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Caravan occupants face possible contempt over refusal to leave car park
Caravan occupants face possible contempt over refusal to leave car park

BreakingNews.ie

time08-07-2025

  • BreakingNews.ie

Caravan occupants face possible contempt over refusal to leave car park

Three caravans that have been parked in a car park in Celbridge, Co Kildare, since October must be removed by this Thursday, the High Court has ordered. If they fail to do so, the occupants could face applications by the car park owners to have them jailed for contempt, the court heard. Advertisement Last week, Mr Justice Brian Cregan gave "persons unknown" in occupation of the car park in the Abbey Car Park, Clane Road, until Tuesday, July 8th, to vacate the property. It is owned by the St John of God Trust (Ireland) which uses it for car parking for its community based services and tea rooms there and it also licenses it to Kildare County Council for use as a public car park. Since the caravans arrived, the court has been told, there has been disruption to the trust's services and intimidation and aggression towards patients and staff. There has also been an accumulation of waste throughout the car park. Early efforts by the county council to service notices directing the occupants to vacate the property have not been successful. Advertisement Last Wednesday, following a one-side only represented application by the trust seeking the removal of the caravans and occupants, Mr Justice Brian Cregan granted an interim order requiring that the car be vacated by 1pm on Tuesday, July 8th. Ireland Woman beaten with golf club by partner in 'savage'... Read More He said the occupants could turn up in court on Tuesday to make their case about the order if they wished. When the case returned, Conor Sheehan BL, for the trust, said there had been no appearance by the occupants and the caravans were still there. He asked the court to make its order stay in place pending full hearing of the case. Mr Justice Cregan was satisfied to do so and said if the caravans are not gone by Thursday at 1pm, the trust could take whatever steps it chooses to enforce the order including asking the court to issue an attachment and committal order which can lead to the imprisonment of the occupants for contempt.

Majority of carvans camped on Curragh remain despite court order, judge hears
Majority of carvans camped on Curragh remain despite court order, judge hears

Irish Times

time27-06-2025

  • Politics
  • Irish Times

Majority of carvans camped on Curragh remain despite court order, judge hears

The majority of more than 80 caravans camping on Department of Defence-owned lands in the Curragh, Co Kildare, were still there on Friday morning despite a High Court order that they leave by 1pm, a judge was told. As a result, Mr Justice Brian Cregan ordered that interim injunctions he granted on Tuesday over the alleged trespass should remain in place until further order. More than 80 caravans, believed to be occupied by members of the Traveller community who come over from England and France for the summer, had parked at a number of different locations on the Curragh plain since March, the court heard earlier this week. Their presence has resulted in 'mountains of rubbish' having to be removed at a cost so far of €31,700. Some €186,000 was spent on similar clean-ups last year in what has become an annual problem for land owners, residents, and horse trainers in the Curragh, the Minister for Defence has claimed in proceedings seeking to remove the caravans. READ MORE There have also been problems with noise nuisance, scramblers and quad bikes causing damage to greens on a golf course, dogs running around horses being trained and animals being left to graze on the plain. The Defence Forces have been prevented from carrying out training on a firing range on the lands. The case was returned to Friday when there was no appearance for any of the caravan dwellers, including 21 named individuals who it had been possible to identify. The court heard the injunction notices were either handed to the occupants or pinned by bailiffs to the caravan doors and included a 'plain English' version of them ordered by the court. Kelley Smith SC, for the Minister, said that as of 10.10am on Friday, there were 60 caravans at four different locations on the lands. One slightly troubling aspect was that one group of caravans had moved from one location within the lands to another, she said. She applied to make the interim injunctions interlocutory, which means they stay in place pending the full hearing of the Minister's case against the defendants. Mr Justice Cregan said he was satisfied to grant the orders sought and said in notifying the defendants about the orders they should be informed, again in plain English, that further applications may be brought against them. Ms Smith said in event of failure to comply with the orders, it may be necessary to apply for attachment and committal orders seeking the jailing of the defendants for contempt.

Dozens of caravans parked on Curragh must leave, judge orders
Dozens of caravans parked on Curragh must leave, judge orders

Irish Times

time24-06-2025

  • General
  • Irish Times

Dozens of caravans parked on Curragh must leave, judge orders

The Minister for Defence has been granted High Court orders preventing dozens of caravans camping on lands in the Curragh, Co Kildare . Mr Justice Brian Cregan ordered that caravans, cars and other vehicles parked on the Department of Defence land, including areas used by horse trainers for gallops attached to the Curragh Racecourse, be removed by 1pm this Friday. Some of the caravans are also close to the Defence Forces firing ranges and have prevented the carrying out of training exercises. In an affidavit, department principal officer of property management, Eoin McDonnell, said 'mountains of rubbish' have been left behind by the transient and changing groups of caravan occupants, who the court heard are believed to be members of the Travelling community. There were caravans on the lands for nine months of last year and the bill for cleaning up the rubbish was nearly €186,000. Since the arrival of the first group of caravans in March, the bill has reached some €31,700, he said. READ MORE The dumped waste includes garden waste dumped as a result of transitory businesses along with household rubbish including clothing, bedding, mattresses, furniture, used nappies, sanitary towels and other such items. On one occasion, a young pup was found in rubbish dumped in a gully along the side of a road. The use of scramblers and quad bikes on the lands has caused damage to greens at Cill Dara Golf Club, while local residents have complained about noise and general nuisance from the encampments, Mr O'Donnell said. Fires have also been lit causing damage while on occasion illegally dumped material partially buried on the land create a serious trip hazard for horses galloping on the Curragh plain. Dogs are running around the horses and animals have been left to graze on the land by the caravan occupants. Some 200 horses are trained daily on the lands and the trainers based at the Curragh have said it is becoming very difficult to train due to the increased volume of caravans being parked close to a gallops known as Little Curragh, Mr O'Donnell said. Applying for the injunctions on a one-side only represented basis, Kelley Smith SC, for the Minister, said there has been quite a history over the decades of regular trespass on the lands by caravans, usually coming from England or France, during the months of May and August. Between 1992 and 2000, six court orders were obtained prohibiting the trespass. Despite those, since 2000, the unlawful caravan encampments have continued. Last year, counsel said, the number hit a record 75 at one point but this year that number was exceeded, with 89 counted. The caravan dwellers change as some move on and others arrive and they are located in a number of different areas around the Curragh. The Dublin-Cork rail line runs through the lands and a fire next to the line last March caused major disruption, counsel said. Bailiffs had been employed to serve notices to quit to the caravan occupants and only 21 people were identified, but because of the changing composition of those involved it has not been possible to identify everybody, counsel said. Mr Justice Cregan ordered that notices of the court order be pinned to the doors of each of the caravans, including the 21 named people, along with a 'plain English' notice explaining the order. He said anyone who wishes to contest the orders can turn up in court on Friday. He further ordered that the defendants and all people with notice of the orders be prohibited from returning once the Friday deadline has passed.

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