‘Unsporting people’ blamed for vandalism

Graffiti on a new limestone monument in Johnstown ahead of Sunday’s All-Ireland final has been condemned as the work of "unsporting people".

For the most part, the rivalry on the Kilkenny-Tipperary border in the build-up has been in keeping with the good-natured pre-match banter of recent final meetings.

A couple of homemade signs have been posted in nearby Urlingford, with each set of supporters claiming their team will have the upper hand.

In the past, the “Welcome to Tipperary, the home of hurling” sign outside the village has been the subject of defacement. However, a number of signposts in Johnstown have also been vandalised with spray paint, the most costly done to the name-place monument. The damage is said to run to several hundred euro and may yet have to be sandblasted.

Restoration work won’t take place on it until after Sunday’s game.

“It’s been going on all over the county especially the border areas for years but never infringed on valuable property,” said local shop owner Regina Morrissey.

“Up until this year it’s always been on county council signs.

“We hope this is a once-off. It’s limestone so it will cost money to clean it. In all honesty, the banter every year we play is very good but there will always be one or two people up for a little bit of vandalism. They are not genuine hurling people, they’re unsporting people.”

Other border towns and villages such as Callan, Freshford and Mullinahone have not reported anything like what has happened in Johnstown.

Tipperary supporters have been more active in the banter stakes, with one company in Thurles creating a sign depicting Brian Cody lifted an ice bucket above his head instead of the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

During the week, Tipperary comedian Pat Shortt posted a short clip on YouTube jokingly kicking the backside of a faceless person wearing a Kilkenny jersey.