Anger over theft of St Anne’s plaques

THE theft of plaques from a popular Native Tree Trail in St Anne’s Park, Raheny, is being investigated by gardai.

The copper plaques, mounted on small wooden plinths, are a key feature of the trail, giving families and schoolchildren the opportunity to learn about native Irish trees.

Clontarf ward councillor Naoise O Muiri (FG), who launched the trail in 2012 when he was Lord Mayor of Dublin, brought the matter to the attention of Dublin City Council after a local park user alerted him to the theft of some of the plaques on the trail.

In response to a question from Cllr O Muiri, Dublin City Manager Owen Keegan said there appears to be an organised group who are removing the plaques from various locations from Dublin City Council parks and in the process damaging the timber plinths they are set into.

“As soon as the theft was noticed in St Anne’s Park An Garda Siochana were immediately notified,

? said Mr Keegan.

“A number of the city parks where tree trails are installed have been targeted and in some cases all the plaques have been stolen.

?

Cllr O Muiri told Northside People:

“Vandalising the trail in this way is totally unacceptable and clearly the perpetrators do not have even one civic-minded bone in their bodies.

“They show a total disregard for the local communities living around St Anne’s Park.

“I will be working with the Parks Department of Dublin City Council to see if we can identify a durable solution to deal with this vandalism.

?

Cllr O Muiri added:

“I am also asking local residents and park users to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity in this regard to An Garda Siochána.

A local park user, who did not wish to be named, said the plaques were so neatly taken out of the plinths that initially he thought they were removed for cleaning.

“When I made enquiries, I discovered they were swiped,

? he told Northside People.

“It is very annoying and disappointing to see all this good work taken away. They are well-designed plaques and very educational. I wouldn’t say they are cheap items either.

“The council is now in a Catch 22 situation: do they pay out more money for replacements and risk these being stolen as well?

?

A spokeswoman for Dublin City Council said it was aware of this issue and has notified gardai.

“The council is currently making arrangements to replace the tree trail plaques with polycarbonate ones which look similar and perform the same educational function,

? she told Northside People.

“The material in these plaques would obviously not be as valuable.

“Tree trails are a fantastic opportunity for schools, communities and families to learn about native Irish trees.

?

The Native Tree Trail is part of the council’s Biodiversity Action Plan which raises awareness about biodiversity and protects and promotes habitats for wildlife throughout the city.