Group of Monks who moved into one of Limerick’s worst crime hot spots have helped bring peace to the neighbourhood
A regeneration project was set up in Moyross in 2007 after a young family were firebombed for refusing to give a lift to gang members
A GROUP of monks who moved into one of Ireland's worst crime hot-spots a decade ago have witnessed a miracle as the area transformed into a more peaceful neighbourhood.
In 2007 Limerick's Moyross was infested by the hated McCarthy Dundon gang, over-run by and under siege from street thugs.
That's when the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal moved in.
Just a year previously, children Gavin and Millie Murray were horrifically burned in a fire bomb attack after their mum Sheila refused to give a lift to a gang, an episode that helped spark a rejuvenation.
Limerick Regeneration was set up in 2007 to address social anarchy in four local authority housing estates, and has been criticised for the slow progress made.
But the area — now free from the shadows of jailed killers Wayne and John Dundon who operated out of Ballinacurra Weston but orchestrated a campaign of terror in the nearby estates — is vastly improved.
This week, the monks held a barbecue and Mass to mark their time in Limerick's northside.
Fr Charles Reche, from Normandy, France, is the longest-serving Friar in Moyross, having been in the area since 2010.
He said: "The change has been very significant. There are still challenges, but overall, it's way more peaceful."
He believes the decline in the population of the estate — as people have moved elsewhere in the city — has led to it becoming a more peaceful neighbourhood.
The friary is in Delmege Park in the heart of the Moyross estate, which is home to around 2,500 people — down from 5,500 a decade ago.
But Fr Charles claimed the people of Moyross had helped him become a better priest.
He said: "It's like learning to be a parent with your first child. It's pretty much the same thing. What I learn the most is I don't know as much as I think, and it draws me to rely on others and God himself."
Before moving to Moyross, Fr Reche served in another tough community, the Bronx in New York City.
He said: "In terms of the people, the big difference is here, everyone pretty much knows everyone. It makes things very different. In the Bronx, you are a face in the crowd, nothing more."
Despite living among the community for a decade, Fr Reche insisted the Friars still have much work to do in the community.
"I get the sense this is only the start. Ten years is a landmark, but this is only the beginning for us."
The monks originally moved to Moyross in August 2007 on the invite of former Bishop of Limerick, Donal Murray.
He said: "They have been a real boost to the community in Moyross. The respect between them and the rest of the community is something very important.
"Moyross has changed very much for the better, and the monks have been part of that. They are remarkable people."
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Tommy Daly, chairman of Moyross Residents' Alliance, who lives across the road from the Friary added: "They have been brilliant.
"They have brought so much positivity to the community. Long may they continue here."
Moyross was their first Irish friary, but they have since set up a mission in Derry.
Through the years, the Friars have taken part in a series of community activities, including notably in 2010, where they took on local gardai in a charity soccer match.
