With some 50 Travellers camped yesterday in an unauthorised halting site on his front lawn in Ennis, Co Clare, the Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, said he "has a strong sense of failure over the present crisis situation".
The Travellers moved onto Dr Walsh's lawn with his consent. This follows Ennis gardaí moving last week to enforce new controversial legislation removing Traveller caravans from public areas around the town.
Since May, an unauthorised halting site has been present on the bishop's lawn at Westbourne. However, there were just two caravans present.
Now, after the Garda initiative, 11 caravans and as many vans and cars were present on the 1½-acre site yesterday.
Dr Walsh said his allowing additional Travellers on his lawn "is an effort to give some relief to the present crisis situation".
Ms Caroline Mongans, a mother of four, said yesterday that if Dr Walsh had not allowed her family to stay they would have had to move away from Ennis or have their caravans confiscated.
The Traveller families have no sanitary or waste disposal facilities at the site.
The families who have moved to the lawn were advised by gardaí to move their caravans from public areas otherwise their caravans would be confiscated.
In response to the situation, Dr Walsh said: "I have a strong sense of failure over the present crisis situation.
"I have been interested in the issue for the past 30 years and I feel that the Travellers and the settled community are now diametrically opposed to each other and the problem will continue to escalate. I am not in a hopeful mood."
In relation to the new legislation, he said: "I do have difficulty with the idea that people are being told to move where there is no place for them to go. That is worrying."
Dr Walsh said he did not know how long the unofficial halting site would remain on his lawn.
"I don't want to alienate my neighbours and become isolated. There are health and safety concerns and I don't want it to become a health hazard.
"The Travellers have access to water but not to toilets. I'm hoping that they will be able to move, but it is very difficult to put a time on it."
He added: "It isn't specifically an Ennis problem and it seems we are becoming a society where there is no place for the Travellers' style of life."
