Rural people intimidated by townspeople, claims woman

Rural people were being “intimidated” by townspeople moving into the countryside, a woman claimed at the Circuit Civil Court in Tralee yesterday during a dispute over a right of way and the opening and closing of gates at the edge of the Killarney National Park.

Catherine Cremin, of Tomies Wood, at the westernmost entrance to the Killarney National Park, said she was speaking on behalf of her father, Patrick Cremin, who is in a nursing home, and her late mother Sheila, who died in the course of defending court proceedings brought against them by a Killarney town businessman.

Ms Cremin represented herself at the court yesterday in Tralee after her legal team applied to come off record.

She said she was not just standing up for her family but for “rural people” and what they wanted was justice.

Initially, action had been brought by Con Duggan, a well-known businessman in Killarney, with an address at Nunstown, Aghadoe, against the Cremins and the Department for Arts, Heritage, and the Gaetltacht, which governs the Killarney National Park.

The department was no longer involved in the issue.

Mr Duggan had bought a house at Tomies and his daughter Tara lives there, the court was told. Eighteen months ago, an order was made by the court establishing and affirming Mr Duggan’s right of way and ordering that gates erected by the Cremins across the right of way be replaced by automatic electric gates, to be paid for by Mr Duggan.

The money had been paid but the Cremins claimed it had not been released.

Liz Murphy, barrister for Mr Duggan, said: “Either the gates remain open or let us electrify the gates. This is a right of way.”

Standing up and moving forwards to address the court directly, Ms Cremin told Judge Carroll Moran: “Mr Duggan has caused us problems since the minute he arrived.”

Judge Carroll Moran adjourned the matter for a week.