“Grow up and cop on” says Mayor following arson attack on park

Lord Mayor of Dublin Ray McAdam has criticised a series of attacks on Dublin City Council property by vandals.

“Over the course of this year, we have seen a deeply worrying pattern of arson and vandalism directed at children’s play facilities and community amenities across our city,” he said.

He cited attacks on playgrounds at Diamond Park in the north inner city – attacked in July and again in October – at Bridgefoot Street Park in the Liberties in October, at Sean Moore Park in September, and at Kilmore Park earlier this month of November have all suffered fire damage. In St Anne’s Park, the newly installed eco-toilets were also subjected to a fire attack in October.

“On top of that, Sheriff YC have repeatedly seen their playing pitches in Fairview Park vandalised, with bonfires set in the middle of the pitch around Hallowe’en – destroying the surface, cancelling matches and wiping out weeks of work by volunteers who give their time to keep kids active and involved in sport,” he noted.

“Let me be absolutely clear: this is mindless, idiotic criminal behaviour. It is not “a bit of messing”, it is not a prank – it is the deliberate destruction of safe, public spaces that belong to children and families, and of pitches that belong to local clubs and communities.”

“When you burn a playground in Diamond Park or Kilmore, when you set fire to equipment in Bridgefoot Street or Sean Moore Park, when you wreck a pitch in Fairview Park or attack facilities in St Anne’s Park, you are not “taking on the system” – you are robbing local kids of somewhere safe and fun to play after school and at weekends. You are damaging places that communities have fought for and that the Council has invested in,” he said.

“These attacks go to the heart of what I believe Dublin should be:

·        a Living City, where every neighbourhood has quality public spaces;

·        an Active City, where children and young people can run, train, climb and play in safety;

·        an Engaged City, where our parks, playgrounds and pitches bring people together rather than being destroyed by a tiny, thoughtless minority.”

The Lord Mayor said “I am in ongoing contact with the Acting Assistant Garda Commissioner and with Dublin City Council’s Deputy Chief Executive about these incidents. Gardaí and Council officials are working closely together to investigate these attacks, to strengthen visibility and reassurance where needed, and to support our Parks, Playgrounds and Sports teams to make these facilities safe and get them reopened and playable as quickly as possible.”

“To those responsible I say this: grow up and cop on. You are not impressing anyone. You are letting down your neighbours, your own younger brothers and sisters, your teammates, and your community.”

“To everyone else, I am asking for your help. If you have any information about who is behind these attacks, please contact An Garda Síochána. And as Lord Mayor, I want to assure parents, children and local clubs across Dublin that we will not walk away from these spaces. We will repair, we will rebuild and we will keep investing in playgrounds, parks and pitches — because every child and every community in this city deserves somewhere safe, welcoming and full of life to play.”