THE GROUNDS OF Crumlin GAA club were targeted twice in two days by criminal damage.

The newly-refurbished pitch in Pearse Park on Windmill Road in Crumlin had just last week reopened to the public, when a car was set on fire on the pitch in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Gardaí confirmed they had attended the scene of criminal damage by fire on the pitch shortly after 2.30am on Tuesday. The fire was extinguished and no injuries were reported. Gardaí are investigating the incident.

The pitch suffered signficant damage, with a large area of the pitch scorched.

On Wednesday night, the gates at the entrance of the park had been rammed and sustained damage.

The gates suffered damage after they were rammed on Wednesday night.

Local TD Catherine Ardagh told The Journal the two instances of damage are “really disappointing” and unusual for the area in recent years.

There are a number of community organisations and facilities operating in the area, including the GAA club, boxing, a pool and a community garden.

The South-Central TD met with representatives for the club on Wednesday to discuss a solution where club members can continue to play, as the pitch will be shut for several months as the city council works to repair the damage.

She said she was shocked to learn that there had been a second incident. “The gates are actually quite mangled now,” she said.

Crumlin GAA’s chairman Michael Cullen similarly told The Journal he was shocked at the two incidents.

“We’ve been here for years and there’s been nothing like this at all,” Cullen said. “It’s just unfortunate.”

He said it’s disappointing as the club has no alternative pitch and they’re trying to come up with other solutions. 

“It’s massively disappointing and it’s terrible -  a lot of volunteers put in hard work at the club,” he said.

Funding through the Sports Capital Programme is due to open in the coming days and it’s hoped the club may benefit from further investment.