Relic

Any stay in Drogheda would be remiss without a visit to St Peter's Church. According to the pamphlet, the first church on the site was started in 1791, but the foundation stone for the current church was laid on 10 July 1881, the bi-centenary of the execution of Oliver Plunkett, Archbishop of Armagh, whose head and some bones currently reside with two reliquaries. This is the reliquary holding his head which despite some orangey reflection, can be seen in the glass cabinet. You can imagine was it was like for me and my siblings when we first saw this head around the age of seven or eight - creepy stuff!
The head still has a covering of skin, indeed Oliver's ears are very clearly discernible. Also, directly opposite the reliquary, is the door of his cell from Newgate Prison, where he was held for eight months before his execution.
To quote the pamphlet:
"During his time in Ireland, he worked tirelessly in the pastoral care of his people. At first he was able to work openly but later when the political situation changed, he was obliged to go into hiding. Even then, at great peril to himself, he continued to minister to his flock.
In 1679 Archbishop Plunkett was arrested on a trumped up charge of treason. False witnesses testified against him but even a Protestant jury in Ireland would not convict him. He was transferred to London and tried there for treason. In a scandalous travesty of justice, he was convicted and sentenced to death.
On 1 July 1681, Archbishop Plunkett but hanged, drawn and quartered at tyburn. His head was rescued from the fire by some friends of his and is today venerated here in St. Peter's, Drogheda.
Oliver Plunkett was beatified in 1920 and canonised in 1975. In 1979 Pope John Paul II visited Drogheda and prayed before his relic."Apologies for the close up of the reliquary, but I only had my 50mm with me and I was backed up against a wall to get this shot! As a friend once said, with the 50mm, you zoom with your feet!