Animals burn 400m of the Boyne boardwalk at Drogheda

gebbel

This makes me sick inside. 2 weeks before the fleadh cheoil brings hundreds of thousands of people to Drogheda hits even harder. I don’t have any answers but if they can fix it before then I would gladly contribute. Sickening. How can anyone do this?

whippet

its is sickening .. I cycle with the kids regularly to oldbridge and this made it so much safer … scumbags

gebbel

It’s horrendous, I’m on holidays and it’s taken my enjoyment from me.

Wheety

They're not even animals. They're scum.

Scotty #

gebbel wrote: »

...if they can fix it before then I would gladly contribute.

It took the best part of a year to put in. I doubt it will be fixed within a few months.

I hope they are caught but sure even if they are, what price will they pay? ZIP!

gebbel

Scotty # wrote: »

It took the best part of a year to put in. I doubt it will be fixed within a few months.

I hope they are caught but sure even if they are, what price will they pay? ZIP!

Yes it seems hopeless right now and our soft justice system doesn’t fill you with confidence. But the public outrage at this should guarantee some sort of custodial sentence. The problem is there’s no cameras down there and I’d be amazed if they can pin this on anyone.

Scotty #

gebbel wrote: »

But the public outrage at this should guarantee some sort of custodial sentence.

You'd think. Remember that factory that was burnt down last year putting 70 people out of a job? Those guys were caught and faced little or no consequences.

Mr Magnolia

That's truely shocking. They should get jail.

gebbel

You know, OK nobody died but the people of Drogheda didn’t just lose today, the people of IRELAND lost today....justice must be served!!!

blingrhino

We all know even if they are caught there would be no justice-most likely juveniles which our system does nt cater for...

markc1184

Scotty # wrote: »

You'd think. Remember that factory that was burnt down last year putting 70 people out of a job? Those guys were caught and faced little or no consequences.

And at least 1 reoffended within no time.

gctest50

That yoke would have needed loads of maintenance in a few years anyway


Put in a nice concrete walkway instead

Scotty #

gctest50 wrote: »

That yoke would have needed loads of maintenance in a few years anyway

That's the joy of recycled plastic, it's maintenance free - but not fireproof unfortunately.

Early estimates are €200K (according to LMFM). I wonder is it worth repairing at all for some little toerags to come along and do it again? A concrete boardwalk along there would cost €10's of millions.

gebbel

There’s no CCTV down there. I’d say the chance of catching the scum who did it is somewhere between slim and zero. And as for a €200K repair bill, that’s also very unlikely in the short term. A disaster.

Autochange

how long did it take to build?

_Brian

I do wonder what exactly has gone so wrong In our society to bring us to this sort of thing. And it’s not isolated.

My job includes managing maintenance of many public amenities and just this week we had public toilets smashed, bins vandalised and bouyency rings removed.
Few years ago we had louts smash bottles into shallow water at a lakeside amenitie where public swimming lessons happen.

Then there’s the whole littering fly tipping problem.

enricoh

In 2018 apparently it is not possible to deduct fines out of people's welfare payments. In 2018! At worst they will have to go to the joy for a few hours. So scumbags know there is no deterrent whatsoever. So they couldn't care less

Autochange

enricoh wrote: »

In 2018 apparently it is not possible to deduct fines out of people's welfare payments. In 2018! At worst they will have to go to the joy for a few hours. So scumbags know there is no deterrent whatsoever. So they couldn't care less

Assuming they are unemployed

gebbel

https://www.gofundme.com/repair-drogheda039s-boardwalk

Only looking for €5K so that’s not going to get much done but I’ve made a contribution anyway. People power can fight back against these scrotes.

Autochange

gebbel wrote: »

https://www.gofundme.com/repair-drogheda039s-boardwalk

Only looking for €5K so that’s not going to get much done but I’ve made a contribution anyway. People power can fight back against these scrotes.

I see you have a few councilor types donating money .Fair play to them. Public money. Why dont you use the 5k to pay a few tough eastern European types to kick the scrotes who did it up and down the boardwalk.

A commendable effort all the same.Hope it gets rebuilt soon.

Mr Magnolia

_Brian wrote: »

I do wonder what exactly has gone so wrong In our society to bring us to this sort of thing. And it’s not isolated.

My job includes managing maintenance of many public amenities and just this week we had public toilets smashed, bins vandalised and bouyency rings removed.
Few years ago we had louts smash bottles into shallow water at a lakeside amenitie where public swimming lessons happen.

Then there’s the whole littering fly tipping problem.

Vandalism and fly tipping is not a recent phenomenon unfortunately. It is a global phenomenon though so it's not just our society.

All our society can do is act responsibly and report what's known and try to rebuild what's broken.

positron

I am disgusted by this.That boardwalk and Oldbridge were the only safe places for kids to cycle. Shocking.

