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THE VICAR OF St Michan’s Church in Dublin has thanked gardaí for retrieving the stolen head of an 800-year-old mummy, but has said that he fears that it may be badly damaged.
Gardaí confirmed yesterday that they had recovered the head of an 800-year-old mummy known as ‘The Crusader’ after it was stolen from the crypts of St. Michan’s Church last week.
The discovery of the theft at the crypt of the church on Church Street was made shortly before lunchtime last Monday when a guide was preparing to open the church for visitors.
Speaking today on Morning Ireland, the Vicar of the Christ Church Cathedral Group of Parishes, of which St Michan’s is part, Archdeacon David Pierpoint, thanked the gardaí for recovering the head and the public for their support.
He said he was called by gardaí “just after lunch” yesterday to inform him that they had recovered the head.
“Just after lunch I received a phone call from the gardaí in the Bridewell to say that they had received a tip-off and they had recovered the head and the skull which were wrapped up and they brought them back to the Bridewell,” Pierpoint said.
“I immediately went down to the station and examined the skull and the head.
“Unfortunately they were quite saturated and damp and wet, so they’ve gone to the museum now to begin the process of trying to dry them out.
But my fear is once they start drying out they just begin to crumble.
He said the church would “have to wait and see” and then they would “possibly have to re-coffin and re-intern them in the vaults”.
Pierpoint said that the skull of the Crusader had been “completely severed from the neck, the spine” and that it was “very unlikely that it could be reattached”.
“It’s very unlikely that it could be re-attached as such, but it could certainly be laid back in its proper place,” he said.
But whether it can ever be on view to the public again is something that we’ll wait until the expert findings… We’re in their hands now.
Pierpoint said he didn’t know where the skull had been discovered, as it was forming part of the garda investigation.
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Anyone arrested?????? Charged and brought before the courts?
@George McCarthy: yeah… Did a 5 year old write this article?
This is Cultural vandalism and it should be punished to the utmost.
Now we wait for a slap on the wrist for the perpetrator.
@IrishFreeThinking: bit of super glue and sur it will be grand!
These people lived and died as Catholics,were buried in a Catholic church and now are in a protestant church. I think its time the church of ireland gave back the churches and cathedrals they took over when they were made the established church.
All these buildings were paid for and built by Catholics. And before anyone accuses me of being a religious nut I happen to be atheist, its just I hate to see how the church of ireland have control over st Nicholas 12th century cathedral here in Galway
@tom forde: They don’t practice any Religion when ‘Dead’.!!!
@tom forde: They raised the money to rebuild that lovely Cathedral from a ruin. The only intact medieval structure in `Galway’ – do your research before writing your tripe, besides crusaders were not Catholic- they were just christian- one church- before the religious divide. if it wasn’t for the church of Ireland – St.pats and Christchurch would be just ruins. The state has no interest in restorations or culture. thats why is was easy to break into the vault!
@Jacques Decharnay: who are they, when was it a ruin was it before or after Cromwell used it to stable his horses.
The fact remains the established church was never more than a small percentage of the population yet controlled the churches as Catholics were not permitted to practice their religion never mind to have a church.
The only people who raised money to build churches were Catholics after Catholic emancipation.
@tom forde: man can stick whatever labels they want on each other but we’re all just dust and nothing more.
Imagine having fought in a crusade to come back to Ireland and be kicked around by a bunch of idiots
I knew Pierpoint was a great man for the hanging. Now the expertise extends to beheadings!
By all reports, the church was always fond of a little head here & there.
Araldite? Surgeons even use it doing vertebrae work.
Now they have an excuse to bury the skull with the rest of it and let the warrior RIP. Macabre how the religious hold on to remains like they own them.
@Denis McClean: what about all the museums?
Can they build in a visitor centre there?
have your say