Gardaí launch investigation following discovery of human skull in West Cork 

Gardaí in West Cork are investigating after the discovery of what is believed to be a human skull in West Cork yesterday afternoon.

The discovery was made in the garden of a house in Eyries, a village situated on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork. The owners of the property were believed to have been doing some work in the garden when they discovered human remains in a shopping bag.

The property is currently preserved pending further examination, with the human remains, believed to date back to the early 1990s, having been removed from the scene for forensic teams to try and look for DNA.

Partial human remains 

A Garda spokesperson told The Echo: “Gardaí were alerted to the discovery of partial human remains at a location near Eyeries, Co Cork yesterday afternoon, Friday, April 18.

“The scene is currently preserved pending technical examination. The remains, believed to be a human skull, were removed for further examination and DNA analysis.

“Enquiries are ongoing.” 

Independent councillor Finbarr Harrington, who lives on the Beara Peninsula himself, told The Echo it was a huge shock to the community.

“It’s very unusual, I don’t remember anything like this happening before down here. Sometimes you’d come across archaeological sites over 100 years old, but nothing as recent as this. I believe gardaí are saying some time in the early 90s, which wasn’t that long ago.

“It’s quite shocking for the whole area and very shocking for the people themselves to find that in their garden. A garda investigation is underway, so hopefully that will come to a conclusion. If there’s a family missing a loved one, hopefully they can match this to some DNA on file and some family will get closure.”