Who stole the trumpets? And who fears vertigo so little that he (for it is presumed it is a he), scaled the daunting spires of St Fin Barre's Cathedral in Cork to remove them? These questions are occupying the Garda authorities in the city.
The great Victorian architect, William Burges, designed the cathedral 130 years ago. When he was finished, he made a gift to the city: a golden gilded statue of an angel with a trumpet in either hand. It perched below the pinprick spires, but still at least 100 feet from the ground. And like the cathedral itself the angel with her trumpets was part of the dominant Cork skyline.
But in the early hours of yesterday a person or persons unknown undid the city's history, defacing the wonderful Church of Ireland landmark by using scaffolding to make his way to the "goldy angel", as it is known in Cork. As the scaffolding fell well short of the golden trumpeter, the thief had to put himself in some peril. Burges designed the six-foot-tall statue and the hunting horn trumpets which were held by four-inch nails in the angel's hands.
The Church of Ireland in Cork is not amused. A spokesman said the eastward-looking angel with her trumpets had been part and parcel of Cork's history for 130 years. No one could put a price on Burges's creation.. It was a sad escapade, the spokesman said, adding: "It is something we just do not understand. Why would anyone do such a thing?"
And to what avail? The trumpets are known far and wide as an essential part of the cathedral. Who could sell them? Who would buy them? In any event, after all her years on guard duty over the city, the angel was due to be taken down next week for restoration. It is a safe bet that the trumpets, if not returned, will be replicated. But they will never be sounded - or sold.