Arson attack on 200-year-old Tree of Life condemned as ‘terrible vandalism’
THERE has been widespread condemnation after an arson attack on a popular sculpture on Dublin’s northside.
Called ‘The Tree of Life’ and situated in Raheny near the Bull Island causeway, the intricate carving out of a dying Monterey cypress tree took sculptor Tommy Cragg nearly three years to complete.
But in a shocking act of destruction being compared to the repeated attacks on the Luke Kelly statue, also in Dublin, vandals lit a fire at the base of the 200-year-old tree in the early hours of Monday.
An accelerant was used in the incident, leaving part of the sculpture scorched, much to the dismay of local residents.
Gardaí confirmed they are aware of an incident of criminal damage that occurred at St Anne’s Park in the early hours of yesterday morning. They said their inquiries were ongoing.
RTÉ’s Joe Duffy, who lives not far from the sculptor, described it as “terrible vandalism”.
Councillor Christy Burke said he was “outraged” when he saw the level of damage caused to such a beautiful piece of art and hoped that it could be restored.
“When I saw a picture of what happened at 7am, I couldn’t believe what I was looking at and then realised what it was I felt my tummy tumble.
“It’s an absolute act of vandalism and only a couple of weeks ago we had the great Luke Kelly defaced again for the fifth time. It is a city out of control and how do we stop it?” he asked.
Dublin Lord Mayor Tom Brabazon also condemned the attack and spoke of his sadness at what happened.
“This is a beautiful sculpture enjoyed by adults and children alike, and
I want to condemn this wanton act of vandalism in the strongest possible terms,” he said.
“It’s so sad to see something like this happen. I would appeal to anyone with any information to contact gardaí.”
England-based tree sculptor Mr Craggs was commissioned to create the 10-metre high landmark by Dublin City Council (DCC) after the tree was found to be dying back in 2014.
It is at least 200 years old but rather than remove it, DCC decided to hire Mr Craggs to create a unique piece of art out of it. He used a chainsaw to painstakingly carve out the shapes of various wildlife and marine animals such as Brent geese and swans in a nod to the biodiversity that exists in the nearby Bull Island.
He said it may be possible to repair the damage by sanding it down.