Gardaí are appealing for information following the theft of a bronze sculpture from a site in Co Sligo where WB Yeats is buried.
The sculpture was stolen from the car park adjacent to Drumcliffe cemetery over the weekend, and is part of a larger piece depicting a man contemplating the words of Yeats' poem He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven.
Jarlath Gantly, chairman of Drumcliffe Development Association, said people leaving a carol service at St Columba's Church just after 8pm on Sunday noticed the sculpture was missing.
He said half of the €30,000 cost for the entire installation was raised by the local community.
"For it to be taken in this manner is very sad, and we're very hurt by it. It's an important piece of sculpture for the local community, and as it is Sligo's kind of primary tourist location it has huge significance for us," he told RTÉ Radio 1.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Sligo Garda station on 071 9157000 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
