Travellers say ‘family feud’ tag being used carelessly
Davey Joyce called on the media to be more careful about ascribing acts of violence among Travellers to family feuds, or family rows.
Speaking in the aftermath of the brutal murder of a 43-year-old unemployed man in Tralee, he said such terms dismissed the seriousness of matters in people’s minds and could lead the public to dismiss them as Traveller issues.
“Any incident with any Traveller is now put down to a family feud. This is not necessarily the case,” said Mr Joyce, legal policy officer with the Irish Traveller Movement.
The murder victim, father-of-six Michael Faulkner, who was fatally stabbed on the street close to his home at Mitchels Crescent, Tralee, late on Monday night, was buried in Cork yesterday.
During the funeral Mass at St Mary’s on the Hill Church, Knocknaheeny, Fr Damien O’Mahoney implicitly warned against the possibility of retribution or further violence.
He said emotions could run high at such a traumatic time and cause people to do things that were out of character.
The priest extended his sympathy to Mr Faulkner’s family who he said was in a state of shock and turmoil after Michael’s sudden and vicious death.
He spoke of how unfair it was for anyone to suffer such a violent death.
“Nobody deserves such a cruel and heartless death. Life shouldn’t be so cheap,” he said.
About 300 people attended the funeral Mass yesterday afternoon, including members of the Traveller and settled communities.
Fr Gerry Keane travelled from Tralee to celebrate the mass with Fr O’Mahoney.
Two gardaí were present but the ceremony passed off peacefully. Mr Faulkner was buried at St Catherine’s Cemetery, Kilcully.
Mr Joyce said while he did not know the circumstances leading to Mr Faulkner’s killing, the notion of a family feud was met with disbelief among the Traveller community and was totally unacceptable to the majority of Travellers.
“Describing an incident in terms of slash hooks is putting a sensationalist type of slant on what is happening,” he told Radio Kerry.
He further claimed that ascribing serious incidents to family rows had repercussions in terms of sourcing accommodation for Travellers because it reinforced prejudice and stereotype.
Settled people would be more likely to object to Travellers in case they had feuding neighbours, he said. Meanwhile, Tralee gardaí have reported steady progress with the murder probe and are continuing interviews and house-to-house inquiries.
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