Mourners at a funeral Mass in Claremorris, Co Mayo, yesterday were disturbed when a violent brawl, which resulted in two men being hospitalised, erupted outside St Colman’s Church.
One man, who is in his 50s, was taken to Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar after being struck in the head at the church gates. A second man, whose injuries were not as serious, was also taken to hospital.
Gardaí made a number of arrests and seized a variety of weapons including a hatchet and iron bars.
The disturbance broke out just before 11am as Mass was being celebrated for a settled Traveller, Pádraig Collins (56), who lived in the town’s Lui na Gréine estate.
Claremorris curate Fr Peter Gannon was saying Mass when the trouble erupted.
“When there was a big rush of people out of the church I knew there was a fight going on.”