It was a “sad, sad day” to see the appointment of a liquidator to one of the oldest Traveller organisations, a former director of the south Dublin charity has said.
Gavin Lyons, former director at the Southside Travellers Action Group (Stag), said he could “see the hurt in the room” at a creditors’ meeting on Wednesday, which was described as “emotional” and “very angry” at times.
The demise of the charity, which was founded in 1984 by a pioneering nun and Traveller rights campaigner, the late Sr Colette Dwyer, comes amid bitter recriminations between its mainly Traveller staff, and its board and chairwoman, Northern Ireland-based Barbara Scanlon.
Former staff were among those at Wednesday’s meeting. which was presided over by Lyons, accompanied by a solicitor.
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Lyons said inquiries into alleged financial irregularities at Stag had been reported to “appropriate authorities” and as investigations were “ongoing” he could not go into further detail.
He told former staff the charity’s statutory funders had ceased providing funding from January 2026 amid concerns about alleged irregularities, including significant unvouched expenditure.
The Department of Children, one of its main funders, told The Irish Times that an independent review of financial matters, commissioned by funders, had ceased once the voluntary liquidation was announced.
A spokesman said until the announcement in early March “all funders continued to make funding available while allowing the identified issues to be addressed ... to ensure that the organisation could continue to provide services to the local Traveller community”.
“In light of the board’s decisions and communications in February and early March, the remaining steps to enable the review to be brought to finalisation could not be progressed.”
Speaking after the meeting Lyons disputed that funding had been available until early March. “It’s no good funders saying funds were forthcoming. That doesn’t pay wages.”
The board had been “stymied at every step of the way from fulfilling our fiduciary duties”, he said.
“I volunteered to sit on the board, to be the financial controller because I wanted to do something to help the Traveller community,” he said.
“I have enormous empathy for the community which has been treated so badly by the Irish State. I could see the hurt in the room today and it is a sad, sad day to see this happen. The board, yes we accept our responsibility but it is not all ours.”
Since its foundation Stag provided accommodation, education, employment, primary healthcare and women’s support to Traveller households across the south county Dublin area, from its base in Sandyford.
Geraldine Dunne, a former manager, said “a lot of emotions were raised” at the meeting.
“It is a very sad day for Travellers in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown to see an organisation they had a hand in founding, driving and minding over the last 40 years being liquidated and gone.”
She said former staff felt their “direct questions” about owed wages and concerns about board oversight had not been adequately answered. “That made many very angry,” she said.
It was hoped the building that accommodated Stag, on lands secured by Dwyer in 1982 on a 250-year lease, could be “saved” for Travellers to continue supporting the community and “hopefully starting a new organisation for the community as it is badly needed”, said Dunne.
