Fr Benny Fitzpatrick explained that somebody went into the church last  Thursday or Friday and attempted to light papers, hymn sheets and old missals to try to light a fire in the gallery.

“We were very lucky that it didn’t catch fire with the carpet because it could have caused a lot of damage. It happened during the day when the church was open,” he explained.

Fr Fitzpatrick went on, “I wonder why somebody would want to do that. I can’t understand the motive for doing it.”

There was some minor damage to the church, but Fr Fitzpatrick feels they were very lucky not to have more damage caused.

Inspector Glen Latimer said, “It was reported that between Wednesday 28th June and 9.30pm on Thursday 29th June, attempts had been made to set fire to a church on Main Street, Kinawley. This resulted in damage being caused to the inside of the premises. 

“We are appealing to anyone that may have witnessed any suspicious activity in the area at the time to contact Enniskillen Police Station on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 1271 of the 29/06/17. Or, alternatively if someone would prefer to provide information without giving their details they can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers and speak to them anonymously on 0800 555 111,” he said.