An almost 400 year old chalice has been returned to it's home in Leitrim.
The chalice known as the 'Muintir Eolas' was presented to the Franciscan Friary just outside Jamestown in South Leitrim in 1644.
After the invasion by Cromwell's forces, the chalice ended up in the care of the sisters of charity in Cinncinati in the USA.
Monsignor Liam Kelly, parish priest in Ballyconnell, Co,Cavan, and historian says the return of the chalice to Leitrim wasn't planned but was a welcome surprise.
"Initially I wasn't trying to repatriate it because I couldn't presume that it was going to happen but then last May, to my delight, I got an email from Veronica Buchanan in Cincinnati saying they were downsizing in the convent and they were looking for a new home for the chalice. I couldn't believe it. At that stage we agreed thaty the parish in Carrick On Shannon, the parish where the chalice began its life 378 year earlier, would become the new owners of the chalice".
