The Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, yesterday requested a group of Traveller families encamped on the lawn of his Ennis residence without his permission to move off the diocesan property.
The five Traveller families moved on to the property last Thursday while the bishop was away on a pilgrimage in Rome.
Before he went to Rome, the Traveller families - following a five-week stay on his front lawn - had agreed to move off the property because of the potential health hazard of the site having no sanitary facilities.
They then set up camp on the site of Clare County Council's proposed new €33 million headquarters, which is located on the former site of Our Lady's Psychiatric Hospital in Ennis.
The families appealed to the Clare county manager, Mr Alec Fleming, to provide sanitary facilities there. However, the council served notice on the families to vacate the grounds, claiming that they were contravening a High Court order.
Ennis has been without a permanent serviced halting site since 1997.
The five families returned to the bishop's front lawn last Thursday without his knowledge. After his return from Rome, the bishop met the Travellers at the weekend and asked them to move on.
He said yesterday: "I don't think the families staying here is going to solve the difficulty."
He also reiterated his concern over the potential health hazard caused by the absence of sanitary facilities on the lawn.
He said that the families' decision to move back on to his lawn had stemmed from some misunderstanding on their part.
One of the Travellers, Mr Michael Mongans, said: "We knew we couldn't stay here forever, but we respect his decision and we will leave."
Mr Mongans said that he would remain in the Ennis area despite there being no accommodation for Travellers. "I am determined to stay in Ennis even if it means I have to go to jail."
The council is proposing to accommodate Mr Mongans at a site 20 miles north of Ennis at Ennistymon. However, Mr Mongans wants a site in Ennis, where he says he comes from.
The council said that three of the families who moved on to the bishop's lawn have consistently refused to engage in consultations on the type of accommodation offered under the council's Traveller Accommodation Plan.
