Plans to remove Celtic stone from Mayo island will be resisted

ANY proposals to remove a Celtic stone from Mayo's Inishkea islands will be resisted.

Located five kilometres from the Mullet Peninsula, the islands have numerous archaeological monastic sites.

Local people want to see the stone repaired and put standing up, Councillor Gerry Coyle told a meeting of Mayo County Council's heritage committee.

However, it seemed the National Museum wanted to take it – a move for which there would not be much 'appetite' locally, he said.

Six had been taken before, he said, and brought to Dublin and no one has ever seen them - they are in storage some place.

People want to see the stone fixed and maintained on the island, and he asked the council's heritage officer to look into it.

They would not stand by and let it be taken away to Dublin or someplace else.

Even if the ones that were taken from the island were on display in Mayo, where local people could see them, it might give them some encouragement, said Councillor Coyle.