A Clonmel parish priest has spoken of his shock when workmen carrying
at work at the local parish church discovered the final resting place
of a former mayor of the town.
The unexpected find at Saint Peter & Paul's Church in Gladstone
Street in Clonmel has solved a decades old mystery regarding the
location of the grave.
Workmen discovered the crypt when they were
digging in the grounds near the door of the church.
Speaking this week, parish priest Canon Brendan Crowley said that it
was fortunate that there was no damage to the vault as workmen were
using heavy machinery in preparation for the installation of a drain.
He added, “There was no destruction or damage done, which is great,
given that heavy machinery was being used, and thank God nothing was
disturbed.”
The crypt contains the remains of William Byrne of Glenconnor House
Clonmel and three other family members, including his wife Anne and
daughter Winifred.
Mr Bryne, a prominent landowner and who was Mayor of
Clonmel in 1868, passed away in 1889.
The monument in the church that marked his grave was moved sometime
after his death and the exact location of the vault remained a mystery
until this week.
According to Canon Crowley, prayers were said for the Bryne family at
all masses in the church last weekend and the renovations at the
historic church will continue for the next six months.
Indeed it is the second time in just a year the church has been in
the news having celebrated its bicentenary last year when a special mass
was said in the church by Cardinal Seán Brady.