The amazing story of a 4,000-year-old necklace found in a dumpster

Among the many rare and precious items at the The National Museum of Ireland sit a 4,000 year old necklace and two discs which were found in a dumpster.

The necklace, called a lunala, was worn by the early kings of Ireland. It is thought to date from between 2,300 and 1,800 BC.

It was first discovered in March 1945 in Coggalbeg, County Roscommon by farmer Hubert Lannon. He found it in a bog while he was cutting turf and kept it in his home.

Two years later he passed the necklace on to a local chemist Patrick Sheehan, in Strokestown, who kept the priceless piece of history in his shop's safe. There it remained until February 2009, when two thieves grabbed the safe during a burglary.

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