The parents of murdered Swiss teenager Manuela Riedo have launched a foundation in her name in Basle this afternoon.
Hans-Peter and Arlette Reido said they hoped that the Manuela Riedo Stiftung (Foundation) would help the victims of rape and sexual assault and through education help save at least one life.
Their daughter Manuela was assaulted and murdered just three days after she arrived in Galway in October 2007 for a two week language course. Gerald Barry, who had a string of previous convictions, is serving a life sentence for the murdered.
Mr Riedo said help to victims like themselves would be the most important thing the foundation could do. "Governments can help, but they can only do so much. Families need the support that a foundation like this could bring them."
Mrs Riedo said they could never forgive Barry for murdering their daughter and she hoped that he would suffer in prison some of the pain that they were now feeling.
The foundation was set up by Basle-based Irish publican Brendan McGuinness who said he did not expect it to heal their pain, but it hoped it would give them a reason to continue living without their daughter. He said he was proud to be Irish, but was "deeply affected" by the realisation that her murderer had been free to kill Manuela.
"Manuela was entitled to walk the streets of Ireland without having to encounter a beast like this. She paid with her life for his crimes."
Also attending yesterday's launch was the chief-executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre Ellen O'Malley-Dunlop. Mrs Dunlop praised the Riedos for their generosity in setting up the foundation.
"I have no doubt that many, many people will be helped and facilitated on the road to recovery and many will be helped through education and prevention projects as a result of the foundation in Manuela's name," she said.
Mr McGuinness, whose pub is one the best known venues in mainland Europe for Irish folk and traditional music, is hoping to organise a concert in the national stadium in the capital Berne on July 25th to raise funds for the foundation.
He has already secured the services of The Chieftains, The Dubliners, The Wolfe Tones, Sharon Shannon and the Kilfenora Ceili Band among others.
Dubliners' band member John Sheehan said they regarded the concert as a gesture of good-will towards the Swiss people for what happened in Ireland.
"From out of band things can come so good. We want to show some solidarity with the Swiss people and the Riedo family for what happened in our so-called Ireland of the welcomes," he said.
Wolfe Tones singer Brian Warfield said the concert would be a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity to see so many big Irish acts on the same stage.
"What happened Manuela brought shame on the Irish people and we want to get the good name of our country back again," he said.
