White elephant tusks which had been displayed at the Natural History Museum are to return to Burma.
Two ivory tusks taken from Burma 80 years earlier during the Anglo-Burmese War are being returned to Burma.
The Burmese Ambassador to Britain U Hla Mang received the tusks from the Marquess of Waterford whose great granduncle, Lord William Beresford, brought them to Ireland in 1892.
At 7 feet 3 inches long the tusks belonged to the holy white elephant of King Thibaw, the last king of Burma. The ambassador explains the historical significance of the tusks to the Burmese people.
These tusks belong to the white elephant, the sacred white elephant of the third dynasty.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 18 May 1965. The reporter is Sean Egan.
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