ONE MAN DIED and two others were seriously injured when a pitched battle between as many as 60 men, some armed with machetes and slash hooks, broke out after a travelling family funeral at the weekend.
The melee was witnessed by parishioners on their way to evening Mass in the Church of St Oliver Plunket at St Helena's Drive, Finglas. The parish priest, Father John Hughes, said last night that the local community was dismayed at the regular outbreaks of violence involving travellers drinking in a local public house.
The dead man, Mr Tim Joyce (46), who had been living at a caravan site in Lyddside, Kent, suffered severe lacerations. He died after being admitted to hospital. Mr Joyce was a widower and father of five children. His wife was killed in a hit and run car accident some years ago.
Mr Joyce was injured at St Helena's Drive at about 6.30p.m.
Two other men, one a relative of Mr Joyce and the other a member of another family involved in the fighting, were described yesterday as being seriously ill in Blanchardstown Hospital.
The row broke out at about teatime on Saturday outside The Rivermount, a public house which serves members of the travelling community at St Helena's Drive.
Mr Joyce and his relatives had travelled from England on Friday to attend the funeral of a family member who had died in England and was buried in Tullamore, Co Offaly, on Saturday morning.
When they returned to Dublin to catch the ferry back to Britain they went to the public house in Finglas with the apparent intention of meeting members of another extended travelling family.
It is understood that Mr Joyce's brother was killed in another fight some years ago and that this may have been the cause of friction between the two families involved in the weekend fighting.
Father Hughes said that there had been two major outbreaks of fighting outside the public house in the past month involving members of the travelling community. He believed most of the people; involved came from halting sites at Dunsink, about two miles away.
"A pattern of violence has been emerging in recent times and some of it has been awful", he said. "There have been barechested fights at 11.30 p.m. when this bar closes. This is the third time this has happened in a month, but this time preparations appear to have been made and weapons were brought. This was by no means an isolated incident.
"There have been great efforts to create a better environment, but the local people are just giving up and going away. That is the really disturbing thing. None of those involved is from this community, but it is happening on their doorstep."
Gardai spent yesterday taking statements about the violence and visiting travellers' halting sites in north west Dublin. There are some concerns that the death of Mr Joyce could lead to further fighting after his funeral.