Tipperary community left reeling after ‘mindless’ damage caused to local amenity
A local Tipperary community has been left reeling after an incident of “mindless” vandalism at a community facility.
Arravale Rovers GAA Club in Tipperary town are at the heart of the local community in the area, but recently, the club have found themselves the victims of numerous acts of vandalism over the last number of weeks and months.
Recently, a set of goalposts at the GAA grounds were damaged, which the club had fundraised in order to install.
In a post on social media, local Sinn Féin councillor for Tipperary town Annemarie Ryan shared photos of the damage, which had been “mindlessly” caused.
Cllr Ryan said that the damage to the goalposts is the latest in a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour at the GAA grounds, with the club now being forced to take action before any more damage is done.
The local GAA club have taken the decision to lock their gates outside of official training times an an attempt to stop any more damage being caused to the grounds.
"Lately there has been a number of anti-social actions resulting in damage to the grounds and facilities, so much so that the gates will now remain locked outside of official training times,” Cllr Ryan said.
"Their playing fields have always been a welcoming and open space for all ages playing hurling and football. All of the committees work very hard to enhance the facilities,” the Sinn Féin councillor added.
The local gardaí have been made aware of the incident, but Cllr Ryan is asking for people in the area to be on the lookout for any suspicious behaviour.
"We are also asking everyone to please keep an eye out and if you see anything suspicious, please contact An Garda Síochána Tipperary.
"It's a big space so we are relying on the wider community to help us in looking after our grounds,” she added.