AN APPEAL has been made for the return of skeletal remains that disappeared from a quarry in Co Donegal at the weekend.
The remains, which may be 4,000 years old, were discovered in a quarry at Carrick, Gweedore, on Friday two days after a skull was traced to the same site.
The second skull was due to be examined by National Museum experts. Experts want to establish whether it was part of a family or community that lived thousands of years ago in west Donegal.
The skull, which still had teeth, was carried by a builder’s lorry 88km to Naomh Brid football field outside Ballintra on Wednesday before the driver discovered it.
It was sent to Dublin where it was examined by an anthropologist in the State Pathologist’s office. It was discovered to have emanated from the pre-Christian or bronze era, which started about 2,000 BC.
Caroline Carr of the Donegal County Museum appealed for the return of the missing skull.
She said yesterday: “We would appeal to locals that this is part of your local history. It’s part of your local heritage.”
Ms Carr said that when the first skull was discovered, museum staff went on to the site on Friday, on behalf of the National Museum, and uncovered another series of bones.
Ms Carr added: “They were left in situ and the National Museum arrived this morning to excavate and investigate the site and discovered they had been removed.
“This is a huge mystery. They are human remains and they were left in situ and not a lot of people knew exactly the location.”