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A CANDLELIT VIGIL has been held in Dublin’s north inner city this evening for a local man who was attacked outside his home at the weekend.
Paddy Hansard, who is in his 70s, had been having a drink with his partner in his local pub before heading home when the attack occurred.
He was assaulted at Courtney Place in Ballybough at around 2am on Saturday morning.
Over a hundred locals from around the area, including community leaders and politicians, gathered shortly before 8.30pm to hold prayers for Hansard, who remains in a critical condition in hospital.
A vigil is taking place here at Courtney Place for Ballybough local Paddy Hansard, a man in his 70s who was assaulted with a shovel in an unprovoked attack at the weekend. pic.twitter.com/tQu9BMCKiZ
— Cónal Thomas (@ConalThomas) August 19, 2019
Prayers and speeches were held outside Courtney Place complex in Ballybough, where Hansard lives, before those present laid candles, spelling out his name.
Ross Dunne, who has known Hansard for ten years, told TheJournal.ie that “Paddy is the nicest guy” and that it was “just unbelievable what happened”.
Former Lord Mayor and local councillor Nial Ring said that the Hansard family had lived in Ballybough for decades and described Paddy as a “quiet and inoffensive man”.
Katherine Reynolds, a family friend of the Hansard family said this evening: “It’s sad. It’s so sad. For somebody to be coming home after having a couple of drinks and for that to happen to them? It’s not on.”
“[Paddy] is a very quiet man, a very, very quiet man. He minds his own business, a great fella altogether. I just hope he pulls through.”
Gardaí are continuing their investigations into Saturday’s attack.
A man was arrested in relation to the incident but has since been released and a file has been sent to the DPP.
Investigating gardaí are appealing for witnesses to contact the incident room at Mountjoy Station.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Mountjoy Garda Station on 01-6668601, the Garda Confidential Line 18000 666 111 or any Garda station.
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Hopefully they’ll get a reduction on their bill although the standing servicecharges
@Tommy Haze: The standing/service charge is what pays for connection/reconnection services.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: The standing charge is how they really screw us. They get you to compare their prices against what little competition is in the market and make themselves look better.
Answer me this: If it’s for connection, why do all new houses have to pay massive connection charges.
When the network is in need of a major upgrade, why does the regulator add it on to customer bills. One of the current upgrades, smart meters has been added on to customers bills for the next 20 years. I wonder how they will all explain what will happen when the telecom networks switch off 2g on which these meters work.
@Donal Ronan: I heard the smart meters being installed in Ireland weren’t giving live data to yet esb which is bad enough but I never knew they were using the old mobile data network until now!
Hopefully it will just be a case of swapping in new sim cards, though even that would result in a large standing charge increase!
Was is it anything to do with the ESB lads heading off to France to repair the French infrastructure!
Will probably still apply.
No ESB,= No water, no heating, no cooking, thankfully I have a diesel car to get food and water.If Eamon and his clan get their way I would die of thirst,hunger,cold or abandonment.Roll on GE
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