A hillwalker triggered a nationwide search and the evacuation of a dozen homes in Carlow this week after taking home an artillery shell they found on a hike.
At the time military personnel and garda believed the shell may have been live and had the potential to cause significant damage.
The incident began last week when a hiking tour passed through the Glen of Imaal in Co Wicklow, which is used as a live fire range by the Defence Forces.
One person in the group pointed out a shell embedded in the ground which appeared to have been there for some time.
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Another member of the group photographed the shell. They sent this photograph and details of the location to a Defence Forces email address to alert them of a potentially live round.
A third member of the group then removed the item from the ground and took it home with them.
Defence Forces personnel spotted the email on Monday morning and a team was deployed to the reported site. When they arrived, they saw a shell crater but no shell.
The missing shell was a cause of significant concern. It was an 84mm “Illumination round”, which is used by artillery crews to light up an area during night-time operations.
These rounds contain magnesium and have the potential to cause chemical fires that can only be extinguished with specialised equipment.
The Defence Forces enlisted the help of the Garda, which issued a public alert on Tuesday. “Any members of the public who may have knowledge of this ordnance are warned not to further move or transport the ordnance, but to make urgent contact with An Garda Síochána,” the Garda said.
Later that day, the Garda received information that the shell was in a house in Co Carlow. The Defence Forces emergency ordnance disposal team was deployed to the property in Hacketstown around 10pm.
The main street was closed off and 12 houses were evacuated while bomb disposal experts examined the shell.
It was eventually determined the shell did not contain any explosive material and the operation was stood down shortly after midnight.
On Wednesday morning, the Garda announced the shell had been recovered but declined to provide further information.
A Defence Forces spokesman confirmed on Thursday that the suspected “blind”, a military term for a shell that fails to detonate, “consisted of no explosive material”.
The military range at the Glen of Imaal is owned by the Department of Defence and is technically closed to the public. However, it is frequently used by hikers.
The Defence Forces said it takes several measures to ensure public safety near the range. There are numerous signs in the areas warning of potential dangers from “military debris”.
Twice a year, bomb disposal and engineer teams clear the range of unexploded ordnance.
Furthermore, “any blinds that occur during live firing are reported by range conducting officers to the range area staff which are then disposed of by [explosive ordnance disposal teams].”
Range officers also conduct “environmental checks” after live firing exercises, the spokesman said.
“The effectiveness of these measures can be seen in this incident, where EOD teams responded to the suspected blind after the An Garda Síochána notice and confirmed that the casing consisted of no explosive material.”
