<Though I was warned beforehand that landowners at two sites I was planning on visiting on the Beara Peninsula were charging people to visit sites on their land I still felt ripped off and annoyed that people can get away with profiting from our heritage. I really got the feeling I was being taken for a mug, along with every other visitor who comes along. Anyone know whats the legal standing on this?>

Sounds well dodgy to me. Do the 2 sites have the minister for the arts, culture and the gaelteacht signs beside them that you see at a lot of places? If so, then surely nobody except the authorities can charge to visit; if not, then wouldn't a route through to stopping the rip be to get them recognised?

Did you enquire of the landowners for just exactly what you were paying for? Maybe that's a dumb question but a bit of umbrage may have elicited some guilty response. The landowner owns the land but does he own the monument? I downloaded the National Monuments Act (1930) and the National Monuments Amendment Act (1987) out of curiosity but never read them. I'll glance over them tonight.

This is the link for the National Monuments (Amendments) Bill 2004:

http://www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=/documents/bills28/bills/2004/2404/b2404d.pdf

The older 2 mentioned above can also be found close by.