THE caretaker of ‘Ireland’s smallest church’ Ann Orr, Coolbuck Church of Ireland near Garvary, off the Tempo road out of Enniskillen, has hit out at thieves who, last week, stole two hand-cut stone caps that were laid around 1862.
THE caretaker of ‘Ireland’s smallest church’, Coolbuck Church of Ireland near Garvary, off the Tempo road out of Enniskillen, has hit out at thieves who, last week, stole two hand-cut stone caps that were laid around 1862.
They went missing on Tuesday evening, 7th October from the front gate to the church.
A still upset Ann Orr, the secretary of the annual Fermanagh County Show – believes the ‘caps’ went missing at around 8pm on Tuesday night.
“When I was going home from the show office and stopped at the church, they were gone. I rang my neighbour, and he had gone past at 8.20 and they were not there. So, I reckon they were taken away at 8pm when it got dark.
“I just happened to be on that road and they were missing. I know it’s a side road, but there are a right few cars passing.”
Ann reckons that it would have taken at least two men to move the stone caps and that a pick-up type vehicle was used.
“They’re a couple of hundredweight each.”
As for the heartless theft, she said the church was there for 152 years and, until last week, nothing had been stolen from it.
“I’m just thinking of the way people years ago were poor, but still and all they would not have stolen from the church. Society has changed for the worst.”
The PSNI are asking anyone who travels Cloghtogle Road daily past Coolbuck Church to call them if they met any strange vehicles or saw anything suspicious in the area.
In the meantime, Ann Orr can only look at the space where the stone pillars were.
“I think it shows the sad state of our society when there are people who have no respect for church property they are just out to make a few pounds.
“They have no idea what this loss means to the community of Topped Mountain and the Friends of Coolbuck Church.”
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