Gardaí recover valuable Irish paintings that were stolen a year ago

Dennis Russell was out cleaning rubbish from his land in west Wicklow when he came across a black sack filled with expensive art.

The three paintings were found wrapped in plastic bags among shrubs and bushes.

The paintings, including works by Sir John Lavery, Paul Henry and Jack B Yeats, appear to be those stolen from a house in Co Wicklow past year.

However, they were all found yesterday at a location only a couple of kilometres from the house that was raided in Donard.

He said a fourth picture in the black bag was an unframed canvas.

All three were framed and “in good condition” although “the frame on the Lavery was a bit damaged”, he said.

“Any art expert worth their salt would recognise the paintings immediately”.

“She gasped when she saw me with them”, Mr Russell said. I looked at them for a while before my wife came in and exclaimed that they were fine art.

The couple then took a photo of themselves with the famous paintings, before calling gardai so that they could be returned to their rightful owner.

Denis Russell, who lives in England but returns to his family home during the summer, made the discovery at about 12.30pm while working in a field.

“I want to see them safe in some way”, he said.

The paintings may have lain there for nearly 10 months after they went missing in October a year ago.

A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said officers were led to an open space in the town of Donard after a member of the public stumbled upon the paintings.

During the course of the burglary three valuable paintings were stolen including works by renowned artist Jack B Yeats called The Fern in the Area.

No arrested have been made.