§ MR. W. JOHNSTON (Belfast, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the church of Ballymore Eustace, County Kildare, belonging to the Church of Ireland, was, upon the night of Sunday, the 29th July, broken into, and music and other books, to the value of £5, maliciously destroyed; whether, on a previous occasion, the same church was broken into, and the sacramental plate broken and trampled upon; 243 and whether, as this church is in the vicinity of a police barracks, any, and it so what, steps have been taken to bring the perpetrators to justice, and to protect for the future the church and its contents?
MR. J. MORLEYI am informed that the church was entered upon the date mentioned, and that music to the value of about 10s. was destroyed. A carpenter's saw, valued at 5s., was also injured. The occurrence is believed by the police to have been the act of some mischievous children who obtained access to the church, which was under repair, by some scaffolding. The occurrence referred to in the second paragraph took place in July, 1885. Every endeavour is being made by the police to trace the perpetrators of the recent act. The police have given every attention to the church in the past, and will continue to do so.