A PARISH PRIEST in east Galway says “a bitter taste” has been left behind in the parish after thieves broke into the local church, destroyed the safe, and escaped with its contents.

Fr Declan McInerney said the well-planned raid had taken place on Sunday night.

The thieves made their way into the sacristy of Clonfert Church after entering the building from the rear, and disabling the church’s network of CCTV cameras.

They then used an angle grinder to take the safe off the wall, before destroying it to access the cash inside.

“It was basically money they wanted and they obviously knew exactly where to go for it,” McInerney told RTÉ’s News at One.

“It has left the close-knit community here in Clonfert with a a sort-of bitter taste especially at the time of year that’s in it.”

It hadn’t been possible to recover any footage from the closed-circuit cameras, he added.

McInerney said the incident had effectively “ruined Easter” in the parish.

He said the church had to remain closed between yesterday morning and lunchtime today, as a garda investigation got under way.

“Which again is going to upset people because they come here on a daily basis lighting candles.”

McInerney said a number of houses had also been burgled in the area in recent weeks.

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