Heartless vandals desecrate popular fairy fort in village

HEARTLESS vandals have desecrated a fairy fort which is enjoyed by young and old in a local community.

Jack Byrnes, who lives around half-a-kilometre outside O’Brien’s Bridge has, for the last eight years, lovingly put together the garden on the banks of the Shannon.

It was initially the brainchild of his neighbour, Mark Ryan, now 12, who hopes to grow up to become a carpenter.

A number of years ago, the youngster was around at family friend Jack’s home with timber.

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“I asked him what he was making, and he said he would be making a fairy house. That’s where the idea began,” Jack recalled.

Jack says there is “disbelief and disgust” in the community at the selfish act of vandalism.

Now, he is pausing any future plans he has for the park until closed circuit television (CCTV) is in place.

The damage has been done in stages, over a f0ur to five month period, Jack says.

“Whoever is doing it, is doing it slowly. We don’t know why, but it’s not all being done together,” he explained.

Figurines have been split in two, thrown off their mountings, and some ornaments from the fairy fort have even been thrown into the undergrowth beside the River Shannon.

“At first I thought it was an accident, perhaps an overactive child. But then it began happening every two weeks,” said the former steelworker.

Jack added it is not so much the money - although some figurines can cost more than €100 - it’s more the time he has taken to put together the garden.

Below: Mark Ryan, the brainchild of the fairy fort, who is now 12. He and Jack make reindeer for charity at Christmas. (Picture: Adrian Butler)

“The work is intricate and takes time. Then it has to be maintained. Often after three years, the paint wears off and you need to remove the ornament, bring it to the workshop, strip it down, re-clean it, repaint it, dry it and put it back. That all takes time and effort,” he said.

“Even the entrance going into it, that is timber from a wood near Castleconnell. That took hours, days to make, as there was a lot of trial and error,” he added.

The fairy fort is enjoyed across the age spectrum, Jack said, and this is perhaps the most upsetting thing about the vandalism.

“Some older ladies come in every week, every day even. They’ll sit there in winter and summer, and they’ve said to me they love the peace, they love the quiet, they love the whole idea of the fairies, as they would have grown up with that when they were young,” he added.

“Then you have children who might have sensory challenges. They come in and see these colours, and absolutely love it. I’ve seen it myself with girls and boys. Once children know the fairy garden, then they will ask to come here,” he said.

Given Jack is located a half-a -kilometre riverside walk from the centre of O’Brien’s Bridge, walking to the fairy garden has the added benefit of a one-kilometre round trip, and the exercise this brings.

It’s something else parents have told him.

He said he never thought he’d have to install CCTV.

So far, he has not reported the damage to the gardai due to a lack of evidence.

But he hopes with the benefit of camera footage, he will be able to catch the culprit.

He is keen to acknowledge there are more important things going on in the world at the moment.

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“But this is local to us, and it’s children who are being hurt by it,” he said.

Jack is unsure as to who is responsible for the ongoing vandalism.

“If it was a child doing it, I’d feel really sad. But if it’s an adult, I’d feel more angry instead,” he concluded.