A LIMERICK priest is to hold an open-air mass in the city, calling for an end to a violent feud on Hyde Road, and to remember deceased people, including young victims of drug overdoses.
Fr Richard Keane, co-parish priest Our Lady of Lourdes Church, said he will serve the mass outside the parish church at 7pm, Wednesday, June 11, as his concerns grow that someone in the community will be killed in the escalating violence.
The feud has ratcheted up in recent months with petrol bombs and drive-by shootings becoming the norm in the local community – a stark reminder of when the Dundon McCarthy Keane Collopy Ryan feud left 20 people dead in the late 90s/ early 2000s.
Fr Keane, a Janesboro native, said: “I just want to pray for peace and for people to respect their neighbours. There are some fabulous people in the community and ultimately I just want people to appreciate their neighbours and put an end to any actions or anti-social behaviour that is putting our community in a bad light or having people in fear.”
In one of the latest attacks, two masked men filmed themselves in the throws of committing a drive-by shooting on Hyde Road indiscriminately firing up to nine shots from a handgun at houses on the street.
Fr Keane described as “shocking” the latest wave of violence in the area.
“Ultimately if it continues going the way it is going it will end up with loss of life, so anytime someone’s life is in danger, no matter who they are, you would have to be concerned, especially for young people,” Fr Keane said.
“What happens then is that it turns into a spiral of violence, where there is revenge and retribution and you have a terrible cycle of violence so, you would hope that will be avoided and that this will stop before someone loses their life, especially a young person.”
Fr Keane said his door is always open to anyone with concerns: “Yes 100%, I’m always here to listen to people and to pray for people and to support them in any way I can.”
“I just want every single person in the community to feel safe and sound and protected and happy to be living there.”
Holding out hope for a positive change ahead of the planned open-air mass, Fr Keane praised community leaders at the local community centre, local sports clubs, and local schools who he said have tried their best to steer young people away from engaging in violence and anti-social activities.
“The vast majority of the people living in the parish are good, decent, people and they just want to live in peace.”
“At next Wednesday’s mass near the statue of Our Lady, at the back of the church, we are going to remember anyone who has died locally down through the years for various reasons – of course, a lot of young people have died from drug overdoses, so we are going to remember all of those people.”
“We are going to pray for a good community, for peace, and a good sense of togetherness and neighbourhood – We are trying to bring people together.”
“There is a great community centre here with great community initiatives and the school has a brilliant principal and brilliant staff who work so hard for the area too.”
“They all have their hearts in the right place, they are committed in trying to give the kids in the area the best education and opportunities, and too allow them to discover their gifts and talents and to try to be positive in their lives – and that needs to be acknowledged too.”
“Obviously places have anti-social problems, and a situation like this is very upsetting,” Fr Keane added.
“We know how it finishes up, its very cyclical, you can have an end of a feud and things are quiet for ten years and then things kick off again.”
Fr Keane said he was “very much, one hundred per cent” proud Limerick native, “I just want to see the best for the city.”
He called on authorities to continue to provide resources for young people to attacked “boredom” in their lives.
“If people are idle and have nothing to do, they can find themselves going down the wrong road, but if people have something to do or have something to engage in, obviously then there is less chance of them going down the wrong path.”
