Gardaí to be notified of graffiti vandalism at ancient passage tomb site

The OPW has confirmed that will be reporting acts of vandalism which involved etching of extensive graffiti at an ancient passage tomb in Sligo to gardaí. 

The National Monuments Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage was notified on Saturday of incidents of damage and vandalism at the Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Complex in County Sligo, a National Monument in State guardianship.

The etching of extensive graffiti across various architectural stones of a number of the 5,500-year-old passage tombs is being treated very seriously, as is the apparent collapse of an entrance stone to one of the tombs. 

The National Monuments Service (NMS) and the Office of Public Works (OPW) say they are deeply dismayed by this wanton act of vandalism.

The site has been inspected by the OPW this morning (16 October) and NMS will inspect during the week to prepare a damage report for forwarding to An Garda Síochána, asking them to formally investigate this criminal act.

They say such interference is a serious offence and can lead to significant penalties being imposed. 

The OPW and NMS say they rely on public support for the protection of the national heritage estate, particularly in being vigilant in reporting damage to monuments as with the vandalism at Carrowkeel.

“Public support is essential in order to foster greater understanding and appreciation of the need to conserve such an integral part of Ireland’s historic environment,” a spokesperson said.

They added that all possible efforts are made to protect national monuments, which is challenging where they are in remote rural settings such as at Carrowkeel. Climbing on the passage tombs and accessing them without permission is dangerous and is prohibited. There are signs on site stating ‘No Climbing’ and ‘No Entry’. These signs are replaced by the OPW when they are vandalised. 

However, they say the vast amount of visitors to archaeological monuments are very respectful of them. A joint OPW and NMS Protect Our Past campaign urges visitors to heritage sites to be mindful of their actions when visiting archaeological monuments.

The focus of the campaign is to raise awareness of the value, importance and sensitivity of Ireland’s archaeological heritage and to convey some key messages around visitor behaviour at monuments. A short guide has been produced and is published online at https://issuu.com/obair/docs/protecting_our_past