Irish in New Orleans support Limerick garda

The Irish community in New Orleans is rallying around Garda Brian Hanrahan who was shot twice in a mugging earlier this week while on holiday there with his father.

Dublin chef Matt Murphy, who runs the Irish House restaurant, visited the garda on Thursday and said he was making a good recovery.

Garda Hanrahan, 32, who is stationed in Newcastle West, was shot in the back and leg after he withdrew money from an ATM.

Speaking on Limerick’s Live 95 FM, Mr Murphy said: “I’m a chef and I brought him in some nice food. Food always makes you feel better, especially a change from hospital food. We made him some shepherd’s pie and bangers and mash. I went in and, lucky enough we were able to get up to his floor, and a New Orleans police person was able to get Brian’s dad and I was able to get in and see him. He is in good spirits and had just come out of an operation that morning. He looked well,.”

Mr Murphy said many local Irish groups had come together to raise funds for the family.

“We have the local pipe band, the Irish Pipes and Drums are putting on a per-formance.

“It’s a really grass roots community get-together with people who want to show the family that we care about them and that New Orleans people are doing their utmost to help. People here feel embarrassed. People here think its a black eye for the city and they don’t want people in Ireland feeling that this is New Orleans. The true New Orleans is jazz, Mississippi, go and have some fun. This incident sort of shows it in a different light when one individual did what they did the other night.”

Garda Hanrahan’s wife Emma has flown to New Orleans to be with him . She was presented with a $2,000 (€1,770) debit card by members of the New Jersey State and Port Authority Police Benevolent Associations to help pay for travel costs and or any associated hospital bills.