Graffiti on Waterford's medieval walls and historical sites has been condemned by a local councillor.
The medieval walls located in the old Quaker cemetery in Wyse Park were defaced with Graffiti. The walls formed part of the old St John's Priory, which has been the focus of significant civic investment in recent years. The old stone arch and surrounding areas have been restored and the park has been revitalised thanks to efforts to use Wyse Park as a venue for plays, comedy shows and cultural exhibitions.
Local Fianna Fail Councillor Eamon Quinlan described the vandalism as 'horrific':
"Our walls are part of our history. A history that has stood the test of time, through wars, famine, neglect, etc so it is really soul crushing to think someone would take a self-centred opportunity to deface these centuries old buildings. Our ancestors built these to stand the test of time for future generations. I have informed our environment department within the Council and they are willing to clean off the graffiti. It should be gone in a few days. I will also be notifying our heritage officer in case there is any long lasting damage that we need to try and fix here.”
The damage was first identified by the top of the city community gardens, who help maintain the allotments within Wyse Park as well as the new gardens in St Carthage’s Avenue. Cllr Quinlan said their participation in cultivating abandoned green spaces around the city centre is seen as a shining example of Public – Council cooperation that has led to much faster reactions to combat anti-social behaviour in the City Centre:
"We have seen a run of graffiti around the City in recent weeks with the old cannons in the Peoples Park being defaced along with numerous areas of the City Centre. We are not short of Artistic Gallerys so I would say to these people that if they think their art is worthwhile, then why must they illegally force it onto communities. Worse still when they look to damage our City’s historical landmarks as nothing more than an ego boost," he said.
St John’s Priory was constructed in the 12th century and was adjacent to the Norman era medieval walls built around the same time. Wyse Park was gifted to the people of Waterford by the Quaker Community if the Council maintained it as a Park.
