Schools in Limerick to fall silent tomorrow in memory of Ashling Murphy

SCHOOLS in Limerick and across Ireland are set to observe a minute's silence in memory of Aisling Murphy, whose funeral takes place tomorrow.

As mourners sit down at St Brigid's Church Mountbolus near her native Tullamore, students in schools will pause for a minute on memory of the popular teacher, who was murdered in broad daylight last week.

Aisling, who will be laid to rest at Lowertown Cemetery, was educated at Mary Immaculate College, and the death of the 23-year-old has sparked an outpouring of grief across Ireland, including here in Limerick, where thousands were at Arthur's Quay park to pay their respects.

WATCH: Limerick people come together at vigil to pay tribute to murdered schoolteacher

The call on students and fellow teachers to observe a minute of silence has come from the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO), the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland, Forsa, and the Teachers Union of Ireland, which between them represent the bulk of school staff in this country.

The INTO's local press officer Laura Quirke, a teacher at Le Cheile National School in Roxboro, said Aisling's death has been a "terrible, devastating blow" for the profession.

"It took about a day to set in, the enormity of it. Teachers are always seen as the foundation of a lot of communities and we really appreciate the respect the role brings, but with this respect comes great responsibility and when you see a young teacher like that removed from her lives, and the life of her whole school community, it's a terrible, devastating blow for everyone. Everyone has experienced the influence a good teacher can have on your life, and your own self-confidence as a child, and it can influence your own choices as you grow up. It's difficult to imagine a promising young woman and a promising young teacher had her life taken away from her," she told the Limerick Leader.

"People have had enough of the violence against women which is occurring. It's devastating it has come to this, a woman going about a mundane typical daily activity like going for a run in broad daylight on a regularly frequented pathway. It's devastating," Ms Quirke added.

Also tomorrow, the bellringers at St Mary's Cathedral will ring the bells half-muffled in memory of the 23-year-old, at the same time her funeral takes place in the Midlands.

As a mark of respect and a way of expressing the city's condolences with the Murphy family's great loss, the cathedral ringers will ring the bells half-muffled tomorrow morning (18th) at 11:30am, the same time as Ashling's funeral. #AshlingMurphy #Limerick pic.twitter.com/7aUzD8Ag5H

— Saint Mary's Cathedral, Limerick (@stmaryslimerick) January 17, 2022

Meanwhile, at this morning's metropolitan council meeting, members observed a minute of silence in memory of the popular teacher.

District leader, Cllr Catherine Slattery said: "A zero tolerance policy on violence against women needs to be initiated. That girl had her whole life ahead of her. My condolences go out to her poor boyfriend, her mam, dad, brothers and sisters. It's an awful loss. She was so accomplished - a musician, a teacher, she was a model citizen, and for this to happen in broad daylight, there is no words for it."