Waterford songwriter appeals for help to recover stolen guitar

A talented young songwriter from Co Waterford has made a public appeal for information that might lead to the recovery of her much loved guitar that was stolen after she performed a set at this year's Electric Picnic event.

Sarah Szucs, from Dungarvan, appeared on the Global Green Stage at the event and performed a very well-received set or her own material. However, the success of the performance was very much dampened by the fact her guitar was stolen.

The instrument, a Yamaha LL model is a 90's model and is quite rare. The range was manufactured for a few years in the mid-90s.

Sarah spoke to Waterford News & Star about the incident and is hoping that someone might have information that could lead to her being reunited with the instrument, which has great sentimental value to her.

"I performed on the Saturday night," said Sarah, who said circumstances beyond her control led to her putting her guitar back into her tent at the event rather than put it in her friend's car which was her intention.

"There was an issue and she had to carry a lot of gear back to her car and I intended to put the guitar in with hers," said Sarah.

"If I had gone to the car I would have had difficulty getting back into the area where my tent was so I had to keep the guitar with me," she said.

However, the area where Sarah had her tent was the site for the Global Green crew and it was relatively secure, which made her feel somewhat at ease with keeping her guitar in the tent.

"I checked on it a number of times throughout Sunday and it was there and then I left the tent again at around 9pm on Sunday night to go and look at some of the other acts and when I returned at 11pm it had been ripped open and the guitar was gone," she said.

A number of tents in the area were ransacked and what made the theft of Sarah's guitar a little unusual was the fact the perpetrators took it out of its case.

"They took the guitar out and stole it but left the case," said Sarah.

The strap off the instrument was found on Monday night and she was contacted by the woman who found it, close to an area where access point had been made from an adjacent camp site was made.

"It was either someone who knew what they were doing and knew exactly what they were taking or it was someone who hadn't a clue and just saw an opportunity and made off with it," said Sarah.

The guitar holds immense sentimental value to her - as is the case for most musicians in terms of their relationship with their instruments.

"It was gifted to me by a friend when I started to begin my original gigs and it's been with me since my very first original gig," said Sarah.

The person who owned the guitar before her had it for 30 years.

Sarah, who is now based in Cloughjordan, in Co Tipperary, is hoping someone might have seen a person with the guitar or have information that might help her get it back. She reported the theft to the Gardaí and has also taken to social media bring attention to her plight.

If anyone thinks they may have seen the guitar or if they have information they think might help they are asked to contact Waterford News & Star through brendan.keane@waterford-news.com and we will put them in contact with Sarah.