The local Authority in Sligo, the National Monument Service and the Office of Public Works has released a statement condemning the acts of damage caused to the Neolithic monument at Carrowkeel.
In a statement to Ocean FM news Sligo County Council has said that it is aware of the damage to a Neolithic monument at Carrowkeel, Co. Sligo, adding that it is dismayed at the mindless vandalism at the site.
Photos posted on social media show graffiti scratched on one of the cairns at Carrowkeel. The monuments are in the care of the Office of Public Works.
The neolithic tombs at Carrowkeel are over 5,000 years old and are part of an extensive landscape settled by Early Neolithic farmers.
Sligo County Council is aware that the damage has been reported to the Gardaí and the National Monuments Service at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
The statement goes on to express shock that anyone would think it appropriate to damage these sites left by our ancestors over 5000 years ago, warning that the monuments are fragile and need to be protected and treated with respect.
The National Monument Service (NMS) and Office of Public Works (OPW) have also released a joint statement, denonuncing the vandalism carried out on the Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Complex.
Investigations will be carried out by both bodies into the damage caused.
In their statement, both the NMS and OPW said that they were “deeply dismayed” by the acts of vandalism.
The OPW began their investigations this morning, and the NMS will inspect during the week to prepare a damage report for forwarding to Gardaí, asking them to formally investigate the incident.
