Lewd graffiti at Skibbereen beauty spot

A COMMEMORATIVE plaque in the Rock area of Skibbereen has been destroyed with lewd sexual profanities, and once again the area has been strewn with rubbish.

The plaque was erected around 10 years ago by two local men in memory of volunteer Patrick McCarthy of the 5th Cork Brigade of the IRA who took part in the Kilmichael Ambush in 1920. He was was shot during the Siege of Skibbereen on July 4th 1922, aged 22. In recent times, and as has been repeatedly reported by this newspaper, the spot has been targeted by ongoing dumping. 

Our photos show this has happened once again,  despite members of the local Men’s Shed and Tidy Towns doing regular clean-up work in the area. Denny O’Sullivan was one of the local men who got the plaque installed and said it was a ‘losing battle’ trying to keep the area clean. 

He described the most recent incident as ‘disappointing and disrespectful.’

FG councillor Karen Coakley described it as ‘appalling.’ ‘This is an area that’s very important to the people of Skibbreeen and this act of vandalism is in very bad taste,’ she said. 

Cllr Coakley said schools were doing Trojan work when it came to educating youngsters on litter. ‘So it’s very hard to understand where this behaviour is coming from,’ she said.

Skibbereen resident Marek G Konopka, who brought the graffiti to the attention of The Southern Star, said it was a ‘disgrace.’

‘The Rock area is my favourite place to spend free time with nature on sunny days in the town. Lots of foreign tourists walk there as well. The place is probably mentioned in some tourist guides as a place worth paying a visit.’

In recent months it appears to be something of a losing battle trying to stem the tide of illegal dumping in the West Cork area. The Southern Star has, in the past two years, launched a campaign to highlight fly-tipping, but the problem seems to be getting worse.

Last week local photographer Andrew Harris sent us this photo of illegal dumping on the side of the road near Union Hall, a popular tourist village at this time of year: