Following on from other reported incidents of vandalism and illegal dumping in the Kilworth area in recent weeks, a number of fairy doors which were hung on trees in the popular Glenseskin Woods have been stolen, while many others have been broken and dumped in the woods.
The idea for a fairy trail around the 2km walk was conceived by Tricia and Joe McSweeney earlier this year. Much work goes into creating the fairy doors, each one is uniquely crafted and decorated with children’s names, poems and artwork.
Speaking to The Avondhu, Tricia said there were originally more than 160 fairy doors installed along the fairy trail. Now, many of the fairy doors have either been stolen or vandalised and dumped by unknown culprits on several occasions in recent weeks, with the latest incident occurring only a few days ago.
“They go the whole way around the 2km walk, but we noticed that some of the doors started to go missing,” Tricia said.
“They were screwed in to the trees so it wasn’t done very easily. Some were found screwed into other trees a few days later but then we noticed that about 20 doors were missing. We walked down into the woodland and we found a load of them broken.”
A fairy hotel hung on a tree in the woods has also been stolen.
Members of the public can order a fairy door, Tricia said, which along with artwork can also include the name of a child. Tricia said the fairy doors have proved to be a hit with the local community; the children enjoyed exploring the woods and seeing their names on the fairy doors, while adults were able to get out for a walk.
“We had replaced the first lot that were broken, because kids were going out and their sibling’s door would be there and theirs wouldn’t. So, we said we’d replace them but after this we’d be forever replacing them. There’s a lot of work to do, they’re all hand-painted, cut and sanded.
“The kids are getting great enjoyment out of it. The parents are saying they can get a walk in, the kids are running ahead of them, before they were dragging them. It’s a shame that somebody is doing this,” she added.
Any member of the public who saw any suspicious activity in the woods or can assist in identifying those responsible can contact The Avondhu and your information will be passed on.
