Vandals target Lismore GAA club
Lismore GAA Club was targeted by vandals on two separate instances over the long weekend, as windows at their facilities were smashed.
On the morning of St Patrick’s Day, the first broken window was discovered at the GAA clubhouse, according to a Lismore GAA committee member.
It is believed that the damage occurred on the night of March 16, as a rock was thrown through the doubleglazed window.
The second instance of vandalism was discovered on Friday at the GAA Community Centre in the heart of the town, where again windows were smashed when rocks were thrown through them.
Speaking with The Avondhu, a Lismore GAA committee member noted that both incidents have now been reported to Gardaí and that this is not the first time the club has been targeted by vandals.
“There was graffiti a few weeks back, some spots of graffiti were found on the back of the clubhouse. We’re worried about the Astroturf now, our new facility which is being kept under lock and key because we don’t know what they will do next. We might have to invest in CCTV to protect our facilities,” the committee member said.
It is understood that vandalism has been an ongoing issue in Lismore, particularly amongst youths and a number of local meetings have been held regarding the youth in the town.
PLENTY TO DO LOCALLY
According to a Lismore committee member, some have claimed that vandalism is occurring as the youth have ‘nothing to do’, however, he notes that this is ‘nonsense’.
“There has been a lot of nonsense about the kids not having anything to do. There’s an athletic club, there’s the gym, there’s the GAA and this is all provided through the Lismore GAA committee and the community. There is plenty to do in Lismore, you just have to become a member,” the committee member said.
Damage caused over the weekend is still to be fully assessed. However, the committee member noted that repairs for the broken double glazed windows could cost in the region of €2,000.
“It could be €1,000 to €2,000 for repairs to the double glazed units with the labour involved in fitting them. We’re not sure yet If the UPC frame is damaged and if that’s the case, we might have to get whole new windows fitted,” he added.
Funds for the repairs will be drawn from club funds which consist of monies collected through community draws, club lottos and donations made by community members. As the committee member noted, “every penny we get is from fundraising.”
“We take great pride in our facilities and have invested substantially in them over the last number of years. We much prefer to continue this investment for the boys and girls of our community rather than replacing windows etc., broken by vandals,” a statement from Lismore GAA Club read.
Gardaí confirmed that they are investigating the incident that occurred between the hours of 9.30pm on Friday, March 18 and 9.30am on Saturday, March 19 and that no arrests have been made as of yet.
Anyone who may have information in relation to the incidents is asked to contact Gardaí in Lismore or Dungarvan, or a Lismore GAA committee member.