Catholic bar targeted again
The Fountain Bar on the Shore Road in Greencastle narrowly escaped major fire damage last week thanks to the actions of quick thinking neighbours.
Owner Paul Gillen said only the alertness of nearby residents and the efficiency of the the Fire Service saved the building from complete destruction.
The attack is the second in a matter of months after loyalists pipebombed the premises at the start of March. Then, as now, the attack was followed by an attack on the nearby St Mary’s Primary School in Greencastle.
In last week’s incident CCTV footage shows a man trying to set fire to the building at around 3am on Friday morning. The footage shows the man climbing over the back wall and setting fire to bins. That footgae is now with police who are enhancing the images.
The fire caused the bins to melt resulting in severe scorch damage to the back of the pub.
“You can see the guy tries to move a gas cylinder and set that on fire but he doesn’t manage it,” Paul said. “We got the call from the alarm company about 3.15am. When the secondary call came that’s when we knew something major was going on. The neighbours were great, they seen the flames and got onto the Fire Brigade straightaway, so when we arrived the fire crew were already on the scene.
“They reacted very quickly and only for their quick thinking, plus we have the proper fire doors, it could have been a lot worse – thats what the fire chief told me.
“The bar is serving the local community and an attack on the bar is an attack on the local community. It doesn’t make any sense why we should be targeted.”
Anyone with information about the attack or who noticed any suspicious activity in the area on Friday July 24 should contact the PSNI on 0845 600 8000.
