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PUB TALK

TRAVELLERS ARE JUDGED BY ACTIONS

THE debate on serving travellers in pubs rages on. Pub Spy notes a recent court case in Castlebar where four travellers misbehaved in the Co. Mayo town.

Judge Kevin Kilraine told the travellers that they can't expect to get served in every pub in the town and then go and behave in a fashion that leaves people in Castlebar 'in fear and dread'.

Basically his comments followed a melee, which led to four travellers appearing before him on assault charges. One woman had blood on her face and an ambulance had to be called

The row was a street brawl among relatives.

Judge Kilraine told them: "You are the very people who want to be treated the same as anyone else and want to be served in every pub, yet you leave the people of Castlebar in dread.

The people of Castlebar will draw their own conclusions and don't blame people if they don't serve you. Your actions are what will have caused that, not your name or who your are."

All four entered guilty pleas before the court in relation to assault charges, meaning that various criminal damages and possession of offensive weapons charges were dropped.

Pub Spy knows that the judge's remarks will probably annoy Pavee Point and other pro-traveller groups.

But publicans up and down the country, long sick of some travellers wrecking their premises or assaulting them, will fully understand what the judge means.

Of course, not all travellers are trouble-makers - and it would be wrong to tar them all with the same brush.

But it's no coincidence that in several small towns around Ireland, pubs close their doors when a traveller wedding or funeral is taking place.

Pub Spy highlighted a recent case in the town of Bagenalstown in Co. Carlow. Publicans are as keen as any business group to make a few euro, but they seem to think that letting large groups of travellers in, however lucrative in the short term, is not worth the potential risk.

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