Fr. Tony Sees the Light
Posted 11 years ago, 26 Feb 2013
by Cathal Mc Carthy
Fr. Tony O'Riordan, Parish Priest of Moyross, has come out in the local media against the depopulation of Moyross by Limerick City Council, describing it as "a foolish policy". MRA Chairperson, Tom Daly has welcomed Fr. O'Riordans remarks, but feels that the Parish Priest has left City Hall off the hook by not condemning the manner in which depopulation was caried. "I'm glad Fr. O'Riordan is starting to see the light, but surely he must be aware that people didn't simply choose to leave. They were bullied out of their homes and many home owners were bought out for a pittance and turned into tenants. The council's policy of depopulatiing individual houses and boarding them up to be looted for copper and often burnt out is what facitated their land grab. It was obvious from an early stage that such houses attracted anti-social elements and created problems for those living next to them; penetrating damp and rat infestations is how the council enticed people out. Home owners that lived next door to such houses felt they had no choice but to take what they were offered. In some cases they were threatened with CPO's, which they were led to believe would leave them with less. The courts wouldn't leave you homeless, but many residents are unaware of their rights, they were entitled to like for like and deeds for deeds" "Depopulation is something that the Moyross Residents Alliance and Limerick Regeneration Watch have been highlighting for years and the only reason it has stopped is because they haven't got the money to be buying houses elswhere. The deals that were offered may not have been illegal, but they were certainly immoral and that's something that Fr. O'Riordan should have highlighted." said Mr. Daly
