Galway Councillor criticises grotto vandalism

A Galway County Councillor has hit out at vandals who stole two statues from grottos in the county over the past month. 

The statues of Our Lady have been stolen from a grotto in Abbeyknockmoy and another grotto in Miltown.  Both grottos are regular stop-off points for pilgrims on their way to Knock Shrine in nearby County Mayo.

Speaking this week on Galway Bay FM, local councillor Peter Roche (FG) (pictured) who is a member of the Abbeyknockmoy Pastoral Council said, “those involved in the statue theft should be severely punished.”  He said, "The people who did this are mindless thugs.  It is a shame that anyone would do this and we are mystified at why they took the statue.” 

According to local Gardaí, the statue in Abbeyknockmoy was completely removed from its plinth.  The statue stolen near Miltown was taken from the grotto, which is beside the busy N17 road network, when local priest Fr Joseph O’Brien was away. 

The theft at Miltown is the second such incident there in just four months after a statue of Our Lady was vandalised there in September 2009.

by Sean Ryan