A group of volunteers have come together to repaint a mural depicting the rainbow flag which was defaced last month in Newbridge, County Kildare.

The vandals had painted over it in black, writing saying: “F**k LGBT” and “LGBT b*****d”. They also drew another rainbow with a cross going through it.

The original mural was painted by students in the Patrician Secondary School in celebration of Pride week last year.

The school’s art teacher Kieran Behan recruited a number of volunteers who assisted him in repainting the mural.

Mr Behan said he wanted it reinstated as quickly as possible and expressed his disappointment at the incident as the school had been making great strides in diversity and inclusion.

Mr Behan, spoke to Kildare Now and criticised its vandalisation.

“It is sad and frustrating that this should happen and this is the first time it’s been defaced,” he said.

Speaking to Kildare Nationalist, he said:

“I wanted to get that wall re-instated, and support the lads,” he said.

“You can kinda get a flavour of what they have to put up with when you see this,” he added.

“It looks well, even though we say so ourselves,” said Kieran who wished to acknowledge the assistance of volunteers Peter McHale, David Sisk, Joe Brown, Colin Smyth, and Peter Hussey.

This is not the first anti-LGBT+ incident which has occurred in Newbridge this year. Back in early February, a homophobic attack took place outside Newbridge’s railway station.

Two men were assaulted by a gang, with one of them even being stabbed four times. He had to be rushed to Tallaght hospital as a result.

Since the attack, a friend of the couple set up a petition for Ireland to bring in hate crime legislation. Ireland remains one of the few EU countries to not have any such laws.