Latest news with #OurLadyofLourdes
BreakingNews.ie
4 days ago
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Priest calls for end to violent feud in Limerick as footage emerges of drive-by shooting
A priest is to hold an open-air Mass in Limerick, calling for an end to a violent feud in the city and to remember victims, including young people who have died of drug overdoses. Fr Richard Keane, co-parish priest Our Lady of Lourdes Church, said he is to hold the Mass outside the parish church at 7pm on Wednesday, June 11th, as his concerns grow that someone in the community will be killed in the escalating violence. Advertisement The feud has ratcheted up in recent months with petrol bombs and drive-by shootings becoming the norm in the local community – a stark reminder of when gang violence left 20 people dead in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Fr Keane said: 'I just want to pray for peace and for people to respect their neighbours. There are some fabulous people in the community and ultimately I just want people to appreciate their neighbours and put an end to any actions or anti-social behaviour that is putting our community in a bad light or having people in fear.' In one of the latest attacks, two masked men filmed themselves committing a drive-by shooting on Hyde Road, indiscriminately firing up to nine shots from a handgun at houses on the street. Fr Keane described as 'shocking' the latest wave of violence in the area. Advertisement 'Ultimately if it continues going the way it is going it will end up with loss of life, so anytime someone's life is in danger, no matter who they are, you would have to be concerned, especially for young people,' Fr Keane said. 'What happens then is that it turns into a spiral of violence then where there is revenge and retribution and you have a terrible cycle of violence so, you would hope that will be avoided and that this will stop before someone loses their life, especially a young person.' Fr Keane said his door is always open to anyone with concerns: 'Yes 100 per cent, I'm always here to listen to people and to pray for people and to support them in any way I can.' 'I just want every single person in the community to feel safe and sound and protected and happy to be living there.' Advertisement Holding out hope for a positive change ahead of the planned open-air Mass, Fr Keane praised community leaders at the local community centre, local sports clubs, and local schools who he said have tried their best to steer young people away from engaging in violence and anti-social activities. 'The vast majority of the people living in the parish are good, decent, people and they just want to live in peace.' 'At next Wednesday's Mass near the statue of Our Lady, at the back of the church, we are going to remember anyone who has died locally down through the years for various reasons – of course, a lot of young people have died from drug overdoses, so we are going to remember all of those people.' 'We are going to pray for a good community, for peace, and a good sense of togetherness and neighbourhood - We are trying to bring people together.' Advertisement 'There is a great community centre here with great community initiatives and the school has a brilliant principal and brilliant staff who work so hard for the area too.' 'They all have their hearts in the right place, they are committed in trying to give the kids in the area the best education and opportunities, and too allow them to discover their gifts and talents and to try to be positive in their lives – and that needs to be acknowledged too.' 'Obviously places have anti-social problems, and a situation like this is very upsetting,' Fr Keane added. Ireland Gardaí investigating arson attack at Limerick fill... Read More 'We know how it finishes up, its very cyclical, you can have an end of a feud and things are quiet for 10 years and then things kick off again.' Advertisement Fr Keane said he was a 'very much 100 per cent' proud Limerick native who wants 'to see the best for the city.' He called on authorities to continue to provide resources for young people to attack 'boredom' in their lives. 'If people are idle and have nothing to do, they can find themselves going down the wrong road, but if people have something to do or have something to engage in, obviously then there is less chance of them going down the wrong path.'
