Thirteen skulls stolen by academics that were returned to a Co Galway island this year are to spend “their first Christmas at home in 133 years”, a local historian has said.
A reburial ceremony for the human skulls was held on Inishbofin this summer and involved locals and campaigners who had pushed for their return.
The skulls, thought to be around 400 years old, were taken from a monastery on the island of Inishbofin off the west coast by two Trinity University-affiliated academics in 1890.
After sketching the skulls in the nook of St Colman’s monastery, considered sacred by the islanders, Alfred C Haddon and Andrew F Dixon took the skulls in the middle of the night.
The skulls were returned in a process undertaken by Trinity College Dublin to review legacy issues at the university.
The decision to return the remains follows years of campaigning by Inishbofin historian Marie Coyne.
She was one of four local women to carry the coffin carrying the skulls to their place of rest in the graveyard – believed to be the first time women on the island had been pallbearers.
“It’s a happy Christmas for the human remains, because they’re home for the first time in 133 years,” Ms Coyne said.
“It’s just very special to have them here, and where the skulls’ remains are in the graveyard, you can see right into the abbey where they were taken from.”
Asked what it was like to stand in front of the grave, she said: “It’s peaceful.
“I don’t know who these people were, I’d say their lives were tough. They had families and love, I don’t think they would have thought what would happen to their remains.”
She said a path had been worn in the area from locals and visitors travelling to see the grave, in a sign of how much interest there has been in the returned remains.
“Maybe it’s a small person up against the big powers that be, maybe it’s the humanity.
“Look at what is going on in Gaza and in these places – there are families destroyed, and they will never find their family’s remains.”
She said that she would place candles on the skulls’ grave on Christmas Eve.
Other campaign efforts are under way to have remains brought back to the islands, including the return of several skulls to St Finian’s Bay.
In June, the Government set up a committee to advise on the restitution and repatriation of culturally sensitive objects in Ireland, as there are no guidelines on these cases.
The committee is made up of people from the museum, archives and gallery sector, legal and ethics experts and government officials.
