Sir, - The murders in Ireland in recent days are a reminder to us all of just how much our society is changing. They express how vulnerable everyone is and how vigilant we need to be in order to maintain human dignity and human life.
As an association we wish to express our regret at these murders and sympathise with all those directly involved. Our members work with many difficult and horrific situations but these brutal deaths once again bring home to us that we can never be complacent. Therefore it is incumbent on us all to investigate the reasons why such violence is happening.
These deaths also remind us that violence worldwide is an increasing part of our lives as instanced by the September 11th bombings and the situation in Afghanistan. As an association we deplore all waste of human life. - Yours, etc.,
Monica Egan, President, Irish Association of Social Workers, Dublin 2.