Attacks on halls spiral
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
Edendork GAC pavilion which was gutted in an arson attack at the weekend. ej4670
FEARS are growing that weekend blazes at two Tyrone gaelic football clubhouses in Mid-Ulster may have been carried out in retaliation for recent attacks on Orange Halls the previous weekend.
Politicians were united in their call for "tit-for-tat" attacks to stop.
At the Council meeting held on Monday night, Dungannon councillors led by Mayor Maurice Morrow expressed their condemnation of the recent attacks on both Orange halls and gaelic football clubs in the county.
And this was echoed at a meeting of Cookstown District Council last night, Tuesday.
Police have confirmed that they are treating as suspicious the fires at St Malachy's Gaelic Athletic Club in Edendork on Saturday morning and at Fr Rocks GAA building on Convent Road in Cookstown on Monday morning, however at the time of going to Press they were unable to confirm if the fires had been maliciously started.
The clubhouse attacks come following an arson attack on Ballinderry Orange Hall near Coagh on Sunday 2nd November and a chainsaw attack on the door of another Orange Hall in Mulnagore, outside Pomeroy.
It is understood that a caller claiming to represent the "Orange Volunteers" contacted the UTV newsroom in Belfast on Saturday night to claim responsibility for the blaze at the GAA premises in Edendork. The "Orange Volunteers" emerged during the 1998 Drumcree dispute from so-called fundamentalist loyalists, but are not believed to have been active in recent years.
Some clubhouses near to those attacked over the weekend are now understood to be revising their club security. John Ward, chairman of the Rock GAC, has said all clubs in the area will be reviewing their security "as it could be us tomorrow night for all we know".
Stewartstown GFC has also announced it is to ask members to increase their vigilance in light of the attacks.
“We will probably start a rota now that the two clubs have been attacked," said club secretary Damien McConville.
The fire at St Malachy's GAC was discovered at 5am on Saturday morning. Six units from the fire service battled the blaze for four hours as flames swept through the premises, gutting the clubhouse and destroying the roof. The walls of the building were later declared unsafe and the entire building will have to be demolished.
Club Chairman Peter O'Connor has expressed the shock felt by the whole community in wake of the attack.
“Everyone is just in shock at the moment. It is very upsetting, this is a focal point of the whole community here," he said.
Debris from the ruins of the clubhouse had to be cleared from the pitch area in order to allow a relegation play-off match between Edendork and Pomeroy to go ahead on Saturday.
On Monday the club issued a statement thanking all those who had offered them support: " We would like to thank the support offered by our members and friends, neighbours and Edendork Primary School, as well as support and kind words of encouragement offered by all GAA and other sporting clubs and organisations in the area and from far afield. It has been very much appreciated."
The Fr Rocks GAA building in Cookstown was also seriously damaged in an early morning blaze on Monday at 4.30am. Fortunately the fire was confined to a storeroom and hallway however substantial smoke damage has been caused throughout the building.
It has also been revealed that a steel security had been removed from a fire exit in the building.
Speaking to the Courier on Monday Damien Harvey, chairman of the club, said that it is difficult to assess the extent of the damage caused at this early stage.
“The storeroom has been gutted and there's damage to the committee room and smoke damage to the building too. There was also a lot of equipment, football strips and minute books and records stored in there so we don't know yet what has been damaged. We're waiting on the structural engineer to give us the all clear to go inside."
He also added that the attack was completely "senseless" and while those responsible may burn the building and its contents, "they would never burn the club's spirit".
There has been widespread condemnation of the attacks. SDLP Cookstown Councillor Tony Quinn visited both clubs on Monday morning and has expressed his utter disgust at the attacks.
“Community relations are good in Cookstown and that's the way we want to keep things. Attacks on GAA facilities and those on Orange halls have no place here," he said.
“The message coming from Cookstown today is loud and clear, and comes from both sides of the community, that enough is enough. Attacks on GAA facilities and Orange halls must stop and must stop now."
Tyrone county chairman Pat Darcy also voiced his disgust at the events over the weekend: "A GAA club is at the heart of a community. When people try to destroy it they are taking away an important resource for that community," he said.
“Unfortunately this comes after two Orange halls were attacked and that too is to be utterly condemned as well. These seemingly tit-for-tat attacks must stop because they are getting us nowhere."
At the Council meeting held on Monday night, Dungannon councillors led by Mayor Maurice Morrow expressed their condemnation of the recent attacks on both Orange halls and gaelic football clubs in the county.
Chairman of Cookstown District Council Cllr Trevor Wilson has also called for an end to all such attacks while the Orange Order has issued a statement of condemnation.
It said: "We condemn all attacks on halls in our community without reservation, and we appeal for no retaliation. Retaliation is always a trap and the people who are burning our Orange halls will be the ones who are most pleased if misguided people from the Protestant community retaliate."
A police spokeswoman said they have increased patrols of vulnerable premises such as Orange halls and GAA clubs following recent incidents. She added that at this stage a link between the fire at St Malachy's club in Edendork and that at Fr Rocks GFC has not been ruled out.
