VANDALS in Dublin have targeted the city’s iconic statue of Molly Malone for the third time in two months.
Green paint has been daubed across the chest of the bronze statue, which is situated in Suffolk Street, a short distance from Trinity College and Grafton Street.
The writing reads ‘Please Don’t T. Y’.
The vandalism, carried out over the weekend, marks the third time the statue has been targeted recently.
In August vandals attacked the statue twice in one week.
The first incident saw black paint sprawled across the chest of the statue, and the second saw the words "7 Years Bad Luck" written across the statue's chest.
There has now been a call for the statue to be moved, in a bid to put an end to the vandalism.
Independent Cllr Christy Burke, a former Lord Mayor of Dublin, has urged that the statue to be moved to a more secure spot.
"Molly Malone statue has now been spray painted three times over the past few months. It’s time to change the location of the statue," he said.
Burke suggested the statue could be housed near the Mansion House on Dawson Street to prevent further vandalism, where numerous CCTV cameras are in place.
Some Dublin tourist guides suggest rubbing the statue’s chest for good luck, which could have prompted the latest act of vandalism in protest against the custom.