The Bishop of Meath, Dr Michael Smith, has strongly criticised the fact that historic remains uncovered in Mullingar in 1996 have not been returned to the town from the National Museum.
Dr Smith was speaking at the reinterment of four sets of remains in the grounds of Christ the King Cathedral, Mullingar, yesterday.
These remains were among a much larger collection of remains discovered when building work on a local supermarket took place in 1996. The construction work uncovered a graveyard attached to St Mary's Abbey, which existed in the town from 1227 to 1539.
Scallop shells found on four of the remains indicated they took part in a medieval pilgrimage from Mullingar to Santiago del Campostella.
Dr Smith is unhappy that just four sets of remains have been returned to Mullingar, not including those of pilgrims who trekked to Santiago del Campostella. One of the scallop shells forms part of the Medieval Ireland display in the National Museum.
"During the course of the excavation, promises were made that, after examination, the remains would be returned to Mullingar. In fact, these promises were not kept. No response has been received to the requests for information on the remaining shells as well as the small relic found in one of the.
"This shell and the rest of the remains should be returned to Mullingar. The whole saga raises serious questions about treating with respect human remains. It also highlights an issue that touches many parts of Irish life - the view that everything must be centred on Dublin." Dr Smith said a site was prepared in the grounds of the cathedral to receive the remains.
A spokeswoman for the National Museum said yesterday it did not promise Bishop Smith the remains from the archeological excavation would be returned. "Certain things may have been said by individuals, but only the museum, and no individual ... is in a position to make that decision."
Ms Mary Cahill, the museum's assistant keeper of Irish antiquities, said it was agreed that the partial remains of four individuals, found not in an archeological context but disturbed and removed by the action of a mechanical digger, would be returned.
The remains being retained by the museum were found during an archeological excavation of the site and there was no agreement they would be returned, she said. "The remaining bone is considered important, archeologically and historically, and it is felt that it should be retained by the museum for further research."
Human remains deserved respect, but were also archeological objects, which were the property of the State, she added.