Glencree German Cemetery Robbery/Vandalism

Dr Strange · 09-06-2010 2:02pm #1

Just to let you know some bastards stole the copper roof of the grotto on the German Military Cemetery in Glencree sometime over the last couple of weeks.

Just shows you, no respect for the dead. :mad:

arnhem44 · 09-06-2010 2:23pm

What a disgrace,I truly hope that whoever did this is caught and brought to justice,no one should be allowed get away with this.

Morlar · 09-06-2010 2:27pm

That is pretty appalling.

It's a sad fact that if they are caught they will plead a bad childhood and get just a suspended sentence, or, a fine they will pay at €5 per week out of their dole. Bastards.

Morlar · 09-06-2010 2:36pm

Here is the before picture - if anyone has an 'after' picture would be good to see how much damage was done

http://www.militaria-archive.com/ireland%20Glencree/index.html

Dr Strange · 09-06-2010 3:25pm

arnhem44 wrote: »

What a disgrace,I truly hope that whoever did this is caught and brought to justice,no one should be allowed get away with this.

They got them. As far as I know they also stole some tools nearby and got caught on CCTV. After raiding the house the guards found the copper from the roof.

Morlar wrote: »

That is pretty appalling.

It's a sad fact that if they are caught they will plead a bad childhood and get just a suspended sentence, or, a fine they will pay at €5 per week out of their dole. Bastards.

Yeah, all that shíte. If it was up to me I would say treat them as looters and just shoot the bastards. :pac:

Morlar wrote: »

...if anyone has an 'after' picture would be good to see how much damage was done...

I have two, will put them up in a moment. EDIT: here they are:

Dr Strange · 09-06-2010 3:55pm

One more bit of info: the replacement roof will be done using zinc sheets. Very inexpensive and not worth the bother for these crooks as it won't bring any money. Pity this had to happen.

arnhem44 · 09-06-2010 6:55pm

Excellent news Preusse,glad they got them.A slap on there wrist now I guess and they'll be on there merry way.The justice system here is a joke when it comes to things like this,they should be made an example of imo.

FiSe · 14-06-2010 2:19pm

It's a very bad indication of the state of this country....nothing else left to steal :eek:

Jim S · 03-09-2011 3:51pm

It is a few years since I have been to Glencee, but that is quite disappointing and disgusting to say the least. :mad:

Fuinseog · 12-09-2011 9:39am

Preusse wrote: »

Just to let you know some bastards stole the copper roof of the grotto on the German Military Cemetery in Glencree sometime over the last couple of weeks.

Just shows you, no respect for the dead. :mad:

there is a lot of copper getting stolen around the country at the moment. Unfortunately the cemetery is in an isolated position.
On an unrelated matter The German War Graves Association could look after the graves a little better than letting them overgrow with weeds.

Morlar · 12-09-2011 11:13am

There have also been problems there in the past with much of the area being slightly waterlogged. Not sure if that is still an issue but it certainly was at one point.

Dr Strange · 12-09-2011 3:19pm

Fuinseog wrote: »

there is a lot of copper getting stolen around the country at the moment. Unfortunately the cemetery is in an isolated position.
On an unrelated matter The German War Graves Association could look after the graves a little better than letting them overgrow with weeds.

Unlike the British or American organisation the German War Graves Commission is funded by donations only. They get less and less money every year and it seems now that payments are really going to suffer for any staff (hired or employed by the VDK) on cemeteries that are on the outside periphery of the main places.

It may be useful if there was some local collection etc that could donate to the VDK for the specific use for Glencree.

Fuinseog · 12-09-2011 8:00pm

Preusse wrote: »

Unlike the British or American organisation the German War Graves Commission is funded by donations only. They get less and less money every year and it seems now that payments are really going to suffer for any staff (hired or employed by the VDK) on cemeteries that are on the outside periphery of the main places.

It may be useful if there was some local collection etc that could donate to the VDK for the specific use for Glencree.

there was an elderly man who looked after the graves, for little money, in the eighties and he was awarded the Bundesverdienst Kreuz. I believe he has since passed.

emptyshed · 12-09-2011 8:09pm

Mrs Kelly from the Shop in Glencree always tended the graves there, as did her sister who worked in the an Oige hostel.
I slept in that very graveyard for a bet once upon a time!!!
Lovely site, I bring any overseas visitors I have to visit it.

Can anybody remember the old film that it was featured in??

Dr Strange · 13-09-2011 8:37am

Fuinseog wrote: »

there was an elderly man who looked after the graves, for little money, in the eighties and he was awarded the Bundesverdienst Kreuz. I believe he has since passed.

They pay a gardener from Powerscourt to look afterit once a week or so. That old man was Mr. Christy as far as I can remember. Not sure about the Bundesverdienstkreuz though.

In any case, it would come down to money nowadays. If they could pay a full-time gardener to go every day or at least every second day it may be better but the money is just not there.

Jim S · 13-09-2011 10:29am

Fuinseog

there was an elderly man who looked after the graves, for little money, in the eighties and he was awarded the Bundesverdienst Kreuz. I believe he has since passed.

I met this gent there once and although he meant well he was hostile towards my taking any photographs of the cemetery, talk about being made welcome .

Sorry to learn that he has passed away I often think it does take someone to take an interest at local level if only to keep an eye on things.

emptyshed · 13-09-2011 2:22pm

Jaysus, Christy is far from dead, he lived in a caravan closeby at Aurora House hostel, was a sort of caretaker. He had a few mental health issues.

Locals would have known him well, he put on his good wellies to do the collections at mass on a Sunday, and was known to walk as far as Johny Foxes for a beer!

He eventually got the boot and after living in the area for as long as I can remember...moved to the big smoke, where unfortunately he bumps into me on a regular basis.

wigsta · 05-04-2018 8:38pm

The caretaker of the German graveyard was called Aidan Maher. He looked after it up until he passed away. He also looked after the reconciliation centre. His father before him was a caretaker/carpenter (master coach maker) in the daingean reformatory and moved to the area in the 1930s when the entire reformatory population was transferred to glencree. When the reformatory in glencree closed in 1940- moving the incarcerated back to daingean- the family stayed in the area. Aidans mother was the warden in the an oige hostel, until she died and the wardenship passed to aidans wife who was warden until it closed.
Aidan received the highest award a non German citizen could in recognition of the outstanding work he did in the cemetery, and is buried in the graveyard beside the church in glencree...... which he also tended to.

He was my grandfather.
As for being hostile- you must have just caught him on a bad day.

Incidentally the German graveyard was originally the quarry that they used for the stone for not only the hostel and barracks, but also the clocktower in enniskerry.

Glencree German Cemetery Robbery/Vandalism

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