Traveller deaths - Spotlight focuses on a social gulf

THE tragic deaths of 10 members of the Traveller community, the last of whom will be laid to rest in Wexford today, turns a spotlight on a social gulf that existed for generations and brings a glimmer of hope it will diminish following this catastrophe, bringing Travellers and settled people closer together through shared grief and compassion.

Indeed, the age-old rift was brought sharply into focus by the criticism of Fr Dermot lane, parish priest of Balally, which embraces the halting site at Carrickmines where members of the Connors family died in the inferno. Accusing many settled people of failing to empathise with what he called their Traveller brothers and sisters, he urged them to engage in a new consultation process involving local authorities and settled and Traveller communities. He prayed the tragedy would be a turning point in the difficult tasks of healing, reconciliation and mutual trust that lie ahead.

However, as recent events have shown, this is a broad and complex issue, one that calls for a change of attitudes on all sides, something which will not be resolved overnight. There can be no doubt that nimbyism — the ‘not in my backyard’ syndrome — is at the core of objections voiced by settled people whenever a question arises of Travellers moving into their locality. This was starkly seen in the aftermath of the Carrickmines disaster when residents blocked access to a field which the local authority intended turning into a ‘temporary’ halting site for the surviving families.