New Quay principal appeals for help in recovering stolen goods

THE principal of a small rural national school, which was broken into last week has appealed for help in recovering what was stolen.
Gardaí in Ennistymon are investigating the burglary in New Quay National School between 10pm and 9am last Wednesday night where a large quantity of digital equipment was stolen.
School principal Carmel Thynne has said the school community has been shocked by the break-in and is asking anyone with information to come forward.
“It has been a very difficult week. We came into school on Thursday morning and saw that the school had been broken into but the steel door to the room in which the equipment was held was still closed so we thought at first that nothing had been taken. It was only when we went around the back of the school and saw the broken window that we realised whoever it was had got into the room. The glass in that room was frosted and there were bars up on it too but they managed to get in still,” she told The Clare Champion.
“The children were traumatised, the younger children especially,” she said, adding, “The community has been so supportive, parents have put it up on Facebook and people have been ringing the school and sympathising. The parents have been great in offering to clean up the room and do whatever they can.”
The items taken included 11 Toshiba laptops, a white camcorder, two Fuji digital cameras, a black Nikon camera and a small amount of cash.
“We are devastated at the loss of the children’s work, which was on the laptops. To us, the work they had one on hem is what is really valuable to us. The children had been selling fresh shamrock to the community and we collected that money on Tuesday and that was what was taken,” Ms Thynne explained.
“I would appeal to anyone who saw anything unusual in the vicinity of the school after 10pm last Wednesday night, or who might have been offered any of these items for sale, to come forward with that information to the gardaí,” she concluded.
Ennistymon Garda Station can be contacted on 065 7071020.