A priest who worked for many years in troubled areas of Limerick city has issued an ultimatum to Limerick politicians in the next general election not to run unless they were prepared to deal with the problems in Southill and Limerick's other disadvantaged areas.
Fr Joe Young said he was disgusted by the apathy shown by local politicians, the Government and the public in relation to the problems of the area. "What's happening there is totally unacceptable. Wonderful people are being held hostage in their homes. No one seems to care about what's happening." Fr Young served in the area for 25 years.
"I may not be a priest there any more but I do care," Fr Young said. "What I'd love to see is the area given priority for policing and it should be at the top of the agenda for all politicians for the next general election. I would call on all local politicians to drive around O'Malley Park and Keyes Park, because it's just unbelievable."
Sinn Féin election candidate Maurice Quinlivan agreed that successive governments had abandoned areas such as Southill and Moyross.
"I have campaigned for proper policing, for decent housing, for a properly resourced fight against drugs and for compensation for those innocent people driven from their homes by the fear of crime," he said.
Fianna Fáil TD Peter Power said problems in areas like Southill had become endemic.
"The Government has appointed an experienced former city manager, John Fitzgerald, to examine possible solutions for Southill and indeed other areas in the city," Mr Power said.
"I believe it needs a complete regeneration, not unlike Ballymun, and I have asked Mr Fitzgerald to consider this as part of his report."
Fine Gael election candidate for Limerick East, Cllr Kieran O'Donnell, said: "It has been part of my brief as a councillor and will certainly be part of my brief as a TD.
"I'll be looking for a complete regeneration of several areas in the city. There are a lot of good people in Southill but the problem is some people make life very difficult for them."
Labour TD Jan O'Sullivan said: "Southill and the people who live there will certainly be part of my election manifesto for Limerick. I will be setting out my vision for Limerick's development, not just in terms of infrastructure but also an inclusive plan for giving people a better quality of life."
"There is already a plan to improve the lay-out and quality of housing in O'Malley Park but that, in itself, will not solve the problems of people there and in other parts of Southill," she said.