In Reply to: De la Salle Statue posted by Azriel on June 12, 2009 at 09:21:54:

As you say yourself, "I never experienced any of these horrific events but my heart is heavy, thinking that they did occur and especially to innocent children". I concur. I never experienced any such hurt, humiliation or abuse of any kind from the De La Salle brothers. My memories of going to school there are happy ones and mostly pleasant. Corporal punishment was practised there as in all schools at that time, but I have fond memories of the brothers and was not and still am not aware of any abuse which occurred during my time in school in Castlebar. Because the statue is in recognition of their contribution to the education of so many boys in Castlebar, over so many years, we should not forget the positive impact they had on lives here. Certainly there were some rotten apples, but I think that should not be a reason to blame every single one of them, which would be the implication of removing the statue. Just my opinion.