Hogan should apologise for what he’s done, says family at heart of row

The family at the centre of a Traveller re-location row have called on Environment Minister Phil Hogan to apologise for assuring a constituent that the family would not be housed nearby.

Patrick Carthy and his wife Brigid Carthy said yesterday they had no trouble from their neighbours since moving a month ago into a council-owned bungalow about 4km from Kilkenny City.

However, they said they were upset that Mr Hogan had got involved in the case and had written to a constituent who was concerned about the family being moved from a city halting site to the rural house.

“It’s not nice,” Brigid said, while her husband described the minister’s involvement as “a disgrace”.

The couple have seven children — the oldest four of which attend school in Kilkenny — and said they “never had any trouble” with the neighbours.

“We keep to ourselves,” said Mrs Carthy. “The neighbours across the road called in this morning, very nice people.”

Patrick Carthy said the only trouble they got since moving back to the Bonnetstown townland last month was on their first day in the bungalow. “I got a threatening letter, saying the family are not welcome here and if you trespass, you will be shot.”

They gave the anonymous letter to the gardaí, who are “looking into it”.

They were surprised by Mr Hogan’s letter to a neighbour saying: “Just a note to let you know that the McCarthy [sic] family will not be allocated the house in your area.”

The minister had never spoken to them or met them, Patrick Carthy said. “He should come and apologise for what he’s done. It’s up to himself. I’m not going to him, he can come to me. I’ll be here for as long as I live.”

He accused the minister of “trying to clamp down on Travellers” and said he was “discriminating, before we even moved in”.

It is understood the letter was to a constituent who raised concerns about the Carthys being housed in Bonnetstown.

A local man, who declined to be named, said yesterday he also had concerns: “I made representations myself but, when they’re there, I’m willing to give them a chance.”

He said there had been “no problem whatsoever” since the family took up residence in the house.

The Green’s Malcolm Noonan urged Mr Hogan to “engage directly” with Traveller organisations, “who might explain to him and his Fine Gael colleagues the effects of the racism and discrimination that Travellers encounter on a daily basis in every facet of their lives”.