A NAZI swastika and a UVF slogan – just some of the graffiti daubed on the walls of the historic Portora Castle last weekend.

The castle, which is located on public grounds on the Shore Road not far from Enniskillen Royal Grammar School’s Lough Shore site, is also in the middle of hosting the Shakespearean play, Antigone, run by Escapade Theatre NI.

The play began on Wednesday night and is running until Saturday, June 15.

Danielle, a spokesperson for Escapade, told the Impartial Reporter on Wednesday, they were aware of the graffiti and are “deeply saddened by it”.

She said: “It is not at all pleasant, and Escapade rejects the message it appears to give in the strongest possible terms.”

Danielle also confirmed the Department for Communities State Care branch informed Escapade they hoped to have the graffiti cleaned off before the show opened on Wednesday night, but that it depended on the availability of their specialists.

“But even if they can’t, ‘the show must go on’,” she added.

“Perhaps rather aptly, Antigone’s plot deals with the dangers of dogmatic, intransigent regimes, and the importance of standing up for what is right and good in a community.

“For those of us who understand the awful message of the swastika symbol, this is a reminder to take to heart.

“It troubles me deeply that anyone could think that swastikas are in any way appropriate.

“The historical and current resonances are utterly awful, and this is not a message we want anyone in Fermanagh to receive.”

Peter Little, who is the chairman of nearby Enniskillen Royal’s board of governors, told the Impartial Reporter: “Obviously such graffiti is depressing and is to be totally condemned. Thankfully we don’t see too much of it here in Fermanagh.

“However, no suggestion has been made to me that this involved pupils at Enniskillen Royal Grammar School. I am speaking in my capacity as a concerned citizen, not on behalf of the school.

“Portora Castle is accessible to the public. Just because it’s nearby and shares a name with what the school was previously named doesn’t mean it comes under our jurisdiction.”

The PSNI confirmed that they did not receive a report about the incident over the weekend.

This story comes with the news, published in this week’s Impartial Reporter, which showed the Fermanagh and Omagh Policing District was the only one in Northern Ireland which saw a rise in the number of anti-social behaviour incidents from 2017/18 to 2018/19.