Fr Charlie Kiely spoke to The Corkman after a St Vincent de Paul charity box was stolen at Our Lady Crowned Church in Mayfield on Sunday.
The stealing of the charity box, which was located outside the entrance to the church, occurred before a Mass and the incident was recorded on CCTV.
Mayfield parish priest Fr Charlie Kiely said the stealing of the charity box was a shock.
“The charity box is there to look after the poor in the community and it was just unexpected, as it never happened in this parish before,” Fr Kiely said.
“People are very generous in this parish, and thankfully there wouldn’t have been much in the box at that stage when it happened.
“It’s just so disappointing and it shouldn’t have happened because it was people’s good will in the parish.”
Fr Kiely said the Garda response to the incident was “prompt” and the charity box has since been retrieved, without the money inside.
“The Gardaí were very good, and the camera was straight on top of the box so we could see the person and identify them,” he explained.
“It is in the hands of the Gardaí now, who were very prompt as well.
“It happened as people were coming and going and they were clever in the way it happened, but unfortunately for them, they didn’t realise the CCTV camera directly on top of it.”
A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána told The Corkman that “enquiries are ongoing” into the incident.“Gardaí received a report of an incident of theft that occurred outside a premises in Mayfield, Cork city on Sunday 13 July 2025 between 12pm and 3pm,” the spokesperson said.
“A charity box has been reported as stolen.”