A county councillor alleged to have likened the itinerant community to "pedigree dogs lying in the sun" was in court yesterday charged with inciting hatred.
Mr John Flannery, a Fine Gael member of Mayo County Council, was further alleged in the summons to have claimed that travellers expected everything to be done for them.
He appeared before Galway District Court, charged with making the comments during a meeting of the Western Health Board on May 11th. He is alleged to have said that as able-bodied people travellers should be forced to go on Government job programmes "instead of lying in the sun like pedigree dogs".
The summons said the comments were "abusive and insulting and, having regard to all the circumstances, likely to stir up hatred".
Mr Flannery is the first public representative to be prosecuted under Section 2 of the 1989 Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act.
His solicitor told the court that statements had been taken from a number of people who attended the board meeting, and he needed time to conduct substantial research into them before deciding what witnesses to call.
The case was adjourned until January 13th.