Moyross priest claims opposition to estate road is a form of 'apartheid'

Community leaders claim strong opposition from Limerick Councillors and neighbouring estates  will maintain 'segregation' in Moyross

Tiernan O'Neill, Principal Corpus Christi National School, Philip Power, Adrian Power, Jason Craig, Deirdre O'Dirscoll, Cara Duggan, Fr Pat Hogan and Paddy Flannery, at the Entrance from Moyross to Woodview. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

For years, pathways to education and employment in Moyross, Co Limerick were strangled by poor local government planning, followed by a decade-long violent turf war between rival drug gangs.

Gardaí eventually put the gang leaders behind bars, and the State launched a multi-million euro Regeneration plan to revitalise the area.

Peace and pride in place were restored and Moyross is a bustling community. New houses are springing up, the local school is full, millions of euro has been invested in playing fields and playgrounds, a community hub is an anchor for education and training, and a mental health centre focuses on helping to heal the scars of the past.

Despite these improvements, as well as political promises of a hospital, and a train station in Moyross, there is still only one road in and out of the estate, which also remains separated from neighbouring estates by high walls that contain razor wire.

Community leaders claim strong opposition from Limerick Councillors and neighbouring estates to new Council plans for a road — linking Moyross and Old Cratloe Road via Woodview, Caherdavin — will maintain “segregation” in Moyross and harm its prospects for the future.

Locals claim that insults including, “breed them out”, were thrown at them at a recent public consultation meeting about the road.

Moyross parish priest, Fr Pat Hogan summed up his view on it: “It’s a form of apartheid.” 

“Years ago, when I worked in prison, the use of razor wire was forbidden, but as you will see it’s all around here,” Fr Hogan said.

“We want our politicians to stand up now and show they are committed to Moyross, otherwise we may be back here in another twenty years, having to restart Regeneration, and no one wants to return to the bad old days,” Fr Hogan added.

The route, which is currently called ‘University Avenue’, would open up a direct physical link between Moyross and TUS (Technological University of the Shannon). However, Tiernan O’Neill, principal of Corpus Christi Primary School, Moyross, claimed many local councillors have fueled tensions on both sides of the walled estate by not supporting the route.

The Walls of Moyross. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

“There are socially acceptable levels of discrimination and prejudice in this city. What is disappointing for me is that you have local councillors that have now fermented that segregation and exclusion through a process that should have brought people together but has actually torn people apart,” Mr O’Neill claimed.

“And regarding that comment 'we need to breed them out' - who do these people want to breed out, is it Keith Earls the Irish international rugby player? Is it Wesley Johnson the professional jockey? Is it Tommy Barrett the manager of Treaty United? Is it the 440 children that are coming into school here in Moyross every day. It was an appalling comment to make,” added Mr O’Neill.

Philip Power, chairman of Moyross United said throwing insults at Moyross retraumatises residents who have faced discrimination and prejudice for decades because their address was associated with crime and deprivation.

“I remember when we had to change our addresses (on job application forms) because we couldn't get a job, and from the way those people were making those (insults) — you have to ask, do our children have to go back and experience what we experienced thirty/forty years ago?,” Mr Power stated.

“We are very proud to mention that we are from Moyross, and our kids should be too, and we shouldn’t have to hide that. There’s no way we are going back to those days of using addresses from somewhere else,” Mr Power said.

Fine Gael Councillor Olivia O’Sullivan, who along with many of her colleagues in the Council chamber are against the route, said while she is opposed to the location of the road, she supports opening up transport links with Moyross.

Cllr O’Sullivan said Moyross would be served by the “Coonagh to Knockalisheen” distributor road, however, this hit with a major setback in March 2022 when the main contractor, Roadbridge, went into receivership.

Cllr O’Sullivan, who lives in the Caherdavin area, said argued that the proposed route via Woodview, would create traffic chaos as “there is already a huge amount of traffic where the Old Cratloe Road joins the Moylish Roundabout” at TUS.

“Woodview residents only have one way in and out to Woodview, we already deal with huge traffic.” “People are wrong to presume that if you are defending one community you are attacking another, that’s not what this is about,” Cllr O’Sullivan said.