Trinity College Dublin to consult islanders on skulls stolen from Inishbofin in 1890

Trinity College Dublin is to consult with the statutory authorities about what should happen next to skulls that were stolen from an abbey in Inishbofin in 1890.

The decision follows consideration of the issue by the TCD legacies working group, which recommended such a move to the board. The university is also to consult with the people of Inishbofin on the matter.

The university’s legacies group is examining a number of issues including the absence of statues of women on the college campus, and the naming of TCD’s Berkeley Library after the celebrated Irish philosopher, Bishop George Berkeley (1685-1753), who became a slave-owner after he moved to the US in 1729. A decision in relation to the name of the library is expected in early 2023.

“The board of Trinity College Dublin decided today to work with the people of Inishbofin and the statutory authorities to find a solution to the question of what to do with the crania that respects the wishes of the islanders,” the college said in a statement on Wednesday.

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The 13 skulls in the possession of the university were taken from St Colman’s Abbey on the island by British anthropologist Alfred Haddon and Andrew Dixon, an Irish medical student, in 1890.

The crania were not stolen on behalf of the university but were accepted by it and used for teaching, including in relation to now discredited theories about ethnic personality types and cranial measurements.

The issue now facing the university is what statutory authority should be approached to take over responsibility for the remains and make decisions as to what should happen next.

Among the issues to be considered, it is understood, is the fact that the crania may have been above ground in the abbey because of a belief on the island at the time that the soul resided in the head, and that the head should not, therefore, be buried, in order to facilitate the soul getting to heaven. Burying the remains, which are believed to date from the 1600s, may not therefore be the most appropriate way to respond to the legacy issue.

Marie Coyne, of the Inishbofin heritage museum, said historical documents showed there was no doubt but that the skulls were stolen. She described the board’s announcement as a positive development but said it appears there is “still a bit of work to be done” before the remains can be returned.

She said the remains should be handed back immediately to the people of Inishbofin. “We just want to bring them back and bury them, after 150 years in captivity.”