A community in Co Laois is appealing for the return of a stolen monument that commemorates the lives of over 30 young people from their area who died in tragic circumstances.
The brass and bronze sculpture cost over €30,000 to put in place and was stolen from the village of Castletown near Mountrath.
Gardaí say they have made some progress in their investigation and are in touch with scrap metal dealers in Laois, Tipperary and Dublin.
Local TD Sean Flemming called for new legislation to be introduced that would regulate the activities of scrap dealers and force the industry to be licensed so they can answer for the ownership of the material that was being brought into the smelters and avoid a situation where stolen property was being destroyed.
