Across Mayo political posters have been defaced and vandalised, as is common with most political campaigns. But people would be forgiven for thinking they had stepped into Baghdad this week due to the vicious and sinister element which has developed in south Mayo where one sitting councillor’s poster was shot at. This turn of events is one step too far and goes beyond painting glasses and moustaches on candidates’ faces.
Political canvassing across the county is at a peak with polling day in the local and European elections only a week away. But tensions have reached such heights in south Mayo that Fianna Fáil Councillor Damien Ryan’s posters have been targeted in this menacing way. Who and why, no one knows yet, but Cllr Ryan is not taking this attack lightly and has reported the situation to the gardaí.
The poster, which is situated in the quiet village of Cross, was penetrated by a bullet on Monday night or early Tuesday morning. Cllr Ryan told the Mayo Advertiser that his picture was mounted on the 8x4 frame of heavy plywood and only a bullet could have caused the damage done.
In addition to this in excess of 60 of Cllr Ryan’s 200 posters have disappeared in the last week from prominent positions around south Mayo at a cost of €600, and he is pointing the finger at one of his opponents, although he has not named the candidate. While the posters will be replaced by the weekend, Cllr Ryan stressed that the original ones had been put up professionally and it would have taken considerable effort to remove them.
Most of the posters which were stolen were situated in Ballinrobe, Cong, Cross, and the Neale. Cllr Ryan said it has caused him considerable distress to know that someone is resorting to these kind of tactics.
His council colleague Fine Gael’s Patsy O’Brien has also been targeted by vandals with expletives and Nazi signs sprayed across his posters in Shrule and Ballymartin.
Cllr O’Brien said he took down some of the damaged posters himself and said it was probably youngsters who defaced them with no malice intended.
