By Jonathan Kelly

Tracey Robbie and her two children sit outside the playground in Weaver Park in the City Centre. The charred remains of the climbing frame still stand and the playground on Cork Street has been closed to the public since an arson attack caused excessive damage on the 09 October.

“It’s a terrible shame because it’s a great resource for the area, and it’s not here that long”, Tracey tells Thecity.ie. “We only came down now to see if it was reopened yet.”

Weaver Park was opened in October 2017 as part of the Liberties Greening Strategy, a project that aims to create and refurbish green spaces. The area, which also features a skate park, was nominated the following year for the European prize for Urban Public Space 2018.

“There’s always anti-social behaviour there anyway,” Tracy adds. “Even when the kids are in there, they’re kicking the boards up the top, climbing on top of the thing. Graffiti everywhere, drink bottles spilled and litter all over the place. They tend to put yoghurt or grease down the slide to make it sticky and stuff.” 

The park was officially opened by Mayor Mícheál MacDonncha. Speaking at the 2017 event,  he said: “Vandalism happens in parks in every area, unfortunately. But I think the best way to overcome that is with good policing and community vigilance.

“The more the park is used, the less vandalism you’ll see. This park belongs to the community, and we need to isolate those who wish to commit anti-social behaviour.”  

This is the second time the playground has been closed due to fire damage since opening. The local Green Party councillor for the south-west city area, Michael Pidgeon called them “acts of extreme criminal idiocy.”

Pidgeon added: “Weaver Park gets a huge amount of use locally and is rightly treasured by people of all ages. A tiny minority of people are responsible for this damage, so the fire cannot be used as an excuse to stop further park developments in the area.”

Since the first attack, cameras and a security speaker system have been installed outside the playground along with more lighting around the park following complaints from locals about visibility. But Tracey Robbie believes it doesn’t make a difference. “I remember once my dad had told off a big lad once, and he’s normally a very quiet man, and the lad just answered back.  It’s not just here (anti-social behaviour), it’s everywhere,” she stated.

In the last few years, many public playgrounds have become victims of criminal damage and arson attacks. In 2018, playgrounds at Willie Pearse Park in Crumlin and Griffeen Valley Park in Lucan were badly damaged following arson attacks. Four years prior, a playground in Ballymun was destroyed following fire damage.

When asked about how long Weaver Park Playground will remain closed, Cllr Pidgeon replied: “We don’t have a timeline for repairs, but all councillors in the area are pushing for the quickest possible reopening of all park facilities.”