Limerick mayor 'deeply disappointed' by homophobic abuse throughout summer initiatives

John Moran said: 'Personal abuse — and contempt for people simply because they say that they are enjoying and welcome something new — should have no part in our Limerick.' Picture: Manon Gilbart

Limerick mayor John Moran has said he was left “deeply disappointed” by homophobic abuse he received throughout the Summer in the City initiatives.

As part of an August programme of events, Mr Moran announced a series of initiatives aimed at increasing footfall in the city centre.

While some businesses welcomed the activities and partial street closures, some others criticised the move and organised a protest.

Reflecting on the programme, Mr Moran said he has seen Limerick coming alive again, and that “Limerick’s appetite for change is very real”.

While Mr Moran said this summer reminded him why he sought to become Limerick’s first directly elected mayor, he was also left disappointed as he received homophobic abuse.

“I was deeply disappointed and, at times, taken aback by some of the personally abusive comments directed at me and at supporters of Summer in the City on social media. Some descended into explicitly homophobic abuse,” Mr Moran wrote on his blog.

“Others sought to dismiss those attending events as elitists or not 'ordinary' (whatever that is supposed to mean), even as families, children, older people and people from communities all across Limerick made those spaces their own. 

"Debate, disagreement, and scrutiny are essential parts of public life. Personal abuse — and contempt for people simply because they say that they are enjoying and welcome something new — should have no part in our Limerick,” Mr Moran added.

One of the three councillors who opposed the road closures part of the initiative, Catherine Slattery, previously said events such as the planned Long Table dinner at the Crescent were not aimed at "ordinary people".

"Take the Long Table event, mark my words, it will be the same faces that were sitting at the table last year and none of those faces I recognised as the ordinary people of Limerick and their children,” she told the Limerick Post.

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Ms Slattery's comments quickly gained traction, with a form circulated on social media to register as the "Ordinary People of Limerick".

Mr Moran previously told the Irish Examiner, Ms Slattery’s comments were hurtful, and asked for clarification.

In response, Ms Slattery said: “In relation to comments I previously made regarding 'ordinary people', I wish to clarify that no offence or division was intended. My point was simply that public events and initiatives should be accessible, welcoming and inclusive for the widest possible range of people”.