Athlone man's joy as missing cartoons recovered

Athlone-born cartoonist Donal Casey was reunited with 25 stolen framed cartoons this week after his appeals for help bore fruit. The cartoon illustrations were stolen from the Dublin-Athlone train at Newbridge on September 20. And on Sunday last Casey recovered all 25 framed originals, which are now due to go on display next week as part of the Athlone Literary Festival. Irish Rail CCTV footage had revealed that the theft had taken place at Newbridge railway station. The case in which the cartoons were stored was found abandoned by a local man in Newbridge, who later contacted the Athlone Literary Festival office when he saw an article about the theft in the Kildare Post newspaper. Mr Casey explained: "I'm delighted and relieved to get the work back. We just need to organise some repair work to the frames and we'll be ready for the exhibition. It was only when I got them back that I really fully appreciated what I had lost. "It is years of work, and I'm fortunate that this very decent Newbridge resident made sure they were returned. It's wonderful," he said. The cartoons for the exhibition, which will open in Athlone next Saturday (October 8) are all original works and date back over the last four years, a selection of which have been published in Magill magazine, and featuring well known political figures.