Vandals use JCB to destroy graveyard

OVER €80,000 of damage has been caused to headstones and machinery in an act of mindless vandalism at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.

Intruders used a JCB stored within the grounds to smash a large number of headstones in the graveyard in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Cemetery officials say the vandals broke into a machinery compound within Glasnevin some time after 4am yesterday before going on a rampage with the JCB through the graveyard.

Most of the vandalism occurred in one of the oldest parts of the cemetery known as the “QC Walk” with some graves dating back to the 1840s.

“It’s most annoying and frustrating because we’ve spent a lot of time and effort in conjunction with FÁS to straighten headstones and plant trees in that particular section to create a mature woodland area,” said George McCullough, chief executive of the Dublin Cemeteries Committee.

He estimated damage to the graves to be around €50,000, although many of the headstones are believed to be irreplaceable.

“The vast majority of the smashed headstones represent the finest example of Victorian stonework and art,” said Mr McCullough.

The JCB, which was valued at €30,000, was deemed a write-off, while several trees were also uprooted.

Mr McCullough said it would be relatively easy for someone to gain access over the cemetery’s long perimeter wall, although security patrols operate regularly around the area.

Staff at Glasnevin are attempting to notify the relatives of people whose headstones were broken, although they accept that many of the families may now have died out or are no longer traceable.

Detectives from Fitzgibbon Street were yesterday conducting forensic tests at Glasnevin in an attempt to identify the vandals. No arrests have been made so far.

Mr McCullough said there was periodic vandalism at Glasnevin, especially around Halloween.