Human head relic going on sale in County Meath?

Sligo22

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13522546

okay so i assume BBC is a pretty reliable source; so the relic of a head of the patron saint of genital disease is going on sale (NO JOKE, follow the link). Okay am i the only one who thinks selling human remains, relic or not is wrong??? I just find the idea of selling the remians of a person....I dunno...its just....I don't like the idea of it!!!
Any one else any opinions on this??
T:eek:

solerina

It has already been sold for 3000 to someone in Los Angeles, the auctioneer was on the radio with Ray D'arcy this morning

Sligo22

wow didnt realise it had already been sold!! to a private collector?? or do you know?

slowburner

Surely there are laws against the sale of human body parts

Sligo22

slowburner wrote: »

Surely there are laws against the sale of human body parts

I would have thought so too, but I guess not!!! It probably is able to happen in this case; because of the fact in archaeological legislation in Ireland any human remains which are found on a dig etc. are basically also considered "artefacts" as far as the law goes!! Usually archaeological "artefacts" wouldnt go up for auction as any archaeological artefact found (pre dating 1700AD) including human remains is automatically property of the state (the National museum of Ireland)....i guess that they got around this by the fact that the relic has belonged to the family for over a hundred years and their ownership of it predates the legislation?? maybe thats just what i would guess!!!
Still i think theres something seriously wrong about selling human remains in any form....just my opinion!! doesnt sit right with me....and its not like im squeemish; im currently working on research of skeletal remains and spend every day handeling human bone....just the idea of human remains being sold...and money exchanging hands for it, is an idea that makes me uncomfortable!!!
The article just really shocked me!!

solerina

Sligo22 wrote: »

wow didnt realise it had already been sold!! to a private collector?? or do you know?

I dont know, I dont think the auctioneer actually said, other than it was going to LA....

Doozie

It all seems very vague. That there is no actual provenance or proof that it is a holy relic...
it's still crazy that it can be sold.
You normally read about situations where the ancestors fight to get the remains back rather than selling them on.

dr gonzo

I might be coming at this story from entirely the wrong angle but does it seem to anyone else that 3000 is quite cheap for the mummified head of a saint...? I mean, human heads are not really something i would enjoy adorning my home but if i was going to guess what one would cost it would be more then three grand.

Doozie

Dunno, whats the going rate? Would say the price depends on proof, proper papers or identifying marks....
Actually, yeah... it's the wrong angle to be coming from.

Sligo22

yea all a bit odd alright!! something about selling bits of a person for profit just does not sit right with me....