Bandstand destroyed by vandals in Peoples Park, Waterford

Master and commander

Hi all
Just on here to vent my frustration at the mindless act of vandalism committed (presumably) by youth in the peoples park at the end of may. I was there with my GF a day or two after it took place and i was fuming at the sight. The vandals smashed and broke down the ornate wrought iron railings sorrounding the beautiful bandstand in the centre of the park. I always thought the park/dunmore rd. area was a good area and never imagined the yobs would target this amenity. They should be ashamed of themselves, and they or their parents should be made to pay the cost of a PROPER repair. The area was strewn with beer and cider cans next morning when the damage was discovered. The inclusion of the skate park since the park's redevelopment i think now was a mistake as it tends to attract all sorts of undesireables who hang out threre after dark to inject. I think vandalism in the city has gotten worse recently , even the new flood walls on the quay have marker graffiti all over them and the wooden rail is damaged. They have no respect even for their own city. Scum. Absolute filth. Why can't they confine their destructive activities to their own council estate at least and leave they rest of the city's amenities alone?
Although it is now "repaired" by the council, they have done a less than perfect job on the restoration. The welds on the railing are very lumpy and rough, and there are lots of grinding marks. Also they have included a modern box iron on top of the railing for strength. A complete disregard for maintaining the original appearance and materials is evident in their use of modern stock bar in their so called repair. This is a totally botched restoration and they also should be ashamed of themselves. The painting that was done also looks distinctly amatuer, with lots of missed bits, streaks, and runs.

On a side note, radom violence has also made an increase - we were wlking down o connel street there last week and a bunch of "tracksuit-tucked-into-socks" types passed us and one of them shouldered me, and then started shouting "u wanna fight" and "come on, come on". We just kept going. No point confronting these types as you'd just end up getting stabbed with a blood filled syringe or something.I almost felt like getting sick at how low some of them have got. These people are piss. Waste

Joe blogger

absolutely apalling stuff

was down there the following day myself and was shocked by those scenes

however.... to say i am mildly irked by your suggestion that the skate park is responsible would be a gross understatement

unless a number of posters on here agree that those kids were involved, we tend not to take this as fact

you will need to back up your accusations.

Master and commander

The waterford today paper has a very good article on the damage and there is another one from waterford news and star.

http://www.waterford-news.ie/news/mhojaugbsn/
http://www.waterford-today.ie/waterford-today-news/12880-bandstand-vandalised-in-peoples-park-12880.html

Master and commander

The reason i accused the skatepark as being a contributing factor is that a lot of the yobs hang out there after dark drinking and what not and the moring after the vandalism, the guards made an arrest of three youths in the vicinity of it. I'm just joining the dots here, but i could be mistaken.

MitchKoobski

Master and commander wrote: »

Yeah its wierd having yer bollix come up at random in a converstation.

Thats Boards.ie for ya.

seanybiker

On topic though. I didn't see the repairs that where done to it but by the sounds of it it's horrible. A quick botch job is horrible since the bandstand has there forever.

calvin_zola

wtf is going on here

Joe blogger

cheers master and commander

i tried sending you a pm but it is showing as a new thread for me

i have asked ziedth the moderator to fix this up for me in another thread

i have a lot to learn about boards.ie it seems lol

i hope he can move it to the correct section

i really wish gscully would remove his quote now it is very unfair on me

abouttobebanned

Some pain in the balls alright

MitchKoobski

I don't think they even went anywhere with it. I heard that those they did find were let off with a "First time for this sort of thing, don't let it happen again."

Then again I could have been fed bull, but It's been over a month now with no update at all from the Gardaí.

ziedth

Mod Note:

I have cleaned up the thread for the most part or anything to do with testicles. Joe Blogger I'll give you the benefit of the doubt as it's a lovely sunny day. Use the PM function (like I mentioned on the boxing thread) for any such things in the future. Cheers.

