Dr. Sharon Greene:

The importance and value of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 2004 has already been spoken about in this forum. At the time it was put together, archaeological heritage played a significant role the building of national identity. By necessity, changing times gave rise to a number of amendments. It has long been acknowledged that a new Bill is required. Both Irish society and the practise and discipline of archaeology have changed in the meantime. However, archaeology is still relevant to Irish society. It plays a role, for example, in promoting a connection with your local area and a pride of place that does not rely on family connections and it can be used to help people to engage on important issues such as climate change.

Continued availability of information on places recorded in existing registers, such as the sites and monuments record, in the proposed new register is essential. The National Monuments Service should be applauded for the accessibility of the current registers and much other important information on its website. Included under head 9 of the general scheme is, "promotion of public awareness of [this] Register" and promotion of knowledge and awareness is key to other aspects of the scheme, especially Part 8 which explicitly refers to the promotion of public knowledge and awareness.

It will be essential that the details of this new legislation reach the general public when the time comes. From our perspective, as communicators of archaeology, it is important to be aware that while there are many ways to make such information available, we must always ask whether it is actually reaching the intended audience.

It is clear that this proposed Bill continues to value our archaeological heritage and prioritise protection of sites, monuments, artefacts and related archaeological evidence. Despite stretched resources, the National Monuments Service, the OPW and the National Museum of Ireland do excellent work in this regard and are always willing to make themselves available to members of the public who seek information or to report new discoveries or damage. Our nationwide network of local authority heritage officers also deserve recognition, as they are recognised as the local point of contact on heritage matters.

My first year as editor of Archaeology Irelandcoincided with the drought of 2018 and the widely publicised discoveries of new sites afforded by the resulting crop marks. It was also the year of the discovery of the four impressive Bronze Age gold rings by a family in Donegal. The public and media interest surrounding both of these events provided the opportunity to raise awareness not only of archaeology but of the obligations of the public in reporting discoveries and to explain how and why this should be done. The result was a marked increase in numbers of newly discovered sites and artefacts reported.

Archaeologists might get the opportunity to share this information. However, the audiences they meet tend to have already encountered or have an interest in archaeology. Yet, archaeology is everywhere and belongs to everyone and we have an obligation to spread awareness of this heritage to all, both for their benefit and its protection. The protect our past code for caring for monuments developed by the National Monuments Service last year is a valuable tool for those engaging with the public. However, advice such as this and the 2014 advice to the public on the use of metal detection devices need to be continually shared and redistributed to ensure they do not become yesterday’s news.

There is considerable public thirst for knowledge about archaeology. However, when the public looks for information on archaeology, this is not generally the kind of information it seeks out. This is why the provision in the proposed Bill for the requirement to label packaging of metal detection devices with a warning about the law with regard to their use is especially welcome. It informs at the point of contact.

Irish archaeologists can be excellent communicators. Many individuals and organisations have excellent publication records using books. Archaeologists also engage with communities nationwide to share knowledge and research by giving tours or presenting talks. A 2018 Heritage Council-Red C survey examined public perceptions of archaeology. It was heartening for those involved in the profession to learn that 91% of respondents saw supporting archaeology as economically important. However, the questions about the ways in which people engage with archaeology provided those of us dealing with communication with pause for thought. The most common medium used is documentaries, with 45% of respondents watching them several times a year. When one adds news reports on television and radio to this, the proportion rises to 71%. Only 54% use the Internet and only 28% use publications.

While respondents agreed that archaeology is important for tourism, they were relatively evenly split when it came to awareness of the impact of high tourist and visitor numbers on sites. Of greater concern, considering the high level of awareness within the profession and the efforts to make the information available, only 30% of respondents were aware that metal detection for archaeological objects without licence is illegal. Consider the importance of the documentaries to which I refer. It is inevitable that most of these are not Irish and, as a result, are potentially misinforming an Irish audience on some of these matters.

Clearly, while community engagement has increased in recent years, some vital information regarding care, conservation and legislation fall by the wayside.

Did the survey results suggest a way to combat this? Perhaps they did.

There are high levels of interest, over 60%, in meeting archaeologists to learn more about what we do and to better understand archaeology’s usefulness to the community. Embedding archaeologists in the community would allow for a proactive as opposed to reactive approach. It might be argued that this role is being filled by local authority heritage officers and there is no question that they have a role. However, the remit of heritage officers is a very broad one that covers archaeology, biodiversity, natural heritage and more. The heritage officers can come from any of these backgrounds. It would be preferable to have a team of heritage professionals in all local authorities.

Recent increased funding for archaeological projects, such as the community heritage fund, are very welcome. However, the capacity for those administering and supporting local funded projects at a local level also needs to be increased. For this reason there is a need for archaeological professionals embedded in communities whether they be local authority archaeologists or some other form of regional community archaeologists.

As communicators of archaeology, we would make the following observations or recommendations to the committee. When including provisions that directly deal with areas where the public engage with archaeology be it with monuments, artefacts or equipment, full consideration should be given to how people encounter and engage with archaeology. This includes the fact that information and equipment can be sourced from outside the State, and that visitors to the State may need advice on Irish law. A fully informed public can play a role in this. Additional resources need to be made available to improve the capacity of existing organisations and institutions to deal with the increasing engagement of the Irish public with archaeological heritage. As shown in 2018 and more recently during the pandemic, opportunities to raise awareness of public obligations can, when taken, result in a marked increase in workload for the authorities responsible for engaging with the ensuing engagement.