Chai Brady
Dublin communities must stand up against “evil” gangland violence and not stay silent, a parish priest has said after a young man was killed in Coolock on Sunday.
Fr Bryan Shortall PP of Priorswood Parish condemned those behind the shooting of Eoin Boylan (22) in the garden of his home on Clonsaugh Avenue. He warned of the danger of communities remaining silent due to fear or loyalty.
“When I was growing up there was that idea of ‘don’t be a tell-tale, don’t be a rat’, it was that sort of attitude is what allowed the sexual abuse of minors [in the Church] to prevail,” he said.
“That attitude is what gave oxygen to the cover up, and that attitude continues to give oxygen to these individuals that want to cause destruction, that has been so evident in terms of the gangland feuds.”
Fr Shortall urged people to act within the law and to contact gardaí if they have any information, as they are “best equipped to deal with these crimes”.
Feud
Authorities believe at least one gun man was involved along with a getaway driver. The murder is believed to be connected with the ongoing drugs feud in the area which has led to the deaths of four others.
“I would call on the neighbours to hold tight and support one another. This neighbourhood is second generation, third generation, the great community spirit of the Dublin city people, they’re a great and selfless people who support one another especially in times like this,” he said.
“We’ve just opened our pastoral centre and already there’s a great response, despite this awful darkness there is a great hope from ordinary community people.”
Fr Shortall added that the community must band together and work towards solutions in the face of the “dreadful violence”.
This latest killing brings the number of gang-related murders to 10 this year, with half of those related to the Coolock feud.