Cabaal

ffs what the f*ck is wrong with people that they'd do that to the bandstand,

Repairing by the council is all fine and well but they certainly should be keeping it in style and not making a balls of it.

abouttobebanned

Cabaal wrote: »

ffs what the f*ck is wrong with people that they'd do that to the bandstand,

Repairing by the council is all fine and well but they certainly should be keeping it in style and not making a balls of it.

next

I did see the repair job and have to say they did a very good job in quick time and as for " quote " "First time for this sort of thing, don't let it happen again."
I think its a case of who did it and not a first time thing .
in my view they should have been named and shamed

ziedth

I took the liberty of editing your post. please don't post up rumors of where the vandals may have been from as you can imagine it doesn't look the best. Cheers

Now, I must say that I thik you are WAY off the mark with mentioning skaters. In my experience these young lads are all fairly well off and I have never seen a bit of trouble from any of them. sure I can imagine the skate parks maight drag in some dodgy people but the 14/16 year old lads who do what they do during the day i'd imagine have very little to do with this.

old gregg

I'm 100% with ziedth on this one. As a teenager in Aus back in the 60s I skated, my kids both skated in Waterford and I'd know a fair few of the kids who've skated over the last 10 years. Pretty much all good people who are as disgusted at the vandalism as the rest of us.

Unfortunately, the bandstand has been a handy area for scumbags to congregate after dark as is the skate park area. But, the same types of scumbags walk through red square and you can hardly blame everyone who also walks through red square of being a scumbag.

Master and commander

Edited post
They (The Munster express) are saying/alleging that it could have been fellas from a the ******* . The Munster express says that witnesses reported seeing students having a large party all afternoon. You'd think peple from somewhere like *******would have a little more class and repect (its a *** for more well off types) for property than your average council estate skanger...... alas, they dont.
Too much of this carry on nowadays.
I remember not too long ago too, the benches down by the plaza on the quay had the glass smashed on many of them. Did they get anyone for this?
The Tall ships is this weekend I just hope to god that the scobies can keep out of trouble and hold off on tarnishing the name of waterford further and making a bad impression on tourist and visitors who we o desparately need to keep our town alive.

Does anyone else have any stories of antisocial activity around the city?

Another photo of the shocking and wanton destruction

PS. I'm not accusing the skaters of the vandalism in either case, i'm just saying that they often hang out in these locations. Your right they are generally of a better class than the type that would be getting up to vandalism. I've never seen them cause any trouble either. It's just that in the night time (especially in the park) there can be a different dodgy crowd hangging around there too.

ziedth

Master and commander wrote: »

Edited post
They are saying that it could have been fellas from <snip>. The Munster express says that witnesses reported seeing students having a large party all afternoon. You'd think peple from somewhere like <snip> would have a little more class and repect for property than your average council estate skanger...... alas, they dont.
Too much of this carry on nowadays.
I remember not too long ago too, the benches down by the plaza on the quay had the glass smashed on many of them. Did they get anyone for this?
The Tall ships is this weekend I just hope to god that the scobies can keep out of trouble and hold off on tarnishing the name of waterford further and making a bad impression on tourist and visitors who we o desparately need to keep our town alive.

Does anyone else have any stories of antisocial activity around the city?

Another photo of the shocking and wanton destruction

PS. I'm not accusing the skaters of the vandalism in either case, i'm just saying that they often hang out in these locations. Your right they are generally of a better class than the type that would be getting up to vandalism. It's just that in the night time (especially in the park) there can be a different dodgy crowd hangging around there too.

I just edited your post again, please don't put up where you think the vandals were from without a link to a website that names the school being responsible for the vandalism. We don't post anything like that up here unless you can link to it. BTW you don't have to keep deleting your posts, there is an edit function

Master and commander

Yeah i know. I was editing it but then somehow i did something and there were two versions of the post, so i deleted it and reposted an edited version. Sorry about that.

Master and commander

old gregg wrote: »

Unfortunately, the bandstand has been a handy area for scumbags to congregate after dark as is the skate park area. But, the same types of scumbags walk through red square and you can hardly blame everyone who also walks through red square of being a scumbag.

