A candle-lit vigil was held in O’Connell Street in Dublin last night, a week after three schoolchildren and their care worker were stabbed in an unprecedented knife attack at Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire in Parnell Square.
One of the children, a five -year old girl, remains in critical condition in Temple Street Hospital after emergency surgery. Leanne Flynn Keogh, the care worker who was seriously injured as she put herself between the attacker and the children in order to protect them, remains in an induced coma in the Mater hospital.
The vigil, which gathered at the GPO at 7 pm, was organised by a local man, Nathan Whelan to show solidarity for the families of those injured in the attack.
“We wanted to do something to show the parents and family of the five-year-old girl that they have our support. People are concerned and we needed to all be together this evening,” he told the Irish Examiner.
Candlelit vigil for children and creche worker stabbed in Dublin https://t.co/jnmIPuOKI6
— Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) November 30, 2023
Prayers were offered for the children and their care workers at the GPO as candles were lit and held up by participants.
Parents and supporters of Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire hold a vigil at the Spire on O’Connell Street for the children and creche worker who were stabbed outside their school last Thursday night pic.twitter.com/nMIDDXOTX7
— Alison O’Reilly (@AlisonMaryORE) November 30, 2023
Those at the vigil then walked from the GPO to Temple Street Hospital where prayers were then offered for the five-year-old girl and her family.
Members of the public have held a candlelit vigil in Dublin city centre to mark one week since a knife attack on three schoolchildren and their care worker https://t.co/pjPocU3u6j
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) November 30, 2023
Candle lit vigils for the victims have also been held in Mullingar, in Cootehill, in Coole, in East Wall and elsewhere.
The only person of interest in the stabbing, an Algerian national who became an Irish citizen, was arrested earlier this year for possession of a knife. He remains in hospital under armed guard in a Dublin hospital and has not yet been deemed medically fit for Garda questioning.
The man “had come to Garda attention several times in the past year” and had been taken to court on charges but not convicted “due to a mental health report” that was produced in court.
Meanwhile, there were calls for an apology to be made to the parents at Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire because Gardaí were not present at the school to reassure children in the days after the attack.
Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon told the Dáil: “There was not one garda present on Parnell Street today as they collected those kids from that school. That was 2:30pm, despite the fact that that school principal had been promised there would be a consistent Garda presence on that street over the next weeks and months.
“What sort of callous disregard is that from the State towards those children, who have experienced the most incredible trauma that none of us could even comprehend, that that is what they experienced today? They deserve an apology. It is unforgivable.”
Minister Helen McEntee said “it is really important for those schoolchildren that there is normality and having a Garda member present and stationed outside the school at all times is not a way we return to normal”.
Speaking to RTE yesterday, Paula Kearney, Community Development Office in the Inner-City Organisation Network (ICON) said that there was “a huge air of classism … in how the Government are speaking about this community and what happened last week”.