Senior gardaí in Kerry have expressed their horror at the desecration of three tombs in a north Kerry village this week.
Three tombs were forced open in the graveyard of Reheala, around a mile from the village of Ballyduff.
Coffins in the tombs were opened and interfered with. One of the coffins included that of an elderly woman buried in December.
The incident took place in the early hours of bank holiday Monday/Tuesday morning and was reported by a local man on Tuesday. Listowel Garda Supt Frank O'Brien said the opening of the tombs and the interference was "one of the most heinous of acts."
"The final resting place is as it is described, the final resting place, away from the tribulations of life. This kind of thing is an affront to the living," he said.
The relatives of the families had been informed and were deeply upset, he said. One tomb had not been used since 1918. However, the other two had had entombments in 1998 and 2002, respectively.
Gardaí suspect it was a highly planned deliberate operation involving equipment to force the slabs open by removing the sealing pins. These tombs were not sealed with concrete as is sometimes the case. However, considerable force was required.
"It was a conscious decision to gain entry," Supt O'Brien said.
The trespassers may have been looking for jewellery or valuables and this is why they opened the coffins, he suspects, although the real reason is not yet known.
A number of items in the tomb have been removed by gardaí and sent for technical examination.
"We are taking this matter very seriously. The whole community is shocked and upset. We will be carrying out a very thorough investigation," he said.