Car painted in team colours set alight before final

A CAR painted in a top hurling club’s colours was torched yesterday, just hours before its senior team won another county final.

Gardaí were last night investigating the arson attack on the car, which was parked near the Sarsfields GAA club complex in Glanmire, on the outskirts of Cork city.

Sars beat Glen Rovers in the senior hurling county final in Páirc Uí Chaoimh yesterday in what was their third county final in-a-row.

It has been a tradition for the last few years for a Sars fan to place a car emblazoned in the club colours near Riverstown Cross.

The car was parked on a green area near the cross again this year in the run-up to the crunch game.

But gardaí were alerted at around 5.45am yesterday that the vehicle was alight.

The fire was extinguished but the car was completed destroyed. It was removed yesterday morning for a full technical examination.

“People are very disappointed and angry that this happened,” local councillor John Gilroy said.

“But the mindless vandalism of some little pups won’t detract or dampen the excitement for local people on what is a great day for sport.”

Gardaí made enquiries in the surrounding area yesterday and have appealed for anyone who saw anything unusual between midnight and 6am yesterday, or who witnessed any suspicious activity around the same time, to contact them at Glanmire garda station, or at the district headquarters in Cobh.