Definitely, I remember before the park was revamped there a few years ago that down in that area behind the bandstand and bordering Park Rd. (Where the skate park is now) used to be a right spot for scumbags during the night time. There used to be one isolated black plastic picnic table/bench there also and it was all burnt/melted and always sorrounded by cheap beer cans and stuff. The GF told that it was a dangerous spot after dark and years ago she saw someone bing bet up there by a crowd as she was walking home after a night out.
I think it looks alot better now but the scum still come there at night. They turned the old running/cycling track into a football field - i wouldn't fancy doin a sliding tackle there tho, who know how much broken glass or how many syringe needles have become mixed in with the soil over time.

deisedave

Master and commander wrote: »

Definitely, I remember before the park was revamped there a few years ago that down in that area behind the bandstand and bordering Park Rd. (Where the skate park is now) used to be a right spot for scumbags during the night time. There used to be one isolated black plastic picnic table/bench there also and it was all burnt/melted and always sorrounded by cheap beer cans and stuff. The GF told that it was a dangerous spot after dark and years ago she saw someone bing bet up there by a crowd as she was walking home after a night out.
I think it looks alot better now but the scum still come there at night. They turned the old running/cycling track into a football field - i wouldn't fancy doin a sliding tackle there tho, who know how much broken glass or how many syringe needles have become mixed in with the soil over time.

Jesh Waterford has it's share of trouble like every where else but my god man up, Waterford is still one of least scummy towns in Ireland. The way your going on I dont think you would survive in (Cork, Limerick, Dublin) etc. Waterford is not nearly as bad as a lot of some people on boards make it out to be.;)

Beerholder

OP, you shouldn't get so worked up over things like this, for your own good....

Things like this happen from time to time, even in rural areas...just a fact of life

Master and commander

I wouldn't say every town has it. I live between Chair, Co.Tipperary and Waterford and i can say that i have never come across this level of vandalism in my time in Cahir, altough it may not be far off because there are a lot more dodgy character haning around than when i was in school.
Clonmel - yes thats bad
Carrrcik on suir - bad aswell

The only reason i'm getting worked up is because waterford is a nice city and amenities like the park and plaza were never attacked before now, so it just seems as if things are getting worse and i think the authorities should be nipping this in the bud.
This "First time for this type of thing, dont do it again" type attitude makes me feel like getting sick though, they are not 4 year olds, they knew it was wrong. Surely even they are capable of understanding the right/wrong concept, and thus they should be made pay/imprisonment or both and face the consequences of their actions.

Whatever about vandalising a toilet cubicle or school desk, doing it to a historic building is going to far. If i had my way the little twerps would be tied to it and horse whipped for half an hour!

Joe blogger

strong words master and commander

do you think horse whipping should be introduced as punishment for all types of crime or just vandalism

MitchKoobski

Some people pay to be tied up and whipped like a horse for an hour.

I don't think it'll work as a deterrent....

Cabaal

Beerholder wrote: »

OP, you shouldn't get so worked up over things like this, for your own good....

Things like this happen from time to time, even in rural areas...just a fact of life

In fairness the OP is right to be pissed off about this, people making **** of perfectly good public amenities is completely unacceptable

Nobody should have to put up with any of it

deisedave

I for one feel safe walking around Waterford, Which I would not feel really safe walking around Dublin, Limerick or Clonmel to name a few city and towns. Yes Waterford has it's small bit of trouble now and again, but that's just life, obviously if caught I would like to see these people punished adequately.:)

seanybiker

deisedave wrote: »

I for one feel safe walking around Waterford, Which I would not feel really safe walking around Dublin, Limerick or Clonmel to name a few city and towns. Yes Waterford has it's small bit of trouble now and again, but that's just life, obviously if caught I would like to see these people punished adequately.:)

Waterford is fairly safe. Few bellends around but sure everywhere has people like that.

deisedave

Exactly as long as you use your head, A lot of these "council estate scobs" that do a lot of the vandalism around town you would find come from respectable non council estate homes. Just because teenagers wear tracksuits don't make them scumbags, so what I'm saying is just relax and try not to judge as much.

seanybiker

deisedave wrote: »

Exactly as long as you use your head, A lot of these "council estate scobs" that do a lot of the vandalism around town you would find come from respectable non council estate homes. Just because teenagers wear tracksuits don't make them scumbags, so what I'm saying is just relax and try not to judge as much.

I know what ya mean. I always have a hoody on but I'm a lovely fella lol. My nephew had the Tracksuit with the white socks on a few weeks ago. Couldn't stop laughing at him.

deisedave

I'm the same, can you really beat the comfort of a nice hoody:D