Horror as seven syringes and broken glass found on Tallaght pitch
By Aura McMenamin
A young player was left cut and bleeding profusely from a shard of glass left on a pitch in McGee Park, after drug paraphernalia and broken glass were found.
The under 15s player for St Mark’s GAA Club suffered the injury when he fell during his training session and cut himself on a shard of broken glass – shortly after the team had discovered a number of syringes on the field.
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St Mark’s Juvenile Chairman Gary Mahon described the horrific incident that occured on Monday night which saw a boy with a bloody leg.
He said seven syringes were found: “On Monday evening I was out training with the under-8s and under-15s team. My son and two teammates were playing and called me over because they had found a number of syringes. We popped them into a plastic bag and proceeded play.
“Later that night another player appeared with a bloody leg because he had skid on the grass and cut his leg on broken glass.”
According to the coach, the cuts weren’t severe and did not require medical attention
Anti-social behaviour in the Springfield ground is an ongoing issue. Mr Mahon said the common drinking, drug-taking and joyriding in the park has prevented some parents from letting their kids play on the field.
“It’s turning into a nightmare,” he said. “There’s grown men sleeping in that field. I totally sympathise with people having to sleep rough and I sympathise with addicts . . . but they’re leaving paraphernalia behind.”
There are six separate football pitches in Butler McGee Park, with the park and soccer pitches under the management of South Dublin County Council.
Sinn Féin councillor Cora McCann has family links to the 42-year-old club; her father Patsy McCann is the chairman of the club.
She told The Echo: “There have also been recent incidents of individuals defecating beside the pitches and taking part in sexual activity in broad daylight.
“The level of anti-social behaviour at the park has been increasing and it is completely unacceptable that children as young as seven are exposed to this behaviour.”
Cllr McCann said she contacted Superintendent Peter Duff of Tallaght Garda station and would be requesting Gardai and South Dublin County Council to attend an urgent meeting with the club to address these serious issues.
In response, the council confirmed that they had found syringes in the park this week.
A spokesperson said: “The unauthorised use of scrambler, motorbikes, joyriding and burning of vehicles continues to take place in this location – most recently five syringes were picked up by staff yesterday [Tuesday, August 29] in rough ground between St Mark’s GAA and Drumcairn Avenue. There had been a report that syringes were at the goalposts on the GAA pitch, but none were found.
“We reiterate that sightings of syringes should be reported immediately to the council for removal in a prescribed method.”
Following a request by Cllr McCann, 1.2m railing was erected around Butler McGee Park.
However, according to Mr Mahon, the fencing was ‘low grade’ he recalled seeing that somebody had cynically removed a section of the fencing and used it as a ramp into the park.
The council said: “A meeting was held between council officials and local club [St Mark’s] members and residents on July 4 at Fettercairn Community Centre. At that meeting the council committed to undertaking to repair the fence and consider ways of strengthening it in places to prevent further vandalism. This work hasn’t yet commenced.”
The council also confirmed that they were aware of recent sighting of a rough sleeper in the vicinity of Ashgrove, Tallaght, not far from Butler McGee Park.
