Vandals target Cusack Park

GRAFFITI criticising next month’s visit of the Queen to Ireland was discovered in Mullingar’s Cusack Park last week.

The vandalism was close to the new Michéal Ó Hehir bust at the venue, which was unveiled in honour of the legendary Gaelic Games commentator in a special ceremony before Congress on Friday.

The wall had to be freshly painted in time for the event.

Westmeath County Board chairman Tom Farrell could not confirm the defacing of the wall made any reference to the monarch’s trip to Ireland. However, he acknowledged that the wall was vandalised.

“I don’t know what graffiti it was because by the time I saw it the wall had been repainted,” said Farrell. “Nothing happened to the Michéal Ó Hehir bust.”

The Queen will make a historic visit to Croke Park next month, some time between May 17 and 20.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, GAA Director General Páraic Duffy expressed his disappointment that protesters managed to gain entry into the Congress hall in the Mullingar Park Hotel on Saturday afternoon.

Duffy himself vacated his seat on the stage to plead with the Croke Park Streets Committee protesters to leave.

After a number of minutes, they eventually did but not without unfurling their banner highlighting their opposition to the reconstruction of the handball centre at GAA headquarters.