Page 41 - The Gonzaga Record 1988
P. 41
culture. The main goal of this exercise, I had been laughing and joking were
we were told, is not to find solutions to what I would have previously seen as
the many problems that exist but hardened and dangerous criminals. I
merely to become aware that they do began to realise how completely
exist. different my set of values was from
This year is only the second time those of Paul.
that Gonzaga has taken part in the It was a difference which was under-
Plunge. However, due to the enthusi- lined as the two days wore on. We
astic reports that reached our ears heard from Joe Costelloe (Prisoners'
from last year's 'plungers', over 30 of Rights Association) and Sgt. Foley (a
this year's 6th Year wished to partici- local Garda). We played football and
pate (up from 8 in 1987). Unfortun- snooker with Fran and his mates; we
ately, this excellent response took the talked to Mick Rafferty, social worker
organizers by surprise, and in the end and Tony Gregory's right-hand man,
only 25 of us could be accommodated and, most interesting of all, we had a
in parishes, including Ballymun, talk from Larry.
Meadowbrook, Crumlin and Sean Larry is 36, married with three
McDermott Street itself. children; he has been a thief for almost
For those of us who were staying in 20 years; he has been hooked on
the Inner City, the plunge began at heroin for the last 8 years, and he has
7.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 6 January at the had the AIDS virus for the last 3 or 4
offices of the Youth Employment years. Larry spent a long time trying to
Action Group in Lower Buckingham kick his habit but he has more or less
Street. There we received a talk from resigned himself to the fact that he will
Paul (19), who used to be a joy-rider, be addicted for the rest of his life as,
and is currently facing a prison if he stops taking heroin, he is afraid
sentence of 2-7 years for armed that he will make his body more
robbery, and Fran, whose brother, who vulnerable to full-blown AIDS.
is suffering from the AIDS virus has To pay for his heroin, which costs
only six months to live. about £300 a day, Larry considers he
It came as quite a shock to discover has no option but to continue stealing.
that three of us were staying with Paul! He managed to explain his problem to
As we left the meeting that night with us, which is, to a lesser extent, the
him, we passed a group of 6 or 7 problem of everybody who lives in the
teenagers who were smashing up a car, Inner City. Larry obviously can't get a
prior to setting it on fire; we wondered job that will pay him the £100 ,000 a
what we had let ourselves in for. year he needs for his heroin and, in
That evening, however, we and a few fact, very few people from the Inner
other 'plungers' spent with Paul and City can get any job at all; with their
other members of the community accents, addresses and lack of quali fic-
swapping stories and telling jokes. We ations, they are considered unemploy-
soon discovered that 'people are able.
people', and that there is no difference Thus, many are forced to supple-
between those of us who live in Sean ment their incomes from the State the
McDermott Street and those of us only way they can - by stealing. Their
who live in South Dublin. Far from point of view may not be laudable, but
being fierce and aggressive, the people it is understandable, and until we start
we met were good-natured and open, to do something about their problems,
and they did not grudge us the luck we are not in a position to judge them.
which we had had in being born into If the Urban Plunge has taught us onl y
our lives of relative comfort. It that, then it has been a great ucce .
suddenly struck me, as I went to bed
that night, that the people with whom Dav id Kennedy (S.6A)
39
we were told, is not to find solutions to what I would have previously seen as
the many problems that exist but hardened and dangerous criminals. I
merely to become aware that they do began to realise how completely
exist. different my set of values was from
This year is only the second time those of Paul.
that Gonzaga has taken part in the It was a difference which was under-
Plunge. However, due to the enthusi- lined as the two days wore on. We
astic reports that reached our ears heard from Joe Costelloe (Prisoners'
from last year's 'plungers', over 30 of Rights Association) and Sgt. Foley (a
this year's 6th Year wished to partici- local Garda). We played football and
pate (up from 8 in 1987). Unfortun- snooker with Fran and his mates; we
ately, this excellent response took the talked to Mick Rafferty, social worker
organizers by surprise, and in the end and Tony Gregory's right-hand man,
only 25 of us could be accommodated and, most interesting of all, we had a
in parishes, including Ballymun, talk from Larry.
Meadowbrook, Crumlin and Sean Larry is 36, married with three
McDermott Street itself. children; he has been a thief for almost
For those of us who were staying in 20 years; he has been hooked on
the Inner City, the plunge began at heroin for the last 8 years, and he has
7.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 6 January at the had the AIDS virus for the last 3 or 4
offices of the Youth Employment years. Larry spent a long time trying to
Action Group in Lower Buckingham kick his habit but he has more or less
Street. There we received a talk from resigned himself to the fact that he will
Paul (19), who used to be a joy-rider, be addicted for the rest of his life as,
and is currently facing a prison if he stops taking heroin, he is afraid
sentence of 2-7 years for armed that he will make his body more
robbery, and Fran, whose brother, who vulnerable to full-blown AIDS.
is suffering from the AIDS virus has To pay for his heroin, which costs
only six months to live. about £300 a day, Larry considers he
It came as quite a shock to discover has no option but to continue stealing.
that three of us were staying with Paul! He managed to explain his problem to
As we left the meeting that night with us, which is, to a lesser extent, the
him, we passed a group of 6 or 7 problem of everybody who lives in the
teenagers who were smashing up a car, Inner City. Larry obviously can't get a
prior to setting it on fire; we wondered job that will pay him the £100 ,000 a
what we had let ourselves in for. year he needs for his heroin and, in
That evening, however, we and a few fact, very few people from the Inner
other 'plungers' spent with Paul and City can get any job at all; with their
other members of the community accents, addresses and lack of quali fic-
swapping stories and telling jokes. We ations, they are considered unemploy-
soon discovered that 'people are able.
people', and that there is no difference Thus, many are forced to supple-
between those of us who live in Sean ment their incomes from the State the
McDermott Street and those of us only way they can - by stealing. Their
who live in South Dublin. Far from point of view may not be laudable, but
being fierce and aggressive, the people it is understandable, and until we start
we met were good-natured and open, to do something about their problems,
and they did not grudge us the luck we are not in a position to judge them.
which we had had in being born into If the Urban Plunge has taught us onl y
our lives of relative comfort. It that, then it has been a great ucce .
suddenly struck me, as I went to bed
that night, that the people with whom Dav id Kennedy (S.6A)
39
