Crying over spilt beer as burglars flood pub
A break-in to a pub on Inis Mór, during which the culprit left 16 beer taps running, has been described as “spiteful and nasty”.
The raid on Joe Watty’s pub in Kilronan took place in the early hours of St Patrick’s Day and while damage was caused and money stolen, the person responsible left all of the beer taps running.
This resulted in severe damage being caused to the floor on the premises amounting to several thousand euros.
Gardaí on the island believe that the break-in occurred sometime after 5am on Saturday morning and they are seeking the assistance of locals or anyone who might have spotted activity in the vicinity of the pub at around this time.
Sergeant Gerry Dunne told the Connacht Tribune that the break-in is being actively investigated and they would appreciate any help with their inquiries.
Those responsible for the burglary at the pub, which is owned by PJ and Grace Flaherty, stole an estimated €500 in cash and cigarettes from the premises.
But the fact that 16 beer taps were left running in the pub adds a sinister aspect to this particular break-in as it caused extensive damage to a very expensive wooden floor in the pub.
Connemara’s Cllr Joe Folan said that Inis Mór is very reliant on tourism and incidents such as this cannot be tolerated. He described it as a particularly disturbing crime.
“Breaking into a pub is bad enough, but to leave the beer taps running is both spiteful and nasty. Whoever is responsible for this incident should be ashamed of themselves”, he added.
“This is totally out of character for the island and has to be condemned”, he said.
■ For more on this story, see the print edition of the Connacht Tribune.