Church vandalism only a '˜small setback' says rector

The rector of a Co Down church that had its century-old clock damaged by vandals has described the incident as 'a small setback' and stressed that repair and restoration work at the historic building will continue.

By The Newsroom

Published 7th Jun 2018, 18:45 BST

Updated 19th Jun 2018, 18:08 BST

The vandalism is the latest attack on Kilbroney Parish Church in Rostrevor, coming just weeks after a number of Irish tricolours were erected on scaffolding around the church’s bell tower, which has been undergoing essential maintenance work.

Sinn Fein representatives in the area condemned the “one-off incident and said party activists had removed the flags, which appeared around St Patrick’s Day.

It’s believed the clock, installed in 1911, was vandalised sometime on March 30, but details of the incident only emerged this week.

In a statement issued through the press officer for the Church of Ireland’s Down and Dromore Diocese, Rev Colin McCormack, rector of the Parish of Clonallon & Warrenpoint with Kilbroney, commented: “We are taking this small setback in our stride and getting on with repairing the clock and looking to the future with our building project.”

Sinn Fein