Limerick students walk in memory of Ashling Murphy
MORE than 300 Limerick students have taken part in a walk through the city in memory of murdered teacher Ashling Murphy.
On Tuesday, pupils of Limerick Educate Together secondary school completed the popular Three Bridges trail along the riverside.
They raised more than €500 for the Rosbrien-based charity Adapt, which provides refuge for women who have been the victims of domestic abuse.
More importantly, said the school's principal, Eoin Shinners, it has started a conversation among students around violence against women.
"One in every two women living on this island face fear on a day-to-day basis, particularly when they are out jogging. That shouldn't be a thing," he said, "As a start-up school, we realise education around these matters has to begin in schools, and we need to give students the opportunity and the platform to have these conversations around violence, particularly violence against women at the hands of men."
Mr Shinners hopes the walk becomes an annual event, with students continuing to raise money and awareness of the services provided by Adapt.
"The hope is we can arrange an annual event in support of Adapt and avoid a situation where this unfortunate tragedy is seen as a once-off isolated event. It isn't. It's a real issue which is happening on a day-to-day basis. As a school, we have a responsibility to ensure this is placed front and centre so students can have these discussions and understand these real issues," he added.
Many of the school's attendees left messages to remember Aisling - who was educated at Mary Immaculate College - on the trees in its car park at Fernbank.
Above: Limerick Educate Together staff, Maria Somers, Jean Wallace, Catherine O’Connor, John Lynch, Michelle O’Connor, principal Eoin Shinners, Christina Murphy and Michelle Costelloe with Gillian Baker of Adapt Limerick
"At this age, when they start to form closer relations, and knowing what a good healthy relationship is, or even understanding what it is you want from a relationship. We don't have those conversations. It's really important to get to this starting point and build and grow from there," she added.