If you have ever wondered what triggers vigilante justice groups... Well this just might be it.

Also disgusted by this. Genuinely turned my stomache when I heard about it.

Can't imagine it'd cost anywhere near 200k to fix, and I'm also not sure what the Fund page will achieve (giving 5k to boyne restoration committee? I don't think they'd even be allowed to touch the boardwalk as it belongs to Meath County Council as far as I know?).

But this is arguably the best thing to happen to the town in a long time (the boardwalk I mean, not the fire, obviously). I'd use it regularly and the amount of people who start out getting in shape down there, who go for walks to clear their heads, or just families that try to take the healthy alternative and go out for a walk or cycle to Oldbridge... it's such a slap in the face to everyone in Drogheda.


There's a serious problem with antisocial behaviour in Drogheda, and it's been let go time and time again, so the scummers are just getting ballsier and ballsier with every passing day.

As for people going out and forming vigilante groups? Sign me up! Clearly the Gardai haven't a hope of dealing with any of it. Nice people individually, but a useless organisation (much like the Judicial system - a joke at the best of times).

10green bottles

Fight crime with more crime and animals with lighters and matches committing crimes
Thread is good.

thebull85

Are you saying there are actual scumbags outside Dublin? Who'd of the thought it?

tedpan

Deleted User wrote:

There's a serious problem with antisocial behaviour in Drogheda, and it's been let go time and time again, so the scummers are just getting ballsier and ballsier with every passing day.

Yep, it's disgraceful. A group of girls were hanging out in the back fields behind me in Drogheda a few weeks ago. An hour later, all the bales were on fire. Scumbags

Autochange

tedpan wrote: »

Yep, it's disgraceful. A group of girls were hanging out in the back fields behind me in Drogheda a few weeks ago. An hour later, all the bales were on fire. Scumbags

And did you do anything about it?

blinding

Not a good idea to have it flammable . Scrotes will be Scrotes !

tedpan

Autochange wrote:

And did you do anything about it?

Of course, rang the gardai and fire services

Autochange

tedpan wrote: »

Of course, rang the gardai and fire services

I pulled a Stanley blade on a little knacker who through a pint bottle of cider through a neighbour of mines window. She's a lady who lives on her own. Last Halloween a different group were aiming fireworks at her house. Gardai were doing nothing so I took it into my own hands. Kid is only about 14 I'd say. He went pale and nearly started to cry.

10green bottles

Stanley knife stories are great.Tell us how hard you are again!!

BorneTobyWilde

Should be a team of Snipermen in Ireland, a secret government agency. They take out the dirt and vanish like a ghost.
Judge and executioner

Autochange

10green bottles wrote: »

Stanley knife stories are great.Tell us how hard you are again!!

Im not hard at all. I was shaking when I spotted him and for a good period afterwards. I also had to keep looking over my shoulder for a while. I would have never used it either. Don't fool yourself into thinking I did something from a Hollywood movie. And don't think that some people can't work up the courage to do something like that every now and then. It was one kid on his own after all not a gang of hooded youths in a dark alley.

s8n

its drogheda, what did ye expect ?

blinding

Anything to do with the Battle of the Boyne ?

gebbel

s8n wrote: »

its drogheda, what did ye expect ?

That’s cheap, in fairness the majority of locals are a decent good living people who are sickened by this act. As for pulling Stanley blades on scrotes...we need to obey the rule of law and that’s not how it’s done.

Autochange

gebbel wrote: »

That’s cheap, in fairness the majority of locals are a decent good living people who are sickened by this act. As for pulling Stanley blades on scrotes...we need to obey the rule of law and that’s not how it’s done.

Depends on if you want results or not. If the town got together and confronted those responsible it would send a clear message. Waste of time waiting for the Gardai. Even if they are brought before the courts they will most likely not get a punishment harsh enough to deter them. How many stories do we hear about people having dozens of convictions yet are still out terrorising. The rule of law is slow, ineffective and too lenient.

positron

What I can't understand is where do these softy judges live? How do they stay immune to this type of mindless thuggery that is going around. Perhaps they need a bottle thrown at their house.

I am going to start taking photos of any suspicious looking groups anywhere and everywhere. Discretely of course, I am not much of a fighter. At least that way if something like this were to happen, there will be something I can pass on to the Gardaí. Perhaps everyone should this - phones, dashcams, cyclists etc with gopros etc - the whole lot. Yeah, it is at the cost of everyone's privacy, but it will only be called upon or put to use when there is an incident such as this.

Christine LaDuchesse

Oh no! How horrible, I love that walk, it is such a pretty area there. I hope they catch whoever is responsible and make them rebuild it, at own cost of course.

Without trying to sound like internetz hard man myself, I agree completely with Autochange. The Gardai are so ineffective that it's actually farcical at times looking at them.

