Thieves and flytippers have plagued Cork’s graveyards
The gate in Dunmanway(Image: Google Maps )
There have been a number of cases of theft and fly-tipping in Cork graveyards down through the years, but this latest crime is perhaps the most brazen, with thieves showing the height of disrespect to mourners visiting the graves of their loved ones.
Gardaí in Bandon have circulated an appeal after the gate was stolen from St Finbarr’s Burial Ground in Dunmanway.
Investigators believe that the gate was stolen using a vehicle, and locals have been asked to keep an eye out for it on online marketplaces. The gate may be being sold as a ‘unique’ garden feature or as architectural salvage.
“If anyone has information or sees it or hears of anything, we would be glad if you could contact Dunmanway Garda Station on 023 8845202,” Garda Frances Murphy told Patricia Messinger on C103’s Garda File.
Gardaí described the crime as ‘very unusual’, but sadly, this sort of disrespect is somewhat common in graveyards across Cork, which have been subjected to their fair share of vandalism and fly-tipping in recent years.
One infamous case in Carrigtwohill involved garden furniture and other junk found directly on top of family graves in Templecurraheen, with locals telling CorkBeo at the time that fly-tipping is an increasingly common problem in rural areas.
In Passage West, another incident was highlighted by local Sinn Féin Councillor Eoghan Fahy, who strongly condemned the disgraceful behaviour.
That incident stung particularly hard, as after the pandemic, a group of older retired gentlemen took on the job of redecorating the graveyard. In the last few years, they installed new benches, worked on landscaping, and maintained graves for elderly widows who were unable to do so themselves.
After all that effort, Rep Fahy told CorkBeo that the fly-tipping incident “felt like a kick in the teeth.”
He said: “To do this to any place of rest just isn’t right, but this graveyard has seen tremendous work carried out by locals. They’ve given up countless hours planting flowers, painting, cleaning and maintaining graves and keeping our graveyard in immaculate condition for us all to visit!”
Looking back towards West Cork now, Garda Murphy appealed for locals to remain vigilant after several other thefts were reported to Gardaí in recent weeks.
Garda Murphy confirmed that reports of stolen vehicles and property thefts are on the rise once again, and Gardaí are appealing to the public to take simple steps to keep their belongings safe.
The Bandon-based Garda warned that many people “aren’t listening” to basic steps to secure their homes and vehicles, adding that the majority of car thefts in Cork occur when keys are left in a vehicle’s ignition.
She said: “We all need to get more mindful… We need to get into better habits. Take your keys out, get into the habit of locking your car, and remove your valuables. The same goes for your house; make sure everything is locked up. It’s very simple to prevent these incidents from happening.”