Attacks on GAA, Orange Halls continue

A Gaelic sports club in County Fermanagh has been damaged in a sectarian arson attack. Graffiti was also painted on the walls of the club in Drumgoon near Maguiresbridge.

It is believed a window in a storeroom was broken and flammable liquid poured inside in an attempt to set fire to the building.

The incident is the latest attempt to target Gaelic clubs. Recently, a pipe bomb was found at a club in Banbridge, and a device recovered from grounds in Randalstown was later declared a hoax.

Sinn Féin Fermanagh South Tyrone MP Michelle Gildernew has condemned the attack, which took place on the eve of Christmas.

“The GAA plays a huge role in our local communities,” she said.

“It is a positive force that particularly is a focus for many families and children.

“This is a despicable attack. It is an attack on the entire community.

“We need to cut out the sectarian cancer in our society that provides the oxygen for sectarian attacks such as this and the attacks in recent days that we have seen on Orange Halls.

“Sectarian attacks damage us all as a society.”

The Orange halls at Ballylisk and Scarva Road, in Tandragee, County Armagh, also sustained smoke damage and broken windows in attacks this week.

Speaking at the site of the attacks, Drew Nelson, the Order’s grand secretary, said: “People are very unhappy in this section of the Protestant community. The political temperature is rising. People are saying to me, ‘is this what we can expect from the so-called new Northern Ireland?’”

He also criticised the police response to arson attacks on Orange halls, describing it as “ineffective”.

Urgent Appeal