Glasgow club fears arson was anti-Irish incident
February 25, 2010
The burnt Tir Conaill Harps Gaelic Athletic Club mini-bus
The 17-seat Renault and thousands of pounds worth of sporting equipment were burned beyond use after the attack, which took place in Glentanar Road, Lambhill, at around 2.30 in the morning of Monday, February 22nd.
The minibus was parked outside the yard of North Area Community Transport, where a club volunteer was to sit a minibus driving test later that morning.
Club officials estimate some £3,000 worth of sports equipment, including hurling helmets, sticks and sliothars, was destroyed. A DVD and audio system on the minibus also went up in flames. A compressed gas cylinder was found in the wreckage.
There appeared to have been no attempt to remove kit from the minibus before it was set on fire.
A club spokesperson said: "We will be asking the police to investigate this attack upon our minibus as a racist incident.
"All of the hurling gear and the DVD player were left in situ. There was no attempt to remove it and, as far as we are concerned, this is an arson attack against us because we are a Gaelic sports club and have community connections with Ireland and Irish people.
"If the police can provide us with another motive I'd be delighted to hear about it. In the meantime, we hope for the best and prepare for the worst."
The definition of a racist incident was provided by the Macpherson Enquiry Report into the death of Stephen Lawrence and has been adopted by the Association of Chief Police Officers of Scotland. It says that "a racist incident is any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person".
The most immediate impact of the loss of the minibus is that Tir Conaill Harps will not be able to play its part in a hurling tournament organised by Langside College and planned for this Friday, February 26th. Players from seven primary schools will take part and the club had volunteered a loan of equipment for the event.
Young players at Tir Conaill Harps community clubs in Townhead, Scotstoun and Shettleston, who rely on both the hurling equipment and the minibus to travel to training, will also be affected by the incident.
"This is a major challenge for the club," the spokesman added. "However, our reputation and work for young people from all backgrounds and cultures will ensure that a stronger club will emerge from this set-back .
"We have had a fantastic relationship with many Glasgow businesspeople in the past and we would hope that they will come to our aid to help get us back on the road again.
"We have also had offers of help from some of our partner schools and the Gaelic sports community in Ireland has offered to help replace the equipment." Tweet
