Traveller family feud could end in ‘open warfare’

FEUDING between two Traveller families in the midlands could descend into “open warfare” and murder unless efforts are made to broker a peace deal.

That’s according to representative organisation Travellers for Travellers (TfT), who called on both sides to see sense and follow a peaceful route.

In the aftermath of a riot in Mullingar involving up to 200 members of rival clans, TfT vice-chairman Patrick Nevin said that established Traveller groups have “let us down”.

He said they were “top-heavy with non-Travellers” who haven’t tried to stop the escalation of feuds around the country.

Mr Nevin — who is related to people on both sides of the Mullingar dispute — said that Tuesday’s trouble started after a bare-knuckle fight between a member of the Nevin family and a member of the Quinn-McDonagh family.

“We’d be making an appeal to both sides to just step back from the brink and come to some sense in realising that there’s now a way forward through these actions,” he said.

A total of eight men were brought before a special sitting of Mullingar District Court on Tuesday night, six of them charged with public order offences and two with assault. All were remanded in custody, to appear before Tullamore District Court next week.

A number of people were injured in the rioting at the Dalton Park estate in Mullingar, with more trouble breaking out at the Midlands Regional Hospital. Gardaí said yesterday that a “sufficient number” of officers were keeping a presence around the area in case of more incidents.

The exact number of extra gardaí on duty was not being revealed for operational reasons.

Mr Nevin said TfT had been involved in negotiations between feuding factions in the past, and could do so again.

“So-called Traveller organisations have not made any real effort to engage with this and I feel have no option but to raise questions about their inaction,” he said.

“There are some good Travellers within those organisations who have tried to do their best without putting themselves in harm’s way, but there needs to be a more direct approach, by trying to meet and create dialogues between feuding family leaders.”

Mr Nevin praised the gardaí’s work in diffusing Tuesday’s rioting, but said that the state needed to take action before a repeat occurrence, while Travellers themselves also needed to take responsibility.

“Prevention is better than cure. It shouldn’t be allowed to develop into open warfare. That’s my biggest fear, if people don’t see sense on both sides someone will be killed.”