Clare TD Michael Harty has condemned “in the strongest possible words the indescribable slaughter of the Innocents in Manchester last night.”
The West Clare GP said, “To kill and injure teenagers and children on a happy night out at a concert is beyond comprehension. It goes without saying that no cause, no ideology can excuse this outrageous attack on the young and vulnerable.
“As a doctor, I am very well aware of the grief and pain suffered by the loved ones of those who die in horrific circumstances. I am equally aware of the slow, difficult and sometimes incomplete recovery of those who survive. They are all in our thoughts today as they battle for life and hope in the face of this atrocity.”
The independent Deputy, Dr Harty spoke of the close links between Ireland and County Clare and the city of Manchester.
“Over the decades, many of our sons and daughters emigrated there. They found work and a home there when there was nothing on offer in rural Ireland. In happier times, Clare football supporters travel to Manchester in support of their favourite team. They know the city well and I’m sure are distraught by what happened.
“This is not the first horrific attack on Manchester. In 1996, the Provisional IRA bombed the Arndale Shopping Centre. Although no one was killed, over 200 were injured. I think of these innocents also and their fight to regain a normal life. There was no justification for terrorism then and there is no justification for it now,” Dr Harty concluded.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.