A recent spate in crime and robberies in a County Laois village included the mindless vandalism of a local parish church.
Saint Anne’s Church in Ballylinan was the latest part of the community when thousands of euro's worth of damage was caused there last weekend.
According to local Gardaí, vandals smashed open a stained glass window at the rear of the church to gain entry.
It is also believed that the vandals then attempted to remove a moneybox, but because it had been secured tightly to the wall of the church, they left empty handed.
This is not the first time the pre famine church in Ballylinan has been attacked.
Last May the church was the victim of a failed arson attack.
The historic church, which dates back to 1830, was recently included in the local Ballylinan development plan as a focal point of the community.
Speaking this week a spokesperson for Ballylinan Gardaí has appealed to anybody who may have noticed any suspicious activity to contact them.
He said that there had been concerns in the area previously that the lower panels of the stained glass windows had left the church vulnerable to robberies.
The local Gardaí can be contacted on (059) 862 5112 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (059) 862 5112 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
SIC: CIN/IE