A campaigning Northern Ireland priest, most recently known for his
public arguments against a hard border in the wake of Britain’s ‘Brexit’
vote, has suffered a serious vandal attack on his home in Co.
Fermanagh.
The parochial house of Fr Joe McVeigh in Lisbellaw, in the parish of
Enniskillen, was targeted on November 13 in an attack that saw the
house’s ground-floor windows smashed.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic after the incident, Fr
McVeigh said the incident “was not simply random” as not only had the
attackers waited until he had left – for a period of just four hours
during the day – but had clearly used some large implement to destroy
heavy double-glazed windows. “It wasn’t just children,” he said.
Seeking a reason behind the attack, Fr McVeigh admitted he was “at a
loss”, though he is very well known for his social justice campaigning
and has been both supportive of the North’s Remain vote during Brexit
and vocal against suggestions of the creation of a hard border between
North and South.
Since the November 13 attack, Fr McVeigh said, members of his own
parish have been joined by the local Church of Ireland bishop and dean
in extending messages of support to him, a measure, he said of “the good
relations that exist here”.
“Sadly,” he added, “there is always an element which is not happy with the way things are going.”
Stating that he is now unsure about his future in the parochial
house, Fr McVeigh nevertheless insisted that “I will remain in the
parish, which is a nice place where I am happy”. On his campaigning
ministry, he further vowed, “I will continue to speak out on issues I
believe in, on justice and fair play.”
The Police Service of Northern Ireland is investigating the attack as a sectarian hate crime.