A Lotto millionaire has been identified as the man who found the two priceless gold torcs on the beach at Geesala, near Belmullet, in Co Mayo last month.
Mr P.J. Deane, of Dooyork, Geesala has confirmed that he and his brother found the torcs on a beach directly behind his house on November 18th.
His brother brought one of them home to Cork to be examined by a jeweller, and the National Museum was quickly contacted.
The torcs could be 3,000 years old.
According to local people, Mr Deane has shown "extraordinary" generosity to his neighbours since winning £1.7 million in the Lotto in 1998. He paid for more than 20 local women to go to Lourdes and the trip included a night in the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin.
"He brought the torc around to show some of us, but to tell you the truth if I'd seen it myself on the beach I don't think I'd even have picked it up. I'd probably have kicked it away," said one man, a neighbour of Mr Deane's.
He explained that Mr Deane had taken the torc around to neighbours' houses after his brother had telephoned from Cork to tell him how valuable it was.
"But I think there was a bit of a panic, because it was thrown somewhere around the house and for a while he wasn't sure where he'd put it," said the man, who asked not to be named.
He said the piece was dull and just looked like a piece of twisted metal.
It was large enough to go around the upper arm of an adult or a child's neck.
In the Teach Iorrais hotel in Geesala, the find was the main topic of conversation last night.
"Did you find any of those necklaces," a man was asked as he entered. "No, only some old goblets," was the reply.
The beach area where the torcs were found was used as a football field for years but with coastal erosion it is now near the water's edge.
An ancient grave was found in the area two years ago.
National Museum staff were at the site last Thursday and Friday, and a number of other items were found.
These included amber beads of different sizes. The discovery of amber beads at the same location would support the view that the torcs could be 3,000 years old. Locals said they believed a piece of another torc was also found by museum staff.
There was no sign of gold diggers on the wind-swept beach yesterday - it was deserted and the road leading down to it was flooded. Staff from the National Museum are expected back at the site today.
Mr Deane declined to talk to The Irish Times yesterday but he did contact local radio to confirm he made the find.
A bachelor, he lives with his elderly mother in the small cottage where he grew up.
He spent most of his life in England, but since winning the Lotto while on a visit home, he has remained in Dooyork, the only obvious sign of his wealth being the gleaming new car at the cottage door.