Irish Examiner 19th July, 1864 p.4
Photo: Eirian Evans
Wikimedia Commons
To the editor of the Nation
Lisdoonvarna, County Clare, 13th July, 1864
Dear Sir,
Within the last ten days, in the vicinity of this far-famed watering-place, near the ancient town of Kilfenora, a statue of the Virgin and Child was discovered by a poor man who had been employed in cutting turf in an adjacent bog. The statue is of carved oak. The face of the Virgin is in perfect preservation, the folds of the dress most accurately delineated, and although the face of the infant in her arms is somewhat disfigured, it is wonderful how perfect the statue is after the lapse of perhaps several centuries. The statue is about two feet six inches in height, and was found some eight feet beneath the surface of the bog. Several persons, not only from this locality, but from the adjoining districts, have felt particular pleasure in observing this memorial of the past, which is now to be seen in the sacristy of the Catholic Church of Kilfenora, County Clare.
I am, dear sir, your obedient servant.
A. Visitor
The Burren and Beyond 