For the third time in the last three days, a Laois Local Election candidate has reported that their posters have been tampered with.
This time, Sinn Fein’s Lorna Holohan-Garry has reported that she is the latest victim.
Taking to social media yesterday, the candidate in the Borris-In-Ossory-Mountmellick area shared images of utter destruction in Ballyfin.
The damage also extended to Fine Gael Cllr Conor Bergin who had a piece chopped out of one of his posters.
She said: “A mindless individual actually went up a pole in Ballyfin and mulched 2 posters off it with a hedge cutters this morning.
“Not only is hedge cutting illegal this time of year, so is damage to posters and poles – may ‘insulate’ the rest of them.”
Holohan-Garry also revealed that some of her other posters nearby had obscene words writted on them.
She said: “Around the bend, ‘scum c&nt’ was sprawled across another, and one across from it (was) broken up in bits.
“Now I don’t know what way you were brought up, but it obviously wasn’t with respect for other people’s property or with respect for women to call such vile names, your family must be very proud of you.
“If anyone sees or hears of anyone up to this thuggery, or gets a make and model or number plate, please contact me or one of my team.
“It will be in the strictest of confidence I can assure you of that. Thank you.”
Lorna Garry-Holohan’s experience is similar to that of her Sinn Fein colleagues in Portlaoise.
Cllr Caroline Dwane-Stanley and Maria McCormack both reported that they had posters stolen and vandalised.
Also in the Portlaoise area, Independent candidate Dom Dunne reported that some of his posters had gone missing.
While in the Borris-In-Ossory-Mountmellick area, three more election candidates were targeted.
On the road between Castletown and The Pike of Rushall Posters belonging to European election candidate Peadar Tóibín (Aontu) and local election candidates Cllr Ollie Clooney (Independent) and Helen Campion (Sinn Fein) had their faces cut out of their canvasses.
