The Department of Transport has taken possession of an object, thought to be an aircraft part, which was found by fishermen recently near Tuskar Rock, the scene of the unexplained Viscount air tragedy.
The shell-encrusted object, apparently part of an aluminium engine or gear mechanism, was recovered from the sea by crew members of the Kilmore Quay trawler Angelina B. It was brought ashore on Wednesday night.
The skipper of the trawler, Mr Dermot Bates, said that the object had been taken into a net about 20 miles south of Tuskar Rock.
"What made us think it was an aircraft part is that it was made of aluminium. You would rarely see a marine engine made of aluminium", Mr Bates said. He added that the object was cylindrical and measured between three and four feet in length and about 18 inches in width.
The Aer Lingus Viscount crashed off the coast of Wexford on March 24th, 1968. The cause of the crash, in which 61 people died, has not been established.
The trawler owner, Mr James Bates, contacted the Department of the Marine about the discovery of the object. The Department alerted the gardai in Kilmore Quay, who took possession of it.
A Department of Transport inspector travelled to Kilmore Quay on Thursday and placed the object in secure storage. A courier yesterday transported it to Dublin.
Garda Jim O'Sullivan, who had responsibility for the object while it was in Kilmore Quay Garda station, said there was no way of knowing if it was connected to the Tuskar Rock tragedy.
The find came in the same week that Mr Ivan Yates, Fine Gael TD for Wexford, called on the Government to offer a six-figure reward for information leading to the truth about the cause of the crash.