Rare canon taken from Tramore by British 'smugglers'
The Metal Man overlooking Tramore Bay, where the canon was stolen from.
A rare canon was stolen by British ‘treasure hunters’ from Tramore Bay in the early 1970s, according to recently published documents.
The cannon was taken from a ship wreckage on the coast of Waterford and was sold on to the Tower of London, one of Britain’s foremost tourist attractions.
The shipwreck was located near the Metal Man on Tramore Bay.
A recent article by Alexandra Toppings in The Guardian UK outlined how the cannons were displayed as a tourist exhibit in the Royal Armouries and Tower of London without any reference to Ireland.
The bronze canon, measured at 2.75 by 1.8 metres, was estimated to be valued at £30,000 in the 1990s. Publications at the time reported that the canon was sold at an Essex scrap heap for £3,250.
It is believed that the canon was bought by a senior Tower official who did not ask about its providence.
The situation led to a decades long back-and-forth between Irish and British officials, with the Irish pleading for the canons’ return.
In the early 1990s, the Tower of London officials worried that the canon could be targeted by the Provisional IRA.
