Irish Jewels Mystery

Source:By Valerie Robinson Southern Correspondent
29/01/08

Latest attempts to unravel the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Irish crown jewels a century ago suggest the full truth may never be revealed. Valerie Robinson reports

The fate of the Irish crown jewels remains one of the great unsolved mysteries in the country's history - up there with the identity of the gunman who shot Michael Collins.

However, 100 years after the gems' disappearance, two main suspects remain to the fore - Francis 'Frank' Shackleton, the younger brother of Polar explorer Ernest, and former mayor of Canterbury and Conservative MP Francis Bennett Goldney.

One Irish historian is convinced that the jewels would be "too conspicuous to remain in private hands'', pointing out that if they were found intact they would be worth up to €6 million today.

The Irish crown jewels were the insignia of the Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick, traditionally worn by the British sovereign at the installation of knights of the order.

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