Castleisland Gardaí are investigating a vicious and very personalised attack on several planted areas in the local community garden overnight.
CCTV footage from cameras in the area is also being examined for clues.
Attack Discovered
The attack was discovered by gardeners this morning and the plot owner arrived to find his produce in several areas of the garden had been pulled up and just left there.
Sickening and disgusting were just two of the words being used to describe what happened.
Knows the Place
The suspect pool is a very small one and the gardeners know that it was done by someone who knows or knew the place well.
“This was done by someone who has a good knowledge of the layout here,” said one of the gardeners.
“The vast majority of the people in here wouldn’t know exactly where any one gardener would have their stuff planted.
People tend to plant in whatever area of the garden becomes available and that way any one gardener could have spuds here and onions over there and herbs somewhere else.
Personalised Attack
“For that reason this attack was personalised and only one gardener was targetted throughout the garden and no other plots were touched,” said the gardener.
The gardener at the centre of the attack, James Herlihy was working to salvage what he could of his produce this morning.
Gardeners Puzzled
Potatoes and onions that should have been in the ground for at least another couple of weeks and months, respectively, were torn up with the kind of vengeance that left fellow gardeners puzzled as to a motive and to the mentality of the person who would do such a thing.
Community Garden – A Potted History
Castleisland Community Garden was founded in the spring of 2013 when funds were raised to get the project off the ground.
A piece of land was rented for a nominal sum from the Presentation Sisters and a poly-tunnel was bought and erected.
Two more tunnels have been added to the site since and a lot more gardeners are now involved.
There is a purely organic outlook about the garden and there’s a zero tolerance policy on chemical sprays or interventions of any kind.
Castleisland Garda Station can be contacted on 066 71 41204
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