The judges are just disinterested at this stage I'd say. I can't recall the last time I heard of a ruling and thought 'proper order!'. It's always a slap on the wrist.

BorneTobyWilde

It was burnt for a laugh, not for a sinister evil reason, just for a laugh.

Mr Magnolia

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

It was burnt for a laugh, not for a sinister evil reason, just for a laugh.

Ah well that's grand so /thread

Do they know it was intentionally started ? So much heat and dryness lately ......it wasn’t some bloody BBQ on the river bank was it? Have the Gardai said it was deliberate ?

gebbel

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

It was burnt for a laugh, not for a sinister evil reason, just for a laugh.

It was a sinister act whatever about the laugh.

Autochange

Deleted User wrote: »

Do they know it was intentionally started ? So much heat and dryness lately ......it wasn’t some bloody BBQ on the river bank was it? Have the Gardai said it was deliberate ?

Again the gardai. When will people get into their heads that our guardians of justice basically cant be arsed.

Autochange

Autochange wrote: »

Again the gardai. When will people get into their heads that our guardians of justice basically cant be arsed.

Well my question , regardless , was who said it was arson or started by thugs ?? How does anyone know it wasn’t started by fishermen lighting a disposable BBQ on the river bank?


( I prefer not to call scum like this animals....huge disrespect to innocent animals who are regularly abused by scum !)

JPCN1

_Brian wrote: »

I do wonder what exactly has gone so wrong In our society to bring us to this sort of thing. And it’s not isolated.

My job includes managing maintenance of many public amenities and just this week we had public toilets smashed, bins vandalised and bouyency rings removed.
Few years ago we had louts smash bottles into shallow water at a lakeside amenitie where public swimming lessons happen.

Then there’s the whole littering fly tipping problem.

Whats gone wrong? Simply put the Judiciary don't punish criminal behaviour so this sort of thing will continue until they do. In fact it'll get worse.

kbell

gofundme, nicely on track

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

Well my question , regardless , was who said it was arson or started by thugs ?? How does anyone know it wasn’t started by fishermen lighting a disposable BBQ on the river bank?


( I prefer not to call scum like this animals....huge disrespect to innocent animals who are regularly abused by scum !)

It wasn't a warm night, though. It was cool and raining the night it went on fire.


I believe they've reported finding petrol and latex gloves? Besides, the boardwalk is a recycled plastic (not timber) and the height of the flames would tell me it wasn't just a fire that spread of it's own accord.


It was definitely deliberate, and yeah, the Gardai have said they're treating it as a criminal act of arson.

kbell wrote: »

gofundme, nicely on track

I threw a few Euro in, will likely do a bit more again. I hope they keep raising it. Would like to see them aim for 20k. That'd be 10% of the estimated repairs, and even if it's not reached, it'd still be great to see the public support.


It's just a pity the CoCo can't drop a few sheets of the plastic decking and handrails there, then turn a blind eye and go and work on something else for a week, and let Joe Soap and friends get stuck into fixing it up. Would speed it up a lot if it was taken over by local people and didn't have to go through the whole process of paperwork to say what happened, reports of this, report that, etc.




As an aside, I could almost guess now who did it. Some of the reactions on Facebook to it lead me to a particular group of people that I would be aware have a history of starting fires locally. I'd guess, and this is a guess of course, that the Gardai probably already know fine well who done it. But getting them for it is a different matter.




But ultimately, I hope that the boardwalk gets fixed up to the way it was, and I hope this doesn't affect future plans for mornington greenway etc. As Kevin Callan said on LMFM, boardwalks exist in loads of counties, and loads of counties. Nothing ever happens to them. It'd be difficult to go begging for money to work on completing the walking route, whilst also acknowledging that the boardwalk we currently have has been burned to a cinder by local thugs.




If it was money out of my own pocket, I think I'd be having a hard time investing in future boardwalks/greenways for the town when that's going on in the background.




I also notice St. John Ambulance are promoting a GoFundMe for a new ambulance. I really really like SJA and everyone in it is lovely in my experience, but I can't see them doing too well out of it with the timing of the Boardwalk GoFundMe appearing. Hopefully they'll get sorted, though.

Scotty #

Scotty # wrote: »

You'd think. Remember that factory that was burnt down last year putting 70 people out of a job? Those guys were caught and faced little or no consequences.

Last year? Sept 2015 and at least one lad did do a stretch for that.


Anyway, I'd love if they actually did a job on the stretch while they are at it from the park to where you meet the road again. The surface is terrible in places and sections prone to flooding which leaves reeds and silt on the path which even with out those has large rocks sticking up and is narrow in places too. Not a stretch I like riding on. Recall earlier in the year having to carry my bike over a 20 meter stretch of mud then go back and carry my wee one and her bike over

blingrhino

cant understand this gofund me larky

it must be owned by the county council therefore will be fully insured .

We already are paying for it !