Limerick City and County Council said it is assisting gardaí in their investigations into the circumstances of the discovery of human skeletal remains that appeared to have been dumped 2km away from the cemetery where it is thought they were originally laid to rest.
The remains, including an almost intact human skull and several other large skull fragments and other bones, believed to have been laid to rest in the mid-1800s, were discovered by a woman out walking, among a mound of rubble, at Mount St Oliver Cemetery, Limerick, on September 30th last.
Gardaí were working on a number of lines of inquiry, including that the skeletal remains may have been unwittingly exhumed along with soil and rubble transferred from Mt St Lawrence Cemetery, established in 1849, 2km away, to Mt St Oliver Cemetery, established in 1978.
Concerns have been raised locally as to how the human remains appeared to have been unwittingly dug up and dumped with rubble.
While initial indications were that the remains are historic in nature and not believed to be connected to any ongoing or outstanding Garda investigation, a Garda spokesperson said: “Gardaí are investigating all the circumstances following the discovery of skeletal remains at a cemetery in Limerick city on Wednesday 30th September 2026.”
“Enquiries are ongoing,” they added.
When contacted for comment, a spokesman at Limerick City and County Council confirmed it was “aware of the discovery of skeletal fragments by a member of the public on the grounds of Mount St Oliver Cemetery”.
The spokesman said the council was “assisting An Garda Síochána with their enquiries”; however, he added that, “as there is an ongoing Garda inquiry, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the provenance of the skeletal remains or to comment further at this time”.
The management of cemeteries in Limerick city and county is regulated by the Limerick City and County Council Cemeteries Bye-laws of 2015.