THE HEIGHT OF MADNESS
Children as young as SEVEN seen running along top of a four-storey Clonard rooftop
CHILDREN as young as seven are risking their lives by running along the top of a four-storey building in Clonard Village.
A local resident took these pictures of children running on the 50-foot high apex of the Village Centre building, which houses shops and apartments. In one image, one of the children appeared to stumble and came close to falling.
The incidents were referred to Cllr George Lawlor who said the youngsters were risking their lives and action needed to be taken to prevent it happening again.
Cllr Lawlor said he contacted the owner of the property company which was managing the building who told him that an access door which had been left open by workmen was now locked and the building was secure.
One resident appealed on social media for anyone knowing who were the children are to contact their parents as soon as possible.
‘There were three of them, one boy and two girls.. if the kids fell from that height they would not surivive.’
‘The little girl was six or seven and the boys were 10 or less,’ said the woman, who asked not to be identified.
‘The kids had no fear on that roof, they were running on it.. there were loads of people out there. We were scared to shout at them to come down in case they lost their footing,’ she said.
Gardai said they went to Clonard Village to investigate following three complaints of children on the roof of the building on Saturday and Sunday.
‘Each time we got there they had gone,’ said Inspector Denis Whelan.
Appealing for parents to monitor their children’s activities, he said the incidents were being investigated and he expected the youngsters and their parents would be spoken to ‘very soon’.
‘This was a very dangerous activity,’ he said.