ONE of Limerick’s best-known activists has announced she is running for the City’s Mayoral Election.
Aontú’s Sarah Beasley, long recognised as a tireless advocate for the homeless and animal rights says she was prompted to run saying she wants to use the office to highlight the fact that while Limerick is a gem, it is not ‘shining’ as it should.
“Our Aontú office in Thomas Street is like a microcosm of the many things that are blighting our city. We are absolutely inundated with people coming to us with truly serious problems. They feel abandoned, ignored and hopeless,” Ms Beasley declared.
“Two years ago, a good friend of mine was found dead in the toilet of a four-star hotel. She was a mother, a friend, and a human being. She slept on the streets for six years. She was drowning in despair and in addiction and it all became too much for her and she committed suicide. The world is a very cold place for people who have problems, despite all the platitudes and lip service about inclusion.
“We have a fabulous city; it is full of history, full of beauty and full of potential. However, we do have problems, serious problems. We have a desperate housing issue, people who never even contemplated they could be homeless, are homeless, families who never even contemplated they could be waiting for years for medical treatment, are on ever lengthening waiting lists”.
Ms Beasley believes Limerick could quite literally be the jewel in the crown of the Mid-West, but the will has to be there.
“Limerick is in my bones; I absolutely love and believe in it. I can’t think of another city in Ireland that has the amenities, both natural and man-made that we have, but is so taken for granted and beset with issues.
“We’re consistently told that the country is awash with money, but we’ve never had so many people who are homeless. At every corner of Limerick City, we have people begging for money. They are not living; they are existing, and this is a black stain on our city.”
