'A scene of trauma and danger' - Horse found dead at north Dublin park
An animal welfare charity has described a "scene of trauma and danger" after a horse was found dead at a north Dublin park this morning.
The incident happened in Tolka Valley Park, Finglas where the horse died after its neck got caught in a fence. Following the horrific event, My Lovely Horse Rescue has hit out at a "system in collapse" and renewed their calls for a Garda-led Animal Welfare Unit and 24/7 emergency cover.
A spokesperson for My Lovely Horse rescue said: "On Bank Holiday Saturday morning, a grim scene unfolded in Tolka Park, Finglas. A man walking his dog stopped in disbelief.
"Against a fence lay a beautiful dapple-grey horse — lifeless, its body twisted and caught, suggesting a desperate struggle before its neck was broken. Nearby, other horses — including a young foal — stood silently by."
(Image: My Lovely Horse Rescue)
My Lovely Horse Rescue said multiple agencies including Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council and An Garda Siochana were contacted about the deceased horse. The charity said: "Meanwhile, local children passed on their way to GAA matches — confronted with a sight no child should ever have to see. A public park became a scene of trauma — and danger.
"The unmanaged presence of horses in urban spaces is a public safety risk. Parks, roads, and playgrounds are no place for vulnerable, abandoned animals — or for the public to face unnecessary risk."
My Lovely Horse Rescue said they are "determined to speak for those who have no voice". They added: "Ireland's animal welfare system is broken — and without urgent reform, both animals and the public remain at risk."
Dublin Live has contacted Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council and An Garda Siochana for comment.
Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
34 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Gardai arrest teenager in connection with murder of Irish Rail worker Ian Walsh
Gardai probing the murder of this Irish Rail worker have arrested a teenage suspect. The Irish Mirror has confirmed officers investigating the stabbing death of Ian Walsh at the start of this month arrested an adult teen earlier today. He is being held on suspicion of the murder of Mr Walsh, 49, whose body was found in a pool of blood at his home in Carrick-on-Suir on August 4. Sources have confirmed the victim suffered stab wounds. Gardai have been mounting a major investigation since family members and officers gained access to his house and made the grim discovery – and made their move on the suspect on Wednesday morning. The adult teen is being held in a Garda station in Tipperary and can be detained for up to 24 hours. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week Gardai confirmed the arrest in a statement to The Irish Mirror. It said: "Gardaí are continuing to investigate all the circumstances surrounding the discovery of a man's body in Carrick-On-Suir, Co. Tipperary, on Monday 4th August 2025. "This morning, Wednesday 20th August 2025, Gardaí arrested an adult male, aged in his late teens, in relation to this investigation. "The male is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda Station in the Clare Tipperary Division. "Investigations are ongoing." Mr Walsh, who worked as a signaller in Cork's Kent Station and was also involved in driving buses, was found dead at his home at around 3.30am on August 4. The relatives are understood to have gone to his house in the Cregg Road area of the town because they had had no contact from him and were worried. It's understood they also called gardai to the scene – who entered the house with them and also made the grim find. Tributes were paid online to Mr Walsh, known to his friends as Squinty, after his death. One pal said: "A good friend from day one, there will never be another railwayman like Ian. Rip Squinty." Another said: "Shocking news. A good friend to many in the job. Rest in peace Ian. Very sad news." And another said: "That's shocking news , Ian was a gentleman, may he Rest in Peace." His requiem mass, followed by cremation, took place in Ringaskiddy, Co Cork on August 12. Sign up to the Irish Mirror's Courts and Crime newsletter here and get breaking crime updates and news from the courts direct to your inbox.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Defence Forces lost stash of high-calibre ammunition for several months, official documents show
The Defence Forces was unable to locate a bag of high-calibre rounds, seized as part of an investigation into the alleged theft of military property by an Army officer, for several months, according to official documents. The apparent loss of the ammunition in 2022 sparked a major Garda investigation and a search operation in Co Kilkenny due to fears it may have fallen into criminal hands. The ammunition was located six months later in a secure area, close to where it had been originally stored. Despite this, the officer originally accused of misappropriating the ammunition was later sent forward for court martial on various charges. However, these charges were subsequently dropped by military prosecutors. The Defence Forces attributed the incident to an inadvertent error. Sources said the ammunition never left the secure storage area used to keep live rounds. The sequence of events is detailed in a series of official documents seen by The Irish Times and corroborated with military sources. The investigation into the officer began in 2021 when he was accused of a range of offences relating to improper possession of mostly historical military equipment, including rounds of .303 ammunition. This type of ammunition is no longer in use in the Defence Forces but has historical value and is still commonly used in civilian hunting rifles. The accusations against the officer related to equipment that was stored on military property and never left the base. During their investigation, military police enlisted the help of gardaí who searched the officer's home but found nothing. As part of their investigation, military police seized 129 rounds of .303 ammunition from Defence Forces stores as evidence. The rounds were divided into three bags. In December 2021, they were taken by a military transport to a secure storage facility in Stephens Barracks in Kilkenny. In February 2022, the evidence was moved to another secure storage area due to construction works. Later that month, a senior officer