Stolen Oliver Cromwell statue is found dumped in field
FOUR historic statues stolen from an Irish castle have been recovered after being found abandoned in a Co Clare field.
The four large limestone statues – two of royal eagles and one each of Oliver Cromwell and William of Orange – were stolen from Milltown Castle outside Charleville, Co Cork in 2011.
Each of the eagles had been mounted on three-metre-high pillars along an access roadway to the castle. The other stone works were life-sized busts of the two figures.
The thefts, on July 18, 2011, were believed to be the work of a gang specialising in Irish collectibles.
Cutting equipment and a heavy truck with a mounted crane would have been used to remove all four items, given their weight. At the time, fears had mounted that the four stone works had been smuggled abroad for sale.
Because the statues were carved from limestone and were badly worn, it is suspected they did not attract a high price on the black market.
All four statues were installed in the late 18th century by the then-owners, the Bruce family.
However, a man out walking on February 8 near Cratloe in Co Clare stumbled across the statues on lands adjacent to an old outhouse.
He realised the statues were not connected with the property involved and he contacted gardaí.
It was quickly confirmed that the stone works were the missing statues from Milltown Castle.
The owners of Milltown
Castle were contacted and gardaí are now in the process of returning the statues to their original site. All four pieces will now be assessed for possible repair.
It is unclear how long the statues may have lain in the Clare field.
One Garda source said it was believed that the thieves may have become concerned about being traced if the stone works were to be sold on the black market.
“There was a lot of media interest in the theft eight years ago, particularly because of the fact statues of Oliver Cromwell and William of Orange were involved,” one Garda source said.
“It is possible the thieves were worried about being traced, given the high-profile theft of the statues.”
Gardaí have appealed for anyone who may have information about the thefts, or who may have seen suspicious activity in the Cratloe area, to contact them.