Musician Jason Byrne baffled as €2,500 worth of gear returned 8 months after being stolen

Christmas came early for a pub musician after €2,500 worth of equipment, stolen eight months ago, was mysteriously returned.

Jason Byrne, 45, had discovered his car window smashed and two Korg keyboards, a Dynacord mixer amp and a case of leads, had been taken from the vehicle on March 6 last.

The vehicle had been parked outside his home, on a main road, in Youghal, Co Cork, which he shares with his wife Liz and children Kelly, 9, and Alex, aged five.

A Garda investigation and continued perusal of online auction sites failed to trace the property.

However, he got the surprise of his life after drawing back the bedroom curtains on Sunday morning last.

It was around 7.45am and he was stunned to see “the whole lot sitting just inside the garden gate”.

He says the equipment was “completely undamaged and wrapped in plastic to protect it from the weather”.

The musician, one half of a well-known pub duo, Martin & Jason, said he was “absolutely delighted but totally mystified as to who returned it and why”.

He plays alongside his friend and fellow-postman Martin Prendergast and had long abandoned hope of recovering the equipment.

While regretting the loss, Jason said that his main concern at that time in spring last was the upset the theft had caused to his children who “were afraid the robber or robbers would come back”.

“At the time, that had put a different perspective on it.”

With the equipment safely returned, he speculated yesterday maybe “it was someone with a conscience or maybe they were under pressure somehow”.

“Anyway, I’m just thrilled that they did.”

Poignantly, the good news last Sunday came on the day of a first anniversary Mass for Jason’s late sister, Annie. “It’s an incredible coincidence given the date. We attended Annie’s anniversary Mass later that day and I was praying my thanks to her.”