Graffiti in Nenagh playground

Concern has been expressed over an increased prevalence of graffiti in Nenagh, particularly in a playground in the town.

Raising the matter at last month's meeting of Nenagh Municipal District, Cllr JP O'Meara said he was alarmed to see racial slurs and swastikas among graffiti on the wall on a recent visit to St Paul's Playground. He pointed out that the playground has been used by three generations of children and said he himself played there as a child.

St Paul's has been a greatly-used amenity over the years but it is an “absolute eyesore at the moment”, Cllr O'Meara told the meeting. “There are some very good actual graffiti artists in town at the moment; maybe they could do something,” he suggested.

Cllr O'Meara also made the point that Nenagh is home to children from all over the world. He asked if Tipperary Co Council would be in a position to do something about St Paul's Playground.

District Administrator Rosemary Joyce said the council is very conscious of the graffiti at St Paul's and has engaged with Nenagh College and the local Tidy Towns committee on the matter. Work on a mural had begun in the playground and the graffiti was scrawled over it. A collective group of local artists is looking to create a new mural at the bastketball court end of the playground.

Ms Joyce described the vandalism at St Paul's Playground as “appalling”. She added that a “marked increase” in graffiti has been noticed around the town in recent weeks and she encouraged people to report those behind it.