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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Alexandra Topping

‘Illegally smuggled’ cannon at Tower of London subject of dispute with Ireland

Tower of London viewed from the other side of the River Thames with skyscrapers of the City of London in the background
The cannon were displayed at the Tower of London and Royal Armouries with no reference to Ireland. Photograph: Lucy North/PA

Rare cannon allegedly smuggled out of Irish waters by a gang of British treasure hunters and acquired for a knockdown price by a Tower of London official were at the centre of a decades-long dispute between British and Irish officials, according to newly released records.

Irish officials made extensive efforts to convince UK authorities to return the bronze cannon after claiming they were “illegally smuggled” from a Waterford shipwreck and sold to the Tower of London.

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