PART OF A missing centuries-old bell has been found in Kerry after it went missing two weeks ago.
The 236-year-old bronze bell was stolen in mid-July from the Ivyleaf Arts Centre, which is based in a converted 12th century church in Castleisland.
A section of the bell has now been discovered, and the Centre’s manager Jerome Stack has appealed for information about the whereabouts of the rest of the artefact in the hope that it can be repaired, reports RTÉ News.
When the bell was stolen, Stack explained to the TheJournal.ie that it was one of just 16 remaining bells cast by the Rudhall family in Gloucestershire, England.
The arts group moved into the old church in 1982, he said, and up until that time the bell had been in a high gable. However, the group moved it from that position over fears it might be unstable.
When it was stolen, the bell had been displayed in an alcove 12 – 14 feet high off the ground, Stack said.
Read: Historical bronze bell stolen from Kerry church>
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