been in the news and I was surprised to say the least; it’s absolutely mad when you think about it,” Dunne said.
Researchers from the National Museum have now visited and inspected the site of the discovery. In a statement, the museum emphasized that this new information regarding the discovery’s location significantly enhances our understanding of the artefacts and their provenance, thereby increasing the value of the finds.
Following the acquisition of the axeheads, Matt Seaver, Assistant Keeper of Irish Antiquities at the National Museum, reminded the public of the importance of reporting such archaeological finds:
“It is our legal duty to report the discovery of archaeological objects. The NMI’s role is to preserve these treasures for everyone in the State, ensuring they are available for future generations. We rely on the public’s support to achieve this.”
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The unregulated and inappropriate use of detection devices causes serious damage to Ireland’s archaeological heritage and is subject to severe penalties under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014, including imprisonment and/or fines. It is understood, however, that Thomas Dunne will not face charges.
It is illegal to dig or excavate for archaeological objects anywhere in the State without prior written ministerial consent. All archaeological finds without a known owner are the property of the State and are preserved as part of Ireland’s collective heritage in national and designated museums. More information on this topic is available on the National Museum of Ireland’s website.
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