directed that the bullets should be transferred into steel boxes. Staff began to do this the following April while at the same time doing a routine check of the ammunition. At this point it was realised that one bag of ammunition was missing. Senior officers were alerted, as was the superintendent in Kilkenny Garda station, per standard procedure. The base was searched without success and a Garda detective sergeant was assigned to led a team to investigate 'the theft of ammunition' from the barracks, according to an official document. The Garda investigation looked into civilian construction workers who were on the base at the time as well as external security staff who were also on site. However, nothing suspicious was uncovered in relation to their presence. Investigators also examined the CCTV system at the base, which they were told had been damaged roughly around the time the missing ammunition was first noticed. One Defence Forces member told gardaí that in the weeks before the missing ammunition was first noticed, an issue was found with the system. According to an official report, clothes pegs had been inserted into the rear of the hard drive that records the CCTV footage in what an official said appeared to be an attempt to stop its cooling fans from working. In November 2022, the ammunition was located in a loosely tied sandbag. A staff member told investigators they believed they had inadvertently placed the ammunition in the sandbag during a routine inspection earlier in the year. In July of last year, days before his court martial was due to begin, the officer at the centre of the original investigation was informed the evidence had been missing for at least six months before being located. When the case began, the prosecution said it had difficultly in proceeding with the charges. Ultimately, the officer agreed to plead guilty to a single summary charge relating to the recording of historical equipment in military stores. The judge described it as a 'disciplinary matter' and fined the man three days pay. The officer was later promoted to a senior rank before retiring in good standing. A Defence Forces spokesman said it 'would be inappropriate for the Defence Forces to comment on the details of specific Military Police investigations'.
Irish Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Horse that collided with car during funeral procession is 'alive and well'
A leading animal welfare charity has confirmed that the horse involved in a road crash during a funeral procession is 'alive and appears well' as gardai continue to investigate the distressing incident. This comes after we reported last week how shocking footage emerged of the terrified horse crashing head first into a car as the sulky handler loses control of the animal on a busy Dublin road during the funeral procession of a road traffic victim. We also reported last how this incident has led to animal rescue charity My Lovely Horse Rescue calling for a Garda-led Animal Welfare Crime Unit empowered to investigate and act. The dramatic footage showed a number of people driving carts and sulkies with horses and several more riding horses on Colcult Road in Clondalkin, Dublin 22 near Liffey Valley Shopping Centre alongside a horse and carriage hearse on Monday, August 11. The dramatic footage shows a number of people driving carts and sulkies with horses Two other people on horses are seen galloping along the green verge of the road as a number of vehicles including a bus pass in the opposite lane of the road. One of the horses and carts then passes out the hearse as the horse canters at speed along the road - and a person on the cart is heard shouting 'No, no' and uses their hand to try and direct traffic out of the way. The horse and cart break a red light as the driver of the cart continues to shout 'No, no,' as it approaches a junction at Liffey Valley Town Centre. The horse then crashes head first into the back passenger door of a silver car that travels from Liffey Valley Town Centre. An almighty bang is heard as the horse crashes into the car while the driver of the cart shouts 'F**king hell,' before the video stops with the horse lying on the road. In a second video, seen by Irish Mirror, captioned: 'Very very lucky I was,' shows the horse with his head and face swollen and stitched up. A person is heard saying 'Appreciate that,' as they hold a container of medication. Another person is heard saying: 'He has a good chance of healing there now if you mind him.' Now, My Lovely Horse Rescue charity has said it sought clarity on the horse's condition following the distressing incident. 'Like everyone who saw the video, we were shocked and distressed by the incident and have been seeking clarity on the horse's condition ever since,' the charity said in a statement on Monday. 'While we do not know the exact location of the horse, we can confirm in the last 24 hours, we have had a live video call, from this we are reassured that the horse appears well and is being looked after. 'The horse looks in good physical condition, alert and responsive. 'We know the public are concerned, and we hope they can take a breath knowing the horse is alive and appears well. We hope that the humans from the car are doing well, it was an awful shock for them.' 'We would like to thank the members of the public who reached out to us and to other rescues, expressing concern for this horse. Your vigilance and compassion help keep animal welfare on the agenda and remind us why this work is so vital,' the statement continued. Earlier, An Garda Siochana has confirmed to this paper, an investigation is ongoing. 'Gardai in Ronanstown are investigating this incident and are liaising with the relevant animal welfare organisations.' The spokesperson continued: 'An Garda Síochána has Animal Health & Welfare Liaison Inspectors nominated in each Garda Division, who liaise as necessary with the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA), and veterinary surgeons employed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine to assist members of An Garda Síochána in their duties. 'Local animal charities also provide valuable assistance to Gardaí. 'Although An Garda Síochána is not the lead agency for animal welfare, we take animal welfare matters seriously and encourage anyone with concerns for the safety and welfare of animals in their area to contact their local Garda Station or call the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here .
