UPDATE: Community vigil taking place at vandalised World War 1 Memorial

A SPECIAL community vigil is taking place at the World War 1 Memorial in the city.

The vigil was due to begin at 6pm this evening after it was extensively damaged in “a mindless act of vandalism” earlier this week.

Vandals damaged the face of a statue of the fallen soldier and hacked off part of its nose, while the helmet was also damaged.

Gardai believe the attack occurred between Sunday night and Monday morning.

The chairman of the Kilkenny War Memorial Committee, Donal Croghan, today said the attack was an act of “mindless vandalism” against the people of Kilkenny and Ireland.

He said this evening’s vigil will be a mark of solidarity with the families of thousands of Kilkenny and Irish soldiers who lost their lives in the Great War.

Mr Croghan also said the memorial, which was sculpted in India before being shipped to Ireland, would be repaired, no matter how long it takes.

The memorial cost between €180,000 and €200,000 and was mostly funded by Kilkenny County Council.

The attack has led to widespread calls for permanent CCTV to be placed at the site of the memorial.

The memorial will be boxed off until it is repaired. Temporary CCTV cameras will also be erected at the site.