Achill playschool targeted

Achill playschool targeted

Claire Egan

A NUMBER of premises in the Achill area, including a local playschool, were the target of a series of burglaries during the past week.
The first incident occurred at Masterson’s Bar, Dugort, Achill between 6.30pm on the evening of Tuesday, January 23 and 10.30am the following morning. An undisclosed sum of cash was taken from the premises.
It is believed that the culprits then travelled to Cashel, Achill where they attempted to gain entry to Lynott’s public house through the adjacent playschool, but were unsuccessful.
An attempted break-in was also reported at Doherty’s shop and public house, Mulranny at approximately 4.20am on Wednesday, January 24.
According to a Garda spokesperson, the culprits attempted to gain entry through a side window but fled the scene when the alarm system went off.
It is believed that the culprits then continued their journey to Newport where they attempted to break in to Kelly’s Garage by disarming the alarm system.
In a separate incident over the weekend, two males, aged 22 and 18 years, were arrested after breaking into the Communications Shop at Thomas Street, Castlebar at approximately 4.50am on Saturday. A number of electrical items were stolen but were subsequently recovered after Gardaí apprehended the burglars.
Both men were arrested and are due to appear before Castlebar District Court on February 7.
A break-in was also reported at the Kitty Hawk restaurant, Market Square, Castlebar between 6pm on Saturday and 5pm on Sunday. The drawer of the cash register till was stolen along with the contents of a charity donations collection box.
Gardái are appealing to the public for information on the break-in and for any further information on an attempted break-in at Shaney Mac’s, a newsagent and stationery shop on Bridge Street and also the Subway premises at Middle Lane.
According to a Garda spokesperson, in both instances the culprits attempted to force open the rear door of each premises in order to gain entry.