BY MICHAEL BRESLIN
The Lisnaskea family home of Fermanagh hurling star, Darren Graham (25), who attracted media controversy last year by publicly boycotting Gaelic games in protest at racist comments directed at him on the playing field, was attacked last Saturday morning, and the star's mother's car torched. No one was injured.
Darren recently made the front page of a Sunday tabloid, but he said he had an open mind on the motive(s) behind the incident. However, he did not think it was related to his GAA games protest. He has since resumed hurling for the county, although he will shortly be taking up an offer to join a dual club in Philadelphia for a three-month spell at least.
Police in Lisnaskea, meanwhile, are appealing for information following an incident at the Graham home at Carrowshee Park which Darren shares with his three-year old daughter, Brooke and his mother, Mary.
A PSNI spokesman said that an upstairs bathroom window was smashed when a brick was thrown through it at around 6am on Saturday morning last. Damage was also caused to a car parked adjacent to the house after three wheelie bins were placed beside it and set alight.
Darren told the 'Herald' that his daughter had slept throughout the entire episode. He himself was asleep and didn't see anything after a brick was hurled at the bathroom window.
However, he said his mother had also heard the bang: "It did upset my mother," he said, "It brought back memories for her (her husband, Darren's father, Cecil was mortally wounded in an IRA ambush at her parents' home in November, 1981).
"She thought it was a gunshot. I was going to go outside to see if there was anyone around, but she would not let me out. She thought it was a shot, but it was the brick hitting the window. I knew it was a brick because there was only one pane of glass broken due to it being double-glazed. That's why it was such a loud bang."
Darren explained that he had been using his mother's car as his own had broken down. The family were having an extension done to the house, and the brick used in the attack had come from a pile in the backyard.
The Emmett's football and hurling star, who also plays hurling for Fermanagh, came to prominence last July when he gave up gaelic sport in protest at being called sectarian names.
However, he was adamant that the attack had nothing to do with the fall-out over that episode that made national headlines.
"I don't even know if the wrong house was targeted," he said, "so I'm keeping an open mind. And I definitely cannot say if it had anything to do with the past because, at the end of the day, people can say this and say that, that I was wrong going to the papers, but I know for a fact people would not stoop as low as this.
"But, no one was hurt, and that's the main thing. I am more concerned for mother. In a week's time I'll be away to the States. They want me out to play. It could be for a year but, definitely, for three months."
Darren, who is employed locally with the Clarke Group, recently returned to the Fermanagh senior hurling squad: "I will miss it," he said. "The buzz is going good about the county at the moment. We were away for a day on Sunday in Cavan, the whole squad. We did one and half hours in the gym and then had a match between ourselves."
The Police spokesman said this week that detectives were investigating a number of motives and they were appealing for anyone with information to call CID at Enniskillen on 0845 600 8000. Alternatively, members of the public can pass information anonymously to the Crimestoppers free phone number on 0800 555111.
