Posters catch the eye of ‘de-facers’ and pranksters

ELECTION posters have always been prone to being defaced, damaged, or stolen at election time down through the years and unfortunately this year is no different.

From posters being stolen, defaced, or even cut out both local and European, election candidates have felt the brunt of this vandalism in recent weeks.

A defaced poster for Fianna Fáil’s Sean O’Donovan on the approach to Courtmacsherry. (Photo: Martin Walsh)

The Southern Star has already highlighted incidents over missing posters belonging to Green Party candidate Rory Jackson and Aontu’s Patrick Murphy, while Independent candidate Helen O’Sullivan relocated posters of hers that had been taken down in recent weeks.

Some candidates from the Bandon Kinsale area, including newcomers John Michael Foley (FG) and Ann Bambury (SD) had their posters vandalised with pink spray in recent weeks, in the Courtmacsherry and Barryroe area.

Other candidates who saw posters targeted include Sinn Féin’s Donnchadh Ó Seaghda and Independent Ireland’s Daniel Sexton, who had the ‘ton’ part of his name covered, in a juvenile act of literary vandalism.

The poster of Fianna Fail local election candidate near Timoleage was also damaged. (Photo: Martin Walsh)

Meanwhile, some councillors found it humorous that someone had gone to a lot of trouble by inserting plastic ‘googly’ eyes on several posters in the Kinsale, Riverstick, and Ballinspittle areas.

Cllr Sean O’Donovan (FF) even posted the ‘artwork’ on his poster online, and thought it was quite funny when he saw it.

‘It’s humorous and someone is going to a lot of trouble to insert the plastic eyes on all our posters. At least the person isn’t stealing or damaging them, and my followers online saw the funny side to it.’

Cllr Marie O’Sullivan (FG) also saw the funny side, and joked online that she has ‘made’ it after being one of the posters chosen for the plastic-eye prank.