Arson attack at Church in Tinure
On 14 May 2026, an arson attack targeted the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Tinure, County Louth, where papers were deliberately set alight inside the building, causing a fire that spread under a pew and filled the church with smoke before being discovered.
The fire was discovered around 8:50 p.m. after papers had been set alight inside the church gallery. Fr. Paddy Rushe reported that “someone had set fire to papers in a waste bin and put them under a pew in the gallery space.” The fire smouldered for some time, burning through a floorboard and filling the church with smoke, though it was contained before it could fully develop into a major blaze.
“Thanks God we had a lucky escape this time”, the parish priest said alluding to what could have happened if the fire had spread.
The incident caused extensive smoke damage and structural harm to part of the gallery. A Garda investigation into criminal damage by fire is ongoing, with CCTV being reviewed and witnesses sought.
Photo: lmfm.ie