A Dublin city centre playground has been severely damaged by fire, after it was repaired at a cost of €400,000 following an earlier blaze.
Gardaí are investigating the fire which broke out at Diamond Park playground, which is on the corner of Gardiner Street and Sean McDermott Street, at around 3.30pm on Saturday.
The refurbished playground and park were opened by former minister for finance Paschal Donohoe in 2023.
A previous fire occurred in early November last year and damaged parts of the park’s perimeter fencing, prompting the Parks Services to declare the playground unsafe.
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Former Lord Mayor of Dublin and north inner city Independent councillor Christy Burke condemned the “unexceptional behaviour by a small group of people”.
“The taxpayer has already paid nearly €400,000 due to last year’s fire and now the taxpayer again will be expected to pay for any repairs. Gardaí really need to investigate this outrageous behaviour,” Burke said.
In a statement, An Garda Síochána confirmed investigations were ongoing into Saturday’s incident, after the fire was extinguished by Dublin Fire Brigade.
Following last November’s blaze, the council deemed it necessary to close the park the following day to undertake a thorough assessment of the damage and to ensure the site’s safety for public access.
A council report added that in addition to the damage sustained to the playground, several fencing panels were found to be irreparably damaged, and had to be removed for health and safety reasons. The playground was close to reopening, after extensive work, before Saturday’s fire.
Deirdre Prince, senior executive parks office with Dublin City Council, noted in the report: “In addition to the recent acts of vandalism, there have been several incidents of antisocial behaviour against security personnel who were obstructed from performing their duties in Diamond Park.”
This is the third time vandalism has caused significant damage to the playground and the park, following a fire in July of last year.
The current site includes a grass area, a football pitch, a playground, basketball and table tennis facilities.
The redevelopment was part of a wider effort by Dublin City Council to improve parks close to social housing complexes and student accommodation.
