Dublin GAA club claims its future 'is in jeopardy' after joyriders destroy pitches
A local GAA club in Dublin has said its future “is in jeopardy” after extensive damage was caused to its pitches – for the second time in days – by so-called joyriders.
Photographs posted on their Facebook page show the scale of the destruction caused overnight to Croi Ro Naofa, based in Killinarden, Tallaght, west Dublin.
A car was set alight inside the club's senior pitch after it had been driven up and down it and the neighbouring junior pitch.
“The two pitches will not be playable until next year - it's absolutely soul destroying,” said Anthony Clinton, PRO for the club.
It follows separate joyriding over the weekend, which also damaged the club's two pitches. They posted photographs of that too.
Mr Clinton said that anti-social behaviour has always been a problem in Killinarden Park due to cars driven by joyriders as well as quads and scramblers “tearing up and down”.
He said: “But there has been nothing as severe as this year.
There have been 18 cars burnt out so far in the park this year and last year there was 17. Our pitches have been damaged four times this year and around five times last year.
He said they have around 100 locals using the club every week and have fives teams: a men's and ladies team, an U16 boys and U13 boys and girls.
“Our purpose is to provide Gaelic games to the parish and we can't,” Mr Clinton said. “We are here for the last 19 years and now the future of the club is in jeopardy.”
He said the U13s were training recently and there were scramblers and quads driving up and down the pitch at the same time.
He said, on another occasion, the U16s were playing a league game and local youths were using an angle grinder to cut through access gates so they could drive their car in.
He said they have contacted South Dublin County Council about putting in proper fencing or walls around the park.
He said the club's executive committee was meeting the county council and local councillors next Monday.
In relation to the gardaí, he said: “We all know they need resources, but we have two burnt-out cars here every month, and constant scramblers and quads, and there just doesn't seem to be guards.”
Mr Clinton said that fortunately their season was almost finished and would not restart until January.
“But we want to train, and we can't. This is our club,” he said.
He said the club had spent €800 hiring buses to bring teams for matches that were supposed to be at home to the away club's pitch, because their home pitches were damaged by vandals.
Mr Clinton said they had sought help from GAA HQ and received assurances they would try and help the club.
He said two other local clubs had moved their pitches from the park in recent times.
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