There was further shock in Doughiska this week as the Merlin Woods Community Garden was the target of even more criminal damage – just two weeks after another attack on one of the area’s best-used resources.

Volunteers were once again left dismayed after being the subject of what appears to be another instance of ‘targeted criminal damage’ in the days after Christmas.

And in a ‘bizarre’ turn of events, damaged fruit trees and poles were once again moved from the garden to a location 10 minutes on foot away – piled up and covered in ‘religious material’, jewellery and books.

Caroline Stanley of Friends of Merlin Woods told the Galway City Tribune that volunteers had been left scratching their heads again after further damage was caused in the garden – finishing off a job that had been started two weeks ago.

“Any of the poles that they didn’t break the last time, they cut this time. They took out all of the fruit trees and brought them to the limestone area of the woods – the same as last time.

“They were covered in religious material, jewellery and books. There are things from Knock there, and there are names on some of the items,” said Ms Stanley, adding that the incident had been reported to Gardaí.

The rubbish would also be reported to Council wardens, she said, who follow up on names found in discarded litter.

She said she had walked through the garden on Friday last, December 27, and no further damage had been done since the last incident which was discovered on December 15.

However, a passerby had seen the materials piled up on Sunday last, December 29, leaving a two-day window for the damage to have been inflicted.

Ms Stanley said there had been some religious items left among the debris last time around, too, but they thought it might have been a coincidence.

However, this time, there were further items left among the broken poles and trees – including the second half of a broken religious statue that had been found on December 15.

“It has us questioning if there is some kind of message being sent here, but we just don’t understand what it could be, or why the garden would be a target,” said Ms Stanely. “It is absolutely bizarre.”

This incident has only added to the upset from the previous attack which set the garden back years, undoing a decade of work by countless volunteers in the ARD Gardening Group, with collaboration from various groups including horticulture trainees from Galway Community College; Merlin College; Merlin Primary School; Foróige; other youth groups; and the scouts.

“This doesn’t look like mindless vandalism. I’m not convinced there isn’t some form of vehicle involved – I don’t know how anyone, or a group, would even get all the books and stuff in without being noticed.

“The damage is huge. Everything will have to be redone. The fruit trees were donated by local companies and were planted with Merlin School,” said Ms Stanley.

“Everything in the garden is voluntary – it’s all been done through collaborative work with community effort,” she added.

Ms Stanley appealed to anybody who might have seen something, or heard anybody talking about causing this destruction, to contact gardaí in Galway on 091 538000.

Pictured: The destroyed fruit trees and poles from the community garden discarded in the limestone area of Merlin Woods, covered in ‘religious material’, jewellery and books.