Killarney gardaí arrest two women in relation to violent assault of other women

Gardaí in Killarney have arrested two females in relation to a serious incident in the curtilage of a retail premises on Monday afternoon on the outskirts of the town involving a number of women in which two women were set upon and violently assaulted.

It is the latest incident in an ongoing Traveller feud in the Ballyspillane estate area of Killarney

The victims were brought to UKH for treatment after being set upon by a group of others in the car park area of a shop between 2.30pm and 3pm.

One of the victims was using a crutch, and the crutch was taken off her and used by one of the assailants to beat her, according to reports and complaints received by gardaí.

The women currently held at Killarney garda station are both in their 30s and have been arrested. They are being questioned on suspicion of assault causing harm.

A number of other arrests are likely in relation to this and other incidents and a "significant" number of incidents will be before the courts in the next weeks, Killarney Garda Sergeant Dermot O’Connell said this morning.

Weapons seized in the past number of weeks include golf clubs, sticks, broom handles and crutches. However, no guns have been discovered.

The feud which is believed to have been sparked by a minor disagreement around 18 months ago, involving mainly women, has escalated significantly in recent weeks, with numbers of families and individuals from outside Killarney being drawn in.

Residents and local councillors in Ballyspillane have appealed for help from the authorities.

In the latest flare-up, on Tuesday night, in the 200-house estate, two groups of 60 and 80 people faced each other trading insults and shouting abuse at each other. Gardaí intervened and remained at the scene until 2am and matters quietened down.

One man, who does not live in the Ballyspillane area, was arrested for threatening others with a golf club and he will be before the courts shortly.

The armed response unit patrolled the area earlier that afternoon after receiving reports of large numbers of vehicles gathering.

Local councillor Donal Grady has called for the army to be brought in, saying someone will be killed. He says homemade weapons are being made.

The feud has escalated beyond the original families and numbers of others are now involved.

Brigid Quilligan, a highly respected Traveller spokeswoman in Kerry, and the manager of the Kerry Traveller Health and Community project, has for a second time appealed to both families and the others now joining in to "stop". There should be no violence and, describing what is going on as very sad, Ms Quilligan said Travellers in Killarney have no history of violent conflict.

She grew up locally and has very happy memories of Ballyspillane.

“It needs to stop,” she said. Traveller families were ringing her seeking her support to be transferred out of Ballyspillane.

“The Traveller Community are fed up and the settled community are fed up with this,” Ms Quilligan said.

The worst stereotype of the Traveller of roaring, shouting, fighting was being perpetrated by the current dispute, she said.

Mediation services are available and have been offered.

Children and others were looking at people being subjected to violence.It was very sad to see people who grew up together engaged in this violence, Ms Quilligan added.

There is no precedent for this in Killarney, she said.

Meanwhile, the women currently under questioning are detained under the Criminal Justice Act, gardaí said.