Uproar in Cashel over
theft of ‘Stolen Child’

It’s the irony to end all ironies.

A statue of a child located beside a plaque containing the text of the poem ‘The Stolen Child’ has been...well...stolen.

Locals there are still trying to come up with answers following the theft of a much cherished statue. Hand crafted by local artists Kevin Casey and the late Brian Ganley, the artefact of a diminutive schoolgirl, had taken pride of place at the apex of a nearby quarry.

Positioned close to a similarly sized scuplture, its disappearance has attracted much indignation given the fact a poem ‘The Stolen Child’ by the legendary WB Yeats sits just yards away.

“It does certainly make you wonder what goes through people’s minds,” said a disgruntled Kevin Casey. “There was a stainless steel bar that goes right up through the statue and it was anchored to a piece of stone. It’s quite amazing, it really is.”

Valued at around €1,000, Mr Casey said he only noticed the statue was gone when accompanying visiting family members on a walk of the village just over a month ago.

“There are many sculptures up there, but nothing like this has ever occurred before. What’s more is the statue is quite high up. It may look like there are lots of green areas around, but if you fell you could damage yourself quite badly,” he said.

Enraged by the disappearance, Kevin’s father Michael reported the incident to local gardai last week in the hope the ‘stolen child’ is returned.

“It would have taken quite an effort to take it (statue) away. That’s what confounds me the most,” added a rueful Kevin.

If you believe you have seen the ‘stolen child’ statue or have been offered it for sale, contact Lanesboro Garda Station at (043) 3321102 or Longford Garda Station at (043) 3346741.