A number of Travellers who are camped on an industrial estate in Co Meath have sought money from businesses on the estate in order to move out. More than 100 Travellers, with about 40 caravans and trailers, have moved on to the Dunboyne Industrial Estate. Other Travellers have said they cannot leave, as they have nowhere to go.
The Travellers, who began arriving last weekend, include families from around the State as well as groups from England. They have established two unofficial "halting sites" on the estate and, according to the owner of one of the "sites" - who did not want to be named - they refused to move on when asked to do so on Tuesday.
"They asked for £500 a van to move", he said. "I have been in contact with the gardai in Ashbourne and with the Commissioner's office, but they said there was nothing they could do. Because it's private property, it's a civil matter."
The man also contacted Meath County Council, which said it faced similar constraints.
Trim Circuit Court yesterday granted an order against the group, which gives them 21 days' notice to quit. If they do not leave within that time, a further order, for forcible eviction, will have to be sought.
Travellers on the estate, who said their names were O'Brien, McCarthy, Ryan and Driscoll, have trailers with Limerick, Westmeath and UK registration plates. Most were reluctant to discuss their situation, but Ms Noreen Ryan, from Limerick, acknowledged that a number of them had requested money to leave. She added: "If they [the business owners] came out here with £300, all these vans would be gone in an hour."
A number of other Travellers denied demanding money.
On the other "site", where the vans had Dublin, Kerry and UK registration plates, Ms Patricia Ryan said there was "nowhere for them to go".
"We are Irish Travelling people and they are hunting us", she said. "They wouldn't treat blacks or Bosnians the way they treat us. It's not a matter of money. It's a matter of somewhere to stop. We have kids here and we want to put them to school, but there is nowhere for us to stop. They don't build enough halting sites. We have to pull in wherever we can."
Mr Davey Joyce, housing officer of the Irish Traveller Movement, said that the incursion highlighted the need for all local authorities to implement their Traveller accommodation plans immediately. "But I would stress that the ITM would in no way condone anyone using their situation to intimidate money out of people", he said.
Mr Kevin Stuart, secretary of Meath County Council, said that the council had provided 42 bays in three halting sites. However, the people on the estate at Dunboyne were "traders" who moved around. They were "not Travellers in the true sense of the word".
Mr Joyce called this an "artificial distinction", adding: "The families you mention are highly nomadic and their economy is based on travelling up and down the country selling things. They make a good living."
He maintained that local authorities were failing to implement their Traveller accommodation plans and said that even these plans were inadequate to meet the needs of people who wished to move around.
"There is an issue around nomadic families which is not being addressed. They are not seeking permanent accommodation, which is all most authorities are interested in providing. What is needed is an imaginative way to accommodate these families' needs."
