Thieves cause extensive damage at Killarney golf club

Thieves who raided the clubhouse at one of the country’s oldest and most scenic golf courses caused extensive damage before making off with about €1,000.

Gardaí are investigating the break-in at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club which they believe took place between 4am and 8am yesterday morning.

The thieves attempted to rip out the safe and took €1,000 from a float, a Garda spokesperson said.

Detectives are looking at CCTV footage as part of their investigation. It is believed that at least two people were involved.

Club manager Maurice O’Meara said the raiders had caused a significant amount of damage.

“I would estimate that there is between €10,000 and €20,000 of what I would call nuisance damage, including damage to the cigarette machine, smashed windows, a smashed TV, broken doors, ransacking of the office area, as well as damage to the bar and the pro-shop,” Mr O’Meara said.

The thieves made their entry through the roof after lifting slates. Staff discovered the break-in when they reported for duty yesterday morning.

Mr O’Meara said it appeared the raiders were well organised and had a good local knowledge. He said they managed to disable both the alarm and the CCTV.

However, he is hopeful some footage will be useful.

Mr O’Meara said they were fortunate large sums of money are not kept on the premises. A similar incident took place at the golf club three years ago.

It was business as usual at the club which has 1700 members yesterday, although some facilities were limited.