Tag Archives: vandalism

RECENTLY planted trees at a Clare burial grounds have been vandalised. The trees were destroyed at Ballycannon burial grounds in Meelick with their tops cut off and leaving behind only short pieces of trunk. Clare Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks is urging anybody who witnessed this destruction to contact their local garda station. She explained, “Last summer, at the request of concerned members of the local community, the burial grounds unit engaged a tree surgeon to carry out an appraisal of high and mature elm trees on the approach avenue to Ballycannon Burial ground in Meelick. “It was recommended to fell the elm trees as they posed a hazard to adjoining houses. This area was replanted using immature low growing Irish ash over a dozen of which were replanted by Clare County Council. “Last Thursday the Burial Grounds Unit of Clare County Council found that all these trees had been destroyed by cutting the tops off them leaving approximately …

MYSTERY surrounds the disappearance of the Fairy Doors that had been attached to trees on the River Walk, on the forest stretch between Illaunmanagh and Cluain Airne, reports Owen Ryan. The disappearance of the doors has disappointed those involved in making the doors, as well as the local children who enjoyed the installations. “We put them up there two years ago, the Men’s Shed made them, they were painted at the creches and the Tidy Towns put them up, said Derek Clune, of Shannon Men’s Shed and Tidy Towns. “We had to put them up fairly high, because if we put them too low we felt they could be vandalised. We had a ladder and I’d say they were eight feet off the ground and they were screwed in,” he added. He has no doubt that it is not a simple case of vandalism, because removing the Fairy Doors isn’t that simple. “It seems to me that whoever took them …

FRUSTRATION has been expressed over vandalism at an ancient site in Tulla, linked to a seventh century saint. Last weekend, locals discovered graffiti covering a celtic cross and ancient carved stone at St Mochulla’s Well, located close to the Hill of Tulla. It is the second incident in recent years and while it is not believed, locally, to be linked to the spate of disturbances and thefts at the nearby graveyard, the situation has caused significant annoyance. At the end of 2019, a huge local clean-up effort was mounted to prepare for planned celebrations of the founding of Tulla. “It’s disheartening that this is the second incident in two years,” said Tim Humphries, Chair of Tulla Tidy Towns. “After the last incident in 2019, we had gotten lots of support for a big clean-up in the area, ahead of the planned celebrations last year for Tulla 1400. This time around, it’s a bit worse because whoever did this has used …

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 …