Public urged to contact Gardaí if they see trespassers in Clonmel GAA Sportsfield in wake of vandalism

A GAA club has urged the public to contact the gardaí if they see anyone trying to break into Clonmel GAA Sportsfield after vandals went on a rampage and tore up concrete seating in a  spectators stand at the grounds. 

The damage caused to a section of the seating in the covered stand on the Albert Street side of the GAA grounds was discovered by St Mary’s Hurling Club members last Saturday morning. 

Photos of the wanton vandalism taken by the club  show the concrete seats  pulled up and brick columns   upon which they were fixed also damaged.

  St Mary’s Hurling Club PRO Hughie Meehan said the club was very annoyed at the destruction caused to the seating.  

“The damage was pretty bad. It takes a lot of work to do this. You can see some of the foundation steel that keeps it all together protruding,” he told The Nationalist. 

“Some sort of sledge hammer or crowbar was used to do this. There was pure intent. This wasn’t lads just drinking cans.” 

He said club members also found drink cans,  syringes and needles strewn around the area of the stand that was vandalised.  

He reported that  this type of rubbish has to be regularly cleaned up in the Sportsfield due to people breaking into the grounds by climbing over its boundary walls. 

 He said  the club holds a lot of juvenile training, games and tournaments at the grounds and they fea  a child or adult will someday be injured by a discarded needle.       

The  vandalism has been reported to the Gardaí and St Mary’s Hurling Club is liaising with its sister club, Clonmel Commercials, in relation to assessing the cost of the damage and getting it repaired, Mr Meehan added.