AN ARSON ATTACK on a children’s park in Artane in north county Dublin has been condemned as “disgraceful” by two local TDs.

McAuley Park was subject to the arson attack and further vandalism on Monday night.

Dublin Bay North TDs Tom Brabazon and Barry Heneghan said the damage was unacceptable.

Locals spent a number of years campaigning for McAuley Park to be constructed, Brabazon said, and the park has been in use for around 12 months.

The targeting of the amenity is “deeply upsetting for local families”, he said.

“The community is disgusted by this. Residents take enormous pride in their local area and facilities like this are hard won and deeply appreciated.

“Those responsible for this behaviour have shown complete disregard for the local community and for the children who rely on these facilities.”

The area is not covered by CCTV.

Heneghan said the damage shows there’s a need for CCTV to be installed in the area to act as a deterrent for vandalism and anti-social behaviour.

At the park earlier today, the TD was accompanied by local councillor Kevin Breen, who said the council would be repairing the playground.

Barry Heneghan Barry Heneghan

Brabazon similarly said he doesn’t see a reason why CCTV couldn’t be installed, although he cautioned that it “won’t always give you what you need” as it’s common for perpetrators of this type of behaviour to cover their faces.

While the area has previously seen vandalism, Brabazon told The Journal there’s been a turnover in the area’s population, with numerous young couples with young children moving into the area.

“There was a lot of great excitement to the buildup of its installation,” he said. “And it’s hardly there 12 months and we see this happening.”

Playgrounds have been targeted in other parts of the city – one in Oscar Traynor Park in Coolock was subject to a serious arson attack in November of last year, and a playground in Diamond Park set alight on Halloween had repairs estimated at around €300,000. 

Public toilets in St Anne’s Park Raheny were vandalised within a week of installation in October last year.

“It seems to be this kind of youth delinquency,” Brabazon said. Community gardaí have said there appears to be groups of youth moving around different parts of the area, making it difficult to identify the culprits behind the various attacks, he said.

McAuley Park is surrounded by schools, a youth centre, and housing.

“It’s a fairly busy link road around the green where the park is – you would’ve thought it would be well self-policed,” he continued, adding that while anti-social behaviour was more prominent in the area a number of years ago, it had appeared to settle down.

“It’s really disappointing to see this kind of regression.”

Gardaí have been asked for comment on its investigation.