Search continues for stolen Gougane Barra altar stone

Couples who have married in Gougane Barra, Co Cork, are being asked to search their wedding photos as part of efforts to recover a stolen religious relic.

Gardaí are investigating after an altar stone which formed part of the old church in Gougane Barra was taken in mid-May. One theory is that it may have been thrown into the lake next to the church, but a team of divers spent hours searching the area on Saturday and did not find it.

Parish priest for the area, Fr Martin O’Driscoll, said he and the Bishop of Cork, John Buckley, were saddened about the theft and both have appealed for the safe return of the slab, which is believed to have been on the Gougane Barra site since the early 1700s.