Last week Ireland was rocked by the tragic deaths of Michael Snee and Aidan Moffitt.

Ireland came together in mourning for Michael Snee (58) and Aiden Moffitt (41) when it was discovered they had been brutally murdered in their own homes. A man has been charged with their murders.

Their respective funerals took place on Easter Monday, Michael’s in Sligo, and Aidan’s in Roscommon. Vigils took place across the country over the long weekend in honour of the two men. These vigils are likely to continue into this week.

In a statement following the deaths of Aidan and Michael, LGBTI+ Ireland said:

“This has been a dark week for the LGBTI+ community in Ireland. We are still reeling from the vicious homophobic assault on Dame Street in Dublin in recent days and, now, we are deeply saddened by events in Sligo. Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones.”

Jalan Jalan, a popular Asian fusion restaurant in Sligo, took to Instagram this morning to mourn the loss of Michael, a ‘regular customer’ and ‘true gent’.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcgRo4irKzG/

In a candid caption, the restaurant expressed their condolences for both men:

“We just want to take a minute to acknowledge the sad week of the losses of Michael Snee and Aidan Moffat.
Its taken a bit of time to process this tragedy, Michael was a very regular customer here, a true gent whom we will all miss every Friday night. Our deepest condolences to both their families.“

President Michael D. Higgins has expressed his condolences also. When it comes to tackling homophobia in Ireland, Higgins simply stated: “We must do better“.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Michael and Aidan’s families at this terrible time.

Header image via Instagram/jalanjalan_sligo

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