Robbed cars driven at animal volunteers in Clondalkin
By Brendan Grehan
“IT’S A HORRIBLE place, I hate it. Two of our volunteers were nearly killed two weeks ago when two robbed cars were driven at them.”
Martina Kenny from My Lovely Horse says she is surprised that nobody has been killed in the Clonburris Lands in Clondalkin.
She says: “There must be 20 abandoned cars there. People use the area to take drugs and to drive stolen cars around it.”
The area is also used by people from Tallaght, Clondalkin and Ballyfermot to abandon their horses there.
Volunteers from My Lovely Horse visit the lands on a daily basis to keep an eye on the horses abandoned there. Martina says the volunteers are regularly intimidated at Clonburris by local youths.
She said: “ They come up to our volunteers and call them do-gooders who come from other areas to make things better. But a lot of our volunteers are from Clondalkin. The kids who are causing the problems are from Clondalkin also.”
Local councillor Francis Timmons has called on South Dublin County Council to enforce the Control of Horses Acts and the by-laws. He had a motion recently passed by SDCC calling for this but they have failed to act.
He told The Echo: “I had a motion passed at SDCC but sadly despite full agreement there has been little real action in regards to the motion. There was much debate at that council meeting and everyone agreed there needs to be action. I have not been given any update as yet. I have also asked for entrances to the lands to be secured so that people can’t enter the lands, but this has not yet happened.”
The Clonburris Lands are a special development zone (sdz) and have great potential to be developed.
Sinn Féin TD for Dublin Mid west Eoin Ó Broin has written to Garda Superintendent Brendan Connolly and SDCC Manager Danny McLoughlin about the high level of anti-social behaviour on public and private lands in Clonburris.
Deputy Ó Broin said:”Anti-social behaviour on the Clonburris lands has been ongoing for some time. I receive regular reports of maltreatment of horses and reckless driving and burning of cars on this land. I have previously raised these issues with senior management in South Dublin County Council and the Gardai. Unfortunately the situation has continued to deteriorate.”
He says he has written to Supt Connolly requesting a meeting.
He added: “As much of this land is indebted to NAMA, that body also has a role. In addition to writing to them myself, I have asked the Council to raise the matter with them formally. The anti-social behaviour on the Clonburris land has a negative impact on the local communities of Bawnogue and Balgaddy. It is also unacceptable to see horses treated in the way they are at this location.”
My Lovely Horse has asked anyone who has photos and videos of horses being abandoned in Clonburris or in the wider county to send them to info@sdublincoco.ie.
The Echo contacted South Dublin County Council about the ongoing problems at Clonburris but they did not respond as we went to press.
