The Derrynaflan and Ardagh hoards

Two of the finest pieces of early medieval metalwork in Europe, both found by chance in Ireland: the Ardagh Chalice turned up in a potato field in Limerick in 1868, and the Derrynaflan Hoard, a chalice, paten and strainer, was found with a metal detector on a bog island in Tipperary in 1980. The Derrynaflan find went to the Supreme Court and the ruling reshaped Irish antiquities law: unreported treasure belongs to the State. Detecting for archaeological objects in Ireland now requires a licence and the penalties are real. Both hoards are in the National Museum in Dublin.