Burning history: museum lost in cathedral blaze

IT was with great sadness that I heard of the destruction by fire of St Mel’s Cathedral, Longford, on Christmas day. The loss is great indeed, but all the more so for those of us with a love of and respect for our past.

Unfortunately, the diocesan museum was also located in the cathedral, which held a collection of important historical and archaeological material.

The crowning glories of this collection were two outstanding pieces of medieval Irish art, a 10th century crozier and an early 16th century book shrine. These two pieces of church metalwork were of national importance and their destruction, along with the rest of the collection, is a huge loss to Ireland’s cultural heritage.