The head of a County Offaly holy statue that had been missing for over 13 years has mysteriously reappeared in recent weeks.
The statue was taken from the site of St Ciaran's Well in Clonmacnoise in County Offaly in 1998 but according to visitor centre manager, Tom Moore, was returned recently to Clonmacnoise.
The carved stone head was one of four artefacts surrounding Saint Ciaran's Well pilgrimage site and it is believed to be a depiction of the Irish saint.
According to Mr Moore, “Its whereabouts was unknown until March of this year when I got a phone call and the caller put me in touch with a go-between who told him the piece had been returned to the well that day.”
Mr Moore was also informed by the caller that the thieves, “had awful bad luck from the time they took it.”
The Office of Public Works (OPW) who took over the running of the site two years ago, is currently studying the piece, and senior architect with the OPW Paul McMahon hopes to return it to its original position once all research is concluded.
Mr Moore also confirmed that the statue is currently being, “stored in a secure location on the grounds of Clonmacnoise.’’
Saint Ciaran was one of Ireland's earliest monastic saints and established his monastery at Clonmacnoise in County Offaly in 545AD.
He died just a year after founding Clonmacnoise in 546AD of the notorious yellow plague at just 30 years of age.
His feast day is celebrated on September 9.
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