‘How angry we are’ over playground fire
The playground damaged from the fire in Kilnamanagh

‘How angry we are’ over playground fire

There is huge anger and frustration within the community after part of Kilnamanagh playground was deliberately set alight on Monday night.

The slide in the playground, located in the Treepark Road/Treepark Avenue corner of Kilnamanagh Park, was set on fire and badly damaged some time on Monday evening, October 6.

Speaking to The Echo, a local resident said it was “hard to put into words just how strongly we feel, how angry we are, at this”.

“Somewhere along the line, parents are going to have to start taking responsibility for what their kids are doing when they’re out at night,” they said, speaking to The Echo on condition of anonymity.

The playground had been a welcome and “positive contribution” to the Kilnamanagh neighbourhood and is widely used by local schools and playgroups.

As Halloween looms, Kilnamanagh is one of many communities across south Dublin bracing themselves every year for bonfire season and the destruction it brings.

Just a few days before the fire in the playground, another incident took place on the green space beside the playground on Friday, October 3.

This year, the local resident said, the dynamic attached to bonfire season “is much more toxic than other years”.

“We dread Halloween,” they said.

“It’s a small number of dysfunctional youths, the problem here is they know there’s nothing can be done, and they’re pushing out the boundaries to see what they can get away with.

The resident said they and others have been engaging with South Dublin County Council, An Garda Síochána and politicians at local and national levels to try to prevent incidents such as this.

“The residents don’t have any powers, all the powers on this are with the council, with the guards, and with the politicians,” they said.

“The guards will go down, they talk to them in the schools, but we need guards on the ground, bringing these kids home to their parents and making it real for them that this is what your family are doing.”

The council issued a statement on Tuesday, October 7 following the incident, calling it “extremely disappointing that vandals would target a children’s playground in this way”.

“The Public Realm team are working to repair the damage as soon as possible, and we are in contact with An Garda Síochána regarding the incident,” they said.

The rest of the playground, which was undamaged in the fire, remains open, with the swing cordoned off.

Anyone with information on this incident should contact the Tallaght Garda Station on 01 666 6000 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme