'We need your help to protect Termonbacca and people who use it'

The Prior of Termonbacca, Fr Stephen Quinn, has appealed for community support “to protect” the retreat centre and the people who use it.

His call followed the deliberate setting of fires in the grounds of the Derry building every night last week by groups of young people.

In one incident, wood was piled around a tree and set alight, which resulted in the Fire Brigade being called by local councillor Gary Donnelly (pictured) who noticed the blaze.

Speaking to The Derry News, Fr Quinn said he had been in Termonbacca for eight years and this was the worst summer in terms of such fires.

“It has gone on more consistently than I remember at any stage,” said Fr Quinn. “If anyone can help or whatever faculty or institution that can help to try and get this back in some sort of control to protect the place but also to protect the people who use the place, we need your help.

“There has been an increase in incidents right throughout the whole summer of young people hanging around in our woods and in our property getting up to various antics, the most dangerous of which is burning. The boundary fence between Termonbacca and the land owned by the Housing Executive is the Housing Executive’s responsibility and it has not been renewed.

“We just allow people to come through. We don’t interfere with people’s walks or children playing or whatever. We just let them go on through. We have never had a problem with people using our property.

Fires have been set in the grounds of Termonbacca Retreat Centre this summer.

“People always walk here. It is possible to walk all the way to Brae Head Road from here. People walk their dogs around the property and we have never had a problem.

“Sometimes during the summer when kids are at a bit of a loss they would come down here and and they would get up to various antics but this year we have had a consistent problem of fires.

“In one incident, they piled up quite a lot of wood around a tree and then nearly the whole tree caught on fire. It took four of us to put the fire out. That could have turned into a conflagration of epic proportions because it could have caught the rest of the trees. I was surprised how big it was.

“Somebody saw it and came in and told us but by the time we got there, the kids had disappeared.

“I think somebody could get seriously hurt with the number of fires that are happening. There has been a fire each night this week.”

Fr Quinn continued: “In addition, we have allotment here which people use and we keep chickens and whoever the young people were, they came down and ripped open the little pen where we keep the chicks. Thankfully none of the chickens were hurt but we were just very concerned about that and we had to move the chickens.

“That was just one incident I am concerned about but the fires are the most the dangerous thing because it has not rained for a while. I am afraid the children themselves are going to get hurt or somebody else is going to get hurt.

“There is a danger of fire spreading to property,” he added. “Adjacent to the wood above the house, we have a laundry for washing the linens from the retreat house. The caretaker’s store is also connected to the woods. But the trees are so large, especially the beech tree here and it could get to the main house.

“I would be concerned that this seems to be escalating. There was a group on Monday night of approximately 40 young women, teenage girls, and they were all over this place but when they were asked to move on by a person at the allotments, they just dismissed them.

“Last week a group of boys set a fire and three fathers came out and even though there was a fire, the boys had no sense of danger or property. They refused to move.

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“My appeal is that we are simply trying to protect the property. The property is of use to the community. We have confessions here and we have Mass here and we have left the property open to people using it but it has to be protected and respected because the last thing we want to do is to have to build fences or gates to protect the property.”

Cllr Gary Donnelly told The Derry News he had subsequently contacted the Housing Executive which had undertaken to patch up the fence where the young people were gaining access to the woods at Termonbacca.

Derry City and Strabane District councillor Gary Donnelly.

He said: “Regarding the wider situation, I have been liaising with Termonbacca over the last number of weeks and I have contacted youth workers. They are going to be reaching out to the young people.

“However, I do believe the cuts to the funding for youth work is having a detrimental impact too.

“I would just appeal to the young people too about the dangers of doing this and I would call on parents to ensure that they know where their young people are.

“Attacking the livestock, the chickens and that is completely out of order so I would just appeal for the young people to give the clergy in Termonbacca bit of respect and the surrounding houses.”