Irish Times
26-05-2025
- Irish Times
Elderly woman pedestrian dies after being hit by bus in Co Louth
Gardaí have issued an appeal for or witnesses after pedestrian in her 80s was knocked down and killed by a bus in Dunleer, Co Louth. The woman was taken by ambulance to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, where she was later pronounced dead. The incident happened at about 12.20pm at Lower Main Street. The road was closed for a technical examination of the scene to be conducted and diversions are in place. Gardaí are appealing for any road users who were at the scene between 12.10pm and 12.30pm on Monday and may have camera footage to make this footage available to Gardaí. READ MORE Anyone with any information is asked to contact Drogheda Garda station on 041 9874200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
BreakingNews.ie
26-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Woman (80s) dies after being hit by bus in Co Louth
Gardaí are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic collision in Dunleer, Co Louth, on Monday. The collision between the pedestrian and a bus occurred at approximately 12:20pm at Lower Main Street. Advertisement The pedestrian, a woman aged in her 80s, was transferred by ambulance to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, where she was later pronounced dead. The road has been closed for a technical examination of the scene to be conducted and diversions are in place. Investigating gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to this collision to come forward. Any road users who were at Lower Main Street, Dunleer, between 12:10pm and 12:30pm on Monday and may have camera footage (including dash-cam) are asked to make this footage available to gardaí. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Drogheda Garda Station on 041 9874200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
BreakingNews.ie
26-05-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Hospital overcrowding: 424 people waiting for beds
A total of 424 admitted patients were on trolleys in hospitals on Monday morning. Some 293 of those were in emergency departments while 131 were in wards, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO). Advertisement University Hospital Limerick accounted for the largest number of people waiting for beds with 98, followed by University Hospital Galway with 54, and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda with 29.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Yahoo
Public schools can't expel a family as 'not a good fit.' Why can private schools?
I have been an attorney representing public schools in Texas for over 40 years. Here's a basic rule for public school administrators: You don't punish the student for something the parents did. Private schools don't have to play by that rule, however. They can simply declare that the family is 'not a good fit' for the school. Let me tell you the story of three kids who were expelled from a Catholic school in St. Louis, Missouri. One of the students had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, and reduced vision. The parents and school had agreed on a set of accommodations, called a learning plan, to help her. According to the parents, everything went well at Our Lady of Lourdes until the elementary school got a new principal. The parents allege that the new principal was not requiring the teachers to provide the accommodations in the learning plan. The parents met with the principal and Father Jim Theby, the pastor, to discuss the situation. In their lawsuit, the parents allege that Theby read the emails the mother had sent to the principal, became visibly upset and said 'he did not think Lourdes was a good fit for any of the family's children.' '(The dad) defended his wife's emails and noted that the only change since the list of accommodations was developed was the change in principal,' the family's lawsuit said. 'In response, the principal smiled and said she was not going anywhere. (The dad) stated that 'we will see about that.'' Theby viewed that as a threat to the principal. According to the lawsuit, he told the parents that 'their family, including their three children, was no longer welcome at the Lourdes School and that they should leave immediately.' No notice. No hearing. No due process. A public school is required by law to have a written Student Code of Conduct that lays out the reasons students may be disciplined. I can guarantee you that no public school in Texas has a Code of Conduct that would allow a student to be suspended or expelled because the family was 'not a good fit' for the school. If the parent of a public school student threatened a school employee, the school might impose restrictions or bring in law enforcement. But it would not expel the student. Things are different in the private sector. The parents sued the parish school and took their case to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, alleging that the school did not comply with Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, a federal law that requires non-discrimination based on disability in entities that receive federal financial assistance. But the 8th Circuit dismissed the case in January. The court held that the expulsion had nothing to do with the school's compliance with Section 504. It was based on things the parents did: the mother's emails and the father's 'threat.' Theby's declaration that 'you are not a good fit' for Our Lady of Lourdes was a sufficient reason for the expulsion of three children. Such a reason would never fly in a public school. Our state is on the verge of sending tax dollars to private schools that can do things like this and get away with it. I hope our legislators will think about that. Wouldn't it be wise to at least attach some conditions to that money? I'm not opposed to private schooling. I attended Catholic schools for 13 years and am grateful for the great education I got. I was pleased to serve on the advisory board of a Catholic school in Austin for several years. I know that private schools, as a general rule, have Codes of Conduct and apply basic standards of fairness. But in the public schools, these standards are built into the law. Public schools are held accountable for abiding by those standards. Shouldn't all schools that we fund with our tax dollars be accountable? Jim Walsh is co-author of The Educator's Guide to Texas School Law. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: School lawsuit raises questions as Texas ponders vouchers | Opinion
