Robert Emmet's Body

Sir, - Contrary to what Seamas O Brogain claims (July 6th), it has not been definitely proven that Robert Emmet was buried in…

Sir, - Contrary to what Seamas O Brogain claims (July 6th), it has not been definitely proven that Robert Emmet was buried in the Trevor vault in St Paul's Church, North King Street. The Emmet family vault was located in the now demolished St Peter's Church, Aungier Street, and a proud family like the Emmets would not have rested until Robert's body was deposited there. Such indeed appears to have been the belief of the Emmets in America, until confusion was created in the late nineteenth century by the introduction of various new theories. The most plausible case for St Paul's was made by JJ Reynolds, but in my opinion, David A Quaid made a much more convincing case for St Peter's being Emmet's final resting place (the two men battled it out in the letters pages of this newspaper and elsewhere).

It is almost inevitable that the run-up to the bicentenary of Emmet's Rebellion in 2003 will see further muddying of the waters, as writers, whose enthusiasm for pet theories outstrips their understanding of historical proof, make their pitch. Lofty academics seeking to dissect Emmet would also be advised to study the lay of the land carefully, and learn to distinguish for example between Kilmainham Jail and Newgate Prison. A useful control would be the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry into the Burial Place of Robert Emmet, to be composed of competent experts and with professional commemorators rigorously excluded!

In any case, one would be interested to see what modern forensic science would make of the supposed headless corpse of Emmet in St Paul's Church, if indeed it survived FAS's gutting of the building in the 1980s. - Yours, etc., Sean Murphy,

Bray, Co Wicklow.