ENNIS parish priest Fr Tom Ryan has often had to mop up urine and worse in Ss Peter and Paul’s Cathedral after the mess left by people who frequented the building to smoke and drink alcohol. Fr Ryan, who became parish priest in his home town last July, has now adopted a “zero tolerance” to anybody “hanging around the cathedral or its grounds”. “When I was appointed parish priest, I soon became aware of a small number of homeless people with addiction problems who frequented both the grounds of the cathedral and the cathedral itself. Their presence was a cause of concern for many parishioners, especially the elderly who come both to the adoration chapel and the cathedral to pray each day. “I also witnessed people in the cathedral, smoking, drinking alcohol and urinating in public. I often had to clean up and mop up after them….you can imagine. This type of behaviour is not acceptable in a consecrated building,” …
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