List of National Monuments of Ireland
A monument or the remains of a monument of considerable national importance and required preservation by the State will be classified as National Monument in the Republic of Ireland. A National Monument comprises not only the monument itself, by also the site of the monument and the means of access to the site. For example, if the land adjoining to the monument is essential to protect the monument, it may also be included as part of the National Monument.
National Monuments are managed under the auspices of the National Monuments Service [1], part of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. "National Monument" status is conferred under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2004 [2]. The original act of 1930 (the National Monuments Act, 1930 [3]) covered the list of monuments to which the Ancient Monuments Protection Act, 1882 applied. This list has subsequently been expanded.
The most recent amendment act, the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 2004 includes provisions for the partial or complete destruction of National Monuments by the government [4]. These were included as a result of the destruction of the Carrickmines Castle National Monument to build an intersection along the Southeastern Motorway section of the M50.