Tag Archives: vandalism

A TREE of Hope planted in Shannon Town Park in October was vandalised last weekend. The tree was planted by the local Darkness Into Light group and its chairperson Brenda Leahy was very upset by the vandalism. “Devastated, absolutely devastated. I couldn’t believe it when I got the call to say it had been damaged and there were kids seen around the park. It’s terrible.” Each year Shannon, like many other towns and villages, hosts a Darkness Into Light Walk in aid of Pieta House, but with that being cancelled, the Tree of Hope was planted instead. “Some people were concerned that it might be damaged but we said we’d go ahead with it, and hopefully it wouldn’t be. It was just to give a symbol of hope, it was some place for people to go and remember their loved ones or to reflect.” Having lost her husband to suicide, Brenda said the tree had a special personal meaning to …

GRAVEYARDS in two locations in the county have had Garda patrols stepped up in response to a spate of thefts that has been going on since the start of the year, Clare’s Garda chief has said. Addressing last Monday’s meeting of the Joint Policing Committee (JPC), Chief Superintendent Seán Colleran urged people to continue to report incidents and pledged that they would be fully investigated. Since January of this year, there has been a hike in incidents of theft and anti-social behaviour at Drumcliffe Cemetery in Ennis. There has also been an ongoing issue at the graveyard in Tulla, with a spate of thefts of grave ornaments and flowers, over the last nine months. The issue at Drumcliffe was raised by the Mayor of Clare, who voiced frustration with the perception that calls were not being logged. “Since January, I’ve been bringing this to the attention of the Gardaí and the local authority,” Councillor Mary Howard said. “I have found …

A sledgehammer is believed to have been used in suspected vandalism at John O’Sullivan Park (Lee’s Road) and calls are now being made for the introduction of CCTV cameras in the popular park. Councillor Mary Howard told a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District that “over the past number of weeks there has been evidence of vandalism on the walking trails.” “Since May there has been evidence of young trees, saplings and branches being broken on a walkway locally called Bluebell Alley, there was also evidence of large rocks being both smashed and removed from the trail. This is creating a very dangerous ground surface for trips and falls. This destruction was not witnessed but it would appear to have been done after the park closed at night time as the trail is well used by walkers and runners throughout the day.” She said the damage to the rocks appears to have been caused by a sledgehammer, adding that the holes left …

Íarnród Éireann (IR) has played down the impact of vandalism on the Limerick to Ennis rail track, after a rail engine was slightly damaged on Monday. IR spokesman Barry Kenny confirmed the 4.30pm Limerick to Ennis train struck a number of building blocks, which had been placed on the line. One passenger, who contacted The Clare Champion, claimed rail users were fortunate to escape what would have been a serious accident if the train was travelling at the same speed of a suburban Limerick to Dublin vehicle when it struck the blocks. He said the driver had to stop the train for about 15 to 20 minutes at a location across from the Moyross housing estate to examine the damage. “I could feel the train wobbling. You could hear the stones cracking underneath the train. If any part of the train had toppled over, it would have fallen into a flooded area,” he said. Criticising the vandalism, he appealed to …

CCTV cameras could be installed at Drumcliff burial grounds in a bid to tackle thefts, anti-social behaviour and illegal dumping. At this week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council, Councillor Mary Howard urged that the council investigate the possibility of putting the cameras at the cemetery. And she was told that Clare County Council is “examining the feasibility” of installing the devices. “Drumcliff should be a quiet place of contemplation but there have been a number of incidences and it has been going on for many years,” she said. She outlined that visitors to the graveyard have come back to their cars to find their windows smashed and belongings taken. “You often find somebody upset that their windows have been smashed when they get back to their car. CCTV is possibly the only way to go in dealing with this,” she said. She also detailed anti-social and intimidating behaviour by large groups of people gathered at the graveyard. In response to …