Longford prepares for return of stolen artefacts

Historians in Lanesboro and surrounding counties have called on the national museum and the Minister for Arts and Culture to return priceless artefacts for public display there – over 30 years after they were stolen in a daring heist.

Four 5th century grave slabs were taken from the island of Inchcleraun on Lough Ree in the late 1980s and brought to the United States by a 68 year old former sailor who tried to sell them to a Boston College Museum but the FBI were tipped off about the deal and later arrested the culprit - returning the stones to Ireland.

The mastermind behind the robbery, Peter Kenny, a 68-year-old Irish citizen was sentenced to a four-month term in federal prison and deported back to Australia. He has since passed away but the artefacts returned to the safety of an Office of Public Works lock-up yard in county Galway and have never seen the light of day since.

One of the four 5th century Inchcleraun grave slabs.

“The Inchcleraun grave slabs are an important part of our history and heritage” said Ciaran Mullooly , the former RTE Broadcaster who is leading a campaign by a community group to get the stones returned to their native part on the shores of Lough Ree, “we feel the people of the midlands are entitled to see these beautiful gave slabs which marked the graves of their ancestors on the island of Inchcleraun for centuries – and we want to see them back on display locally.”

The local community in Longford have now worked with heritage authorities, waterways Ireland and Roscommon county council to put four life-size replicas of the stolen artefacts on public display next weekend at a three day exhibition in Lanesboro but Mullooly and several local historians have called for the real artefacts to be taken out of storage in county Galway and permanently returned to the area “where we have just opened a safe and secure exhibition space.”

“These are beautiful artefacts that tell an important story in our history” Ciaran Mullooly said, “next weekend locals will see the images of the stolen treasures for the first time in over a quarter of a century – but they are entitled to see the real thing too here in our own area and celebrate their heritage.”

‘The Stolen Treasures of Lough Ree’, an exhibition on the story behind the robbery of 5/6th century grave slabs from the island of Inchcleraun on Lough Ree in the late 1980s will open on Saturday morning next April 29 at the new National Accessibility Centre for Water sports on the North Quay of the river Shannon in Lanesboro.

Local historian Dr Harman Murtagh will deliver a lecture at 10.30am on Saturday and the exhibition will run until Monday evening May 1 – opening from 10am to 5pm each day as part of the Gathering Festival weekend and the Lough Ree Environmental Summer School for 2023. (See Lanesboro notes on pages 24 & 25 for the full programme of events).

“We invite as many people as possible to come along and see these images at the weekend,” Ciaran Mullooly says, “they are majestic reminders of the art and spiritual beliefs of the 5th and 6th century and well worth a visit.”
Further information on the exhibition is available from loughreeaccessforall @gmail.com