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BreakingNews.ie
4 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Dozens of caravans parked on the Curragh must leave by Friday, court rules
The Minister for Defence has been granted High Court orders preventing dozens of caravans camping on land 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, to be removed by 1pm this Friday. Advertisement 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 land 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. 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. Advertisement The use of scramblers and quad bikes on the lands have 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 land 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 one 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 separate court orders were obtained prohibiting the trespass. Advertisement 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 at a fire next to the line last March caused major disruption, counsel said. Ireland Search of Dublin property as part of Annie McCarri... Read More Bailiffs had been employed to serve notices to quite upon 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 persons have notice of the orders be prohibited from returning once the Friday deadline has passed.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- 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.
Irish Times
20-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Supermarket cleared of discrimination in row over paying for groceries with 10c and 20c coins
A supermarket has been cleared of discriminating against two children who were asked by a cashier if they had 'anything larger' when they tried to pay for €68 worth of groceries with 10c and 20c coins. The children's father filed a complaint accusing the unidentified supermarket of a breach of the Equal Status Act 2000 by refusing service to the children on December 22nd, 2023, because they were members of the Travelling Community. The claim was ruled 'not well-founded' by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in a decision published on Friday, which was anonymised because of the involvement of minors. The tribunal heard that at about 1.30pm on the day of the incident, a cashier scanned €68 worth of shopping through a checkout for a girl and boy whose father was outside the premises in a car. READ MORE The cashier's evidence was that she counted out €26.80 comprising €1 and €2 coins and 20c and 10c pieces. '[It] took some time to count,' she told the WRC at a remote hearing last month. When she asked the children for the rest of the sum due, the young girl produced a purse with 'a large amount of 10- and 20-cent coins inside', she told the WRC. The cashier then asked the children whether they had 'anything larger to pay with'. She explained that there was 'a large queue building up' at her till. The children said they did not and left to fetch their father, the cashier said. She said he asked her why she was not taking their money, and that she found him 'very confrontational'. She told the WRC she 'made it clear to him that she was not refusing to take his money' and had only asked for notes because it was 'a very busy day'. There were 'a lot more than 50 coins involved'. The supermarket owner came to the till and intervened, the tribunal heard. The owner gave evidence that the father showed her he had banknotes, but told her he 'wished to pay in full using coins'. The owner then proposed that the father could count out the exact amount owed in coins, or count it out in batches of €5-€10, she said. The father replied: 'You are refusing to accept our payment.' She said she was 'trying to find a solution' and even offered coin bags to count out the loose change, but the father 'turned and walked away and left the store mid-conversation'. The father gave evidence that the children told him at the car that they 'were not being served' and that he went in to find out why. He told the WRC he 'supported what [his wife] had said about the event' in presenting the claim. The family's position, as presented by the children's mother at last month's hearing, was that the children were 'refused service at the supermarket because they were members of the Travelling Community'. 'The children suffered embarrassment in the shop with locals present, and suffered embarrassment with their friends because of the incident.' The supermarket's solicitors, Sweeney McGann, submitted that the business offered an apology to the children's mother for the 'misunderstanding' in a bid to de-escalate the situation, as well as a voucher as a goodwill gesture, which was refused. Adjudicator Peter O'Brien wrote in a decision published on Friday that it was 'not prejudicial' for the cashier to ask the children if they had 'larger-value coins or notes to complete their purchases'. He noted that by law, 'no entity other than the Central Bank or such persons as ordered by the Minister [for Finance] shall be obliged to accept more than 50 coins denominated in euro or in cent in a single transaction'. He noted that the only person who had given direct evidence to him about the initial incident was the cashier, as anything the children had told their parents was 'hearsay'. The cashier's evidence was that she 'never refused to complete the purchase' but simply asked the children whether there was 'a more convenient way to pay', he wrote. 'The request to pay with larger-value notes or coins could easily have applied to a minor who was not a member of the Travelling Community or indeed any adult who presented with large amounts of small coinage on such a busy day,' he wrote. He concluded the cashier's actions were reasonable and that she 'did not engage in discriminatory or prohibited conduct', and dismissed the complaint.
