Murder attempt in Limerick - A new threat to city’s image

FOR many years Limerick suffered unfairly because of its reputation for violent criminality. It was known as Stab City and no matter how the majority of Limerick people smiled through gritted teeth at the name, it must have hurt. 

It certainly was an obstacle to developing the city, but despite that, considerable advances have been made even though much remains to be done.

It would be more than tragic if yesterday’s attempted murder of senior crime figure Christy Keane reignited the gang wars that did so much to give the city a bad name.

Keane, is a member of one of the families involved in a long-running crime feud in the city and was shot a number of times at the University of Limerick campus, early yesterday morning. He had served time in prison over drug-related crimes.

The city’s gang wars, just like any city’s, were defined by tit-for-tat beatings, shootings and murders that went on for so very long that the crimes defined the city in an inaccurate but powerful way. Huge and largely successful efforts have been made to rebuild the city’s image.

Several projects, but most especially the continuing development of UL and the new Thomond Park, have made valuable contributions to that process. Huge garda resources were needed to end the last gang wars and it must be hoped that they are not needed again because the city has too much to lose.