The latest attack on the Merlin Woods Community Garden by vandals has 'led to the destruction of years of dedicated volunteer work', leaving the space, which serves the community both as a garden and as an outdoor classroom, in ruins.
Taking place on December 28, 2024, the second in a two-stage attack on the community garden has been described as bizarre, ritualistic and targeted, requiring a significant amount of effort and force.
According to the ARD Garden Group in Merlin Park, the first instance of vandalism on the site occurred sometime between December 10, to December 15, resulting in the destruction of several areas in the garden, including the butterfly garden, the orchard and the greenhouse.
Speaking to media this week, the spokesperson for the ARD Garden Group, Caroline Stanley described the first instance of vandalism saying, “We have an orchard area with large poles supporting our fruit trees. They were broken by hand, with considerable force, so it clearly took some effort,” explained Ms Stanley. “All the vegetables from the greenhouse were uprooted and thrown into the nearby bushes. The broken material was then carried to the limestone area, about ten minutes from the garden, which is no small task given how heavy the items were.
In a bizarre twist, volunteers arrived to find the garden not only in disarray, but arranged in a distinctly strange fashion. The destroyed plants and poles were left in piles, decorated with unusual personal items such as rosary beads and children's toys."
Returning to do more damage
Facing a significant rebuild, volunteers were initially heartened to realise that all was not lost following the initial attack, but unfortunately on December 28, the vandals returned to deal more damage. This second attack on the garden would destroy anything that was left standing, ripping out the remaining 14 fruit trees and sawing down the poles which had survived the initial onslaught.
While it may not be the first instance of vandalism the group has experienced, volunteers feel that the recent destruction of the garden feels both personal and targeted.
Following the second attack on the garden, the Merlin Woods Community Garden group took to Facebook to share its plans to rebuild, stating that the benefits of the garden outweigh the negative of its destruction.
"We have to move on with love in the spirit of community and continue the year ahead with positivity and commencement of the rebuilding," shared the group. "It has always been the way this garden works despite any damage over the years. The community benefits outweigh the negativity of those who seek to destroy for whatever issues drive them to destroy the community spaces. We look forward to a wonderful year ahead."
Supported by the local community, the community warden and Gardaí who continue to investigate the incident, volunteers of Merlin Woods Community Garden are determined to see the garden bloom one day soon.
