A Clonmel parish priest has spoken of his shock when workmen carrying at work at the local parish church discovered the final resting place of a former mayor of the town.
The unexpected find at Saint Peter & Paul's Church in Gladstone Street in Clonmel has solved a decades old mystery regarding the location of the grave.
Workmen discovered the crypt when they were digging in the grounds near the door of the church.
Speaking this week, parish priest Canon Brendan Crowley said that it was fortunate that there was no damage to the vault as workmen were using heavy machinery in preparation for the installation of a drain.
He added, “There was no destruction or damage done, which is great, given that heavy machinery was being used, and thank God nothing was disturbed.”
The crypt contains the remains of William Byrne of Glenconnor House Clonmel and three other family members, including his wife Anne and daughter Winifred.
Mr Bryne, a prominent landowner and who was Mayor of Clonmel in 1868, passed away in 1889.
The monument in the church that marked his grave was moved sometime after his death and the exact location of the vault remained a mystery until this week.
According to Canon Crowley, prayers were said for the Bryne family at all masses in the church last weekend and the renovations at the historic church will continue for the next six months.
Indeed it is the second time in just a year the church has been in the news having celebrated its bicentenary last year when a special mass was said in the church by Cardinal Seán Brady.
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