Ci der vandals attack De La Sal le premises twice in just a week

June 1988

DRINK- CRAZED youths hit the De La Salle Brothers in Wicklow over the weekend in two mindless attacks.

The first rampage was carried out on Friday night in the secondary college where the orgy of destruction was concentrated on the teachers’ staff room.

There they smashed college photographs into the ground, broke up French language tapes and threw them around the room and dislodged trophies.

The second attack came on Saturday night at the brothers’ residence, where the vandals burst open a bag of peat moss, scattered it over the brothers’ car and stuffed some of the substance up the exhaust pipe.

They also pulled up bedding plants around the residence and left them lying at the front door. Those who carried out the crime were obviously under the influence of drink as bottles containing a small amount of cider were found at the school.

School principal Brother Gabriel said he was mystified by the attacks and could see no reason why anyone should carry out a vendetta against them.

Wicklow town’s other major social problem, drinking parties hit an all-time high last weekend and were interrupted on several occasions by local gardaí.

This time some of the drinking orgies looked more like ‘sherry receptions’ than the usual cider parties, according to a local garda spokesman.

Members of the force confiscated a mixture of alcohol including cider, sherry, vodka and gin from youngsters who the gardai found were from every section of the community.

And the garda spokesman lashed out this week at irresponsible parents and publicans who allow these parties to go on through their complacency.

‘Do parents really know or care where their kids, both girls and boys, are at night and do certain publicans have any sense of responsibility towards our young people?’ he asked.

The spokesman said they would be watching pubs very closely as well and called on adults to be more responsible when asked by young people to buy drink for them.