*Mayor of Clare, Cllr Joe Cooney approaches Gardaí.
LAW AND ORDER doesn’t exist in Sixmilebridge, frustrated locals claimed at a tense public meeting.
A crowd in the region of 200 people attended Monday’s public meeting in the Lios Anama estate in Sixmilebridge as locals put the pressure on politicians to remove an illegal encampment which has relocated from the car park of the train station.
It has emerged the occupants of the campervan now situated in the estate turned down the offer of a house in Newmarket-on-Fergus.
Speaking at the meeting, Senator Timmy Dooley (FF) said the offer was declined “on the basis that it was only a two bedroom house”.
One father of three told the meeting, “for the last three years these people and there is a small number of them and they have been running roughshot in this village, they’re doing what they like, this is just one symptom, they took over the whole train station. They are walking around the village doing what they like, there is no law and order whatsoever in Sixmilebridge We’re listening to this nonsense, talk is very cheap Joe (Cooney), you are here and you are talking but the people of this village need a bit of action now”.
Attempts were made to get An Garda Síochána to speak at Monday’s meeting, Mayor of Clare, Cllr Joe Cooney (FG) stated. “In fairness, I did ask An Garda Síochána if they would make a comment this evening, I went over to them, I spoke to them and they said no. The Superintendent asked them to come out to monitor this evening”.
This comment drew a collective response of “not good enough” from the annoyed crowd. “Hear me out, hopefully they will talk to their head people on what is happening,” Cooney stated to which the crowd replied, “We don’t need Gardaí to monitor us”.
Presence of Gardaí has been absent in the locality, one man highlighted. “The only Garda I have seen in uniform in the last six months was at Mrs Carey’s funeral in Kilmurry, Mrs Carey God rest her was 92 and there wasn’t going to be any issues there”. Cllr Cooney answered back, “In fairness we came here to listen to your concerns to try get that illegally parked caravan there above out of here, that is what we’re going to do, we’re not going into where the Guards are”.
A woman claimed between ten and eleven cars are outside the campervan each night “and 20 children in our gardens, on our cars and looking in our windows. There’s four people to be housed, where is the other thirty to forty coming out of that we have to put up with? They are tearing through up here in cars, a child is going to be killed”. Another female added, “We’re terrified in our homes”.
Senator Dooley admitted he was “shocked” the caravan was returned to the family so quickly after their removal from the train station. “The Gardaí are doing their job, the Sergeant is there,” he said. This was met with a loud “they are not” by large cohorts of the Sixmilebridge locals. “The Gardaí are doing their job by being here tonight, they are under instruction from the Superintendent,” Dooley responded.
“It is an absolute kick in the face to this community that nobody from the Gardaí or the Council could show up.. They should be gone by the end of the week,” said one male resident.
Supply of drugs in the village was criticised by another member of the crowd and this was met with a round of applause.
Fear was expressed by one woman that they could face repercussions for speaking out at the meeting. Residents said they were kept awake at night and were intimidated.
“I don’t live in this estate but I am concerned for the people living here. We had an incident a couple of weeks ago, the Superintendent needs to be contacted that there is extra cover given to these people, that their children are safe at night time and that they can go to bed without cars coming up and down the driveway at 4am. The Superintendent is answerable to the safety of these people,” stated one woman.
Cllr John Crowe (FG) told the meeting, “I’ve already asked that the Gardaí would cover this place, I was assured that it would be looked after”.
A local business person said the law was on the side of Travellers. “The law is totally on their side, it is not fair to me or anyone else, they are running ragged around the place and taking over our village”.
Frustration is beginning to take its toll on the community, one male highlighted. “If you contact Shannon Gardaí they are now getting thick with people, I can see their point, they are in Shannon and don’t want to come to Sixmilebridge and the Gardaí aren’t in the Bridge. I have no problem running someone from my door, I don’t care who they are but there’s people here who are vulnerable, they can’t go out and approach them, we can’t keep walking around here and night clearing people, that is what we’re facing everyday and it will get worse tonight because there will be six or seven cars up there and they will run fucking riot around this place, that is the reality of it”.
