Tidy Towns group ‘devastated' as good work undone by vandals in Wexford laneways – ‘I don't understand why they'd do this'
In recent weeks, a whole host of new artwork had been added to the laneways and it felt like a corner had really been turned. It was why it made it an all the more devastating blow when Phil found out that vandals had destroyed whole sections of both laneways in graffiti overnight.
"It's clearly the same person who has done it in both laneways,' she said. 'I'd say it was last (Sunday) night. Usually we'd find out about these things pretty quickly and we'd be down there cleaning them up all the time anyway.'
Given the good work of recent weeks and the fact that Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann is rapidly approaching, Phil was quite emotional at seeing their efforts undone by a couple of careless individuals.
"I got quite emotional this morning about it,' she said. 'I just can't understand why someone would want to destroy the work we've done there. They painted over a picture of a butterfly on the wall that was done by a local child. They'll be devastated. They should be made clean it all off with a toothbrush.'
CCTV footage is currently being examined to catch the culprits, but Phil is all too aware that it would be difficult to penalise those involved unless they were caught in the act.
"We won't give up and we'll get things back right in time for the Fleadh,' she said. 'Luckily things like the mosaic etc weren't damaged. It's not the end of the world or anything, but it's just so frustrating. We had so many positive comments lately from people about the laneways and how they finally feel safe in them again.'
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Irish Independent
28-07-2025
- Irish Independent
Tidy Towns group ‘devastated' as good work undone by vandals in Wexford laneways – ‘I don't understand why they'd do this'
Along with local artists and businesses such as Westgate Design, Wexford Tidy Towns have been working hard in recent years and months to transform places like Fettitt's Lane and Roman Lane from no-go areas into warm and welcoming spaces. In recent weeks, a whole host of new artwork had been added to the laneways and it felt like a corner had really been turned. It was why it made it an all the more devastating blow when Phil found out that vandals had destroyed whole sections of both laneways in graffiti overnight. "It's clearly the same person who has done it in both laneways,' she said. 'I'd say it was last (Sunday) night. Usually we'd find out about these things pretty quickly and we'd be down there cleaning them up all the time anyway.' Given the good work of recent weeks and the fact that Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann is rapidly approaching, Phil was quite emotional at seeing their efforts undone by a couple of careless individuals. "I got quite emotional this morning about it,' she said. 'I just can't understand why someone would want to destroy the work we've done there. They painted over a picture of a butterfly on the wall that was done by a local child. They'll be devastated. They should be made clean it all off with a toothbrush.' CCTV footage is currently being examined to catch the culprits, but Phil is all too aware that it would be difficult to penalise those involved unless they were caught in the act. "We won't give up and we'll get things back right in time for the Fleadh,' she said. 'Luckily things like the mosaic etc weren't damaged. It's not the end of the world or anything, but it's just so frustrating. We had so many positive comments lately from people about the laneways and how they finally feel safe in them again.'
Irish Independent
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Over 1,500 gardaí preparing for crowds of 750,000 at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2025 in Wexford
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Calls for action as ‘chaotic intravenous drug use' has ‘taken a grip' on Wexford town
Once again, drugs paraphernalia were discovered carelessly discarded on the streets of the county town in the past week, an all too common occurrence which has yet again sparked some serious conversations. Independent councillor Leonard Kelly was made aware of used syringes uncovered in the car park of a local cinema, an area frequented by families and young children, while there was further evidence of drug use in Coolcotts as Solpadeine packaging was thrown around. "These are just a couple of recent examples,' he said. 'If you ask groups like Wexford Tidy Towns, they are encountering this type of stuff all the time. We have to address this problem and come up with concrete solutions.' Cllr Kelly says that, anecdotally, he's heard that Wexford is home to at least 100 intravenous drug users. However, he says he 'would like to get a handle on exactly how big this problem is'. Commonly suggested solutions are needle exchanges and safe, regulated injection centres. "I think we need to look at these possibilities, yes,' Cllr Kelly said. 'I understand it's a divisive issue. We would need to look at all the sensitivities around it and it would have to be very controlled. We'd also have to look at the potential impacts of placing these centres in marginalised communities, which may exacerbate existing issues.' Regardless, Cllr Kelly feels that action needs to be taken on a problem that's 'taking a grip on our town'. "We can't have discarded syringes in family spaces where kids are running around,' he said. 'There's a health issue and a criminal issue at play here. We can't afford to ignore this issue any longer.'
