Gardaí probe arson attack on vintage bus museum

GARDAÍ are investigating an arson attack on a bus museum which is believed to have caused more than €100,000 worth of damage to vintage vehicles.

Three fires were set deliberately at the museum on the outskirts of Glanmire, Co Cork.

A number of fire brigade units fought the blaze and stopped it spreading, but they were unable to save the museum office and 11 British Leyland Tigers, formerly used by Ulster Bus.

Dr Michael Grimes, who runs the museum — the largest of its type in the country — said he couldn’t comprehend why anybody would want to destroy the buses, which were among 400 on display.

“It’s a disaster. It’s heartbreaking. I can’t imagine why anybody would want to do this. The buses are irreplaceable,” Dr Grimes said.

“The value of them would be well over €100,000 and the museum doesn’t have insurance for them.”

He opened the museum seven years ago and some of the buses on display date back to 1948.

Gardaí believe the fires were started between 11.30pm and 11.40pm last Sunday at the compound at Blossomgrove, Glanmire.

They have sealed off the area for forensic analysis and were yesterday studying CCTV tapes from the site.

“We don’t yet know if the people who did this came on foot or had transport,” a garda spokesman said.

They are appealing for anybody who was in the area at the time to contact them, especially if they saw anybody acting suspiciously.

“The place is about a mile from Brooklodge village on the Knockraha road,” the garda spokesman added.

Anybody with information is asked to contact Glanmire garda station at [phone] or Cobh garda station at [phone].

Picture: Dr Michael Grimes with some of the burnt-out buses at Kells Transport Museum near Glanmire, Co Cork. He estimates the damage at more than €100,000. Picture: Des Barry