Madam, – I write in relation to the appalling scenes that took place last Wednesday at Limerick District Court. A melee occurred and armed gardaí had to be called, as reported accurately in your newspaper (Home News, September 3rd). Feud violence clearly shows no boundaries.
Limerick is now experiencing the unbelievable situation of a solicitor alleging in court that he had been assaulted in a courthouse. Worse still is that when the gardaí are contacted by your reporter they appear to have received no complaint. The situation in Limerick continues to be extremely grave.
I have appeared regularly at Limerick District Court over the past 25 years and am a living witness as to how deep-set our problems are. I can safely say, as a result of my visits to many of the courthouses in this country, that Judge Tom O’Donnell deals with a workload and a pressure-cooker atmosphere that very few others would put up with.
I noted with disappointment that when our State solicitor, Michael Murray, articulated the concerns of many of the citizens here in Limerick he found himself criticised from many quarters.
The situation in Limerick is critical and needs intervention at a number of levels. If people such as Mr Murray are not listened to then the deaths of Brian Fitzgerald, Shane Geoghegan and other innocent victims are certain to be augmented in the not-too-distant future. Is there anybody out there listening?
– Yours, etc,