Knock forum will focus on Travellers' trip to novena

As tensions in Knock reached a climax over the weekend, Mayo gardaí were already preparing to spearhead a major initiative to resolve issues around the annual mass influx of Travellers to the county for the Reek Sunday pilgrimage and the Knock Novena.

It has also emerged that a seven-year-old commitment to develop two transient halting sites is "low priority" in the Mayo County Council's Traveller accommodation programme.

Supt Pádraic O'Toole has confirmed he will invite interested parties - including Mayo County Council, the Knock Area Development Association, Mayo Traveller Support Group, the clergy and other relevant groups - to a forum aimed at resolving issues of transient accommodation and general public order.

"We have already made initial communications with some of the groups who may be interested in improving the situation and now hope to contact further groups and formalise the network," said Supt O'Toole.

He declined, however, to comment on the weekend's blockade, saying gardaí were present and a file would be sent to the DPP for his instructions. On Sunday, there was a blockade of Knock's Main Street by local residents and business people protesting at the blocking of their premises by about 30 vans and caravans for the duration of the novena.

Local garage owner Kieran Whelton said the protest was not "anti-Traveller" and was held to highlight that the community did not want its streets blocked. He said it was the first year Travellers had parked on Main Street.

"We felt intimidated and we could not access our properties and go about our business at the height of the tourist season. They tied their dogs to our fencing which is, naturally, annoying. This protest was a call to the gardaí and Mayo County Council to resolve the issue," he said.

He confirmed that about 10 locals had initially blocked in the Travellers. They were later joined by 50 local supporters.

The Travellers finally moved off en masse at 3pm.

He claimed gardaí had said they had not been given proper resources - such as tow-trucks - to remove the vehicles.

Whelton and Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Carty, brother of Senator John Carty, told Mid-West Radio that Knock was not a suitable vicinity for a transient halting site and that the centre of the county was more appropriate.

Last week, Mayo Traveller Support Group accommodation worker Rose-Marie Maughan attacked the "unChristian" attitude of the receiving community.

"Blocking off an area is not the solution to accommodating Traveller culture, our nomadic way of life and our need to fulfil our religious beliefs; it is also not a very Christian way of welcoming all God's children to Knock," Maughan said.

County council director of services Peter Hynes said the authority, along with the Local Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee, had tried to identify temporary sites at Knock this year to facilitate the Travellers but had failed.

Regarding the council's failure to develop two transient halting sites - one in the east and one in the west of the county - Hynes cited "limited resources".

In accordance with the Housing Traveller Accommodation Act (1998), local authorities are obliged to adopt five-year plans for providing suitable accommodation for travellers.

The Knock Novena attracts about 150,000 people and ends on Friday.