Northern Ireland

Chalice stolen from Co Louth church found after 21 years

The 17th century chalice has been found in Dublin
The 17th century chalice has been found in Dublin The 17th century chalice has been found in Dublin

A CHALICE stolen from a church in Co Louth more than 21 years ago has been found after it was listed for auction.

The 17th century artefact was in a safe stolen during a burglary at St Mary's Church of Ireland Abbey in Ardee in 1998.

The safe was located later that year in Tallaght in Dublin but without its contents.

Rev Canon Joyce Moore told RTÉ that the discovery after so many years was "great news for the parish".

She said the chalice, which is solid silver, had a matching plate and they were looking forward to reuniting them.

She added that from photographs she had seen, the chalice appeared to be in perfect condition.

The whereabouts of the chalice had remained a mystery until last week when gardaí were alerted by a churchgoer that it had been advertised for auction at a property in Dublin city.

They recovered the chalice before it went up for sale.

It is understood to have had a reserve price of between €5,000 and €7,000.