Travellers camped on the Curragh in Co Kildare have been ordered by the High Court to stop trespassing there and remove all their vehicles by 5 p.m. tomorrow.
Mr Justice Kelly yesterday granted an injunction to the Minister for Defence, owner of the lands, against nine named defendants, and against any other person with notice of the making of the order.
He adjourned for a week proceedings against Mr and Mrs Martin Casey, the only two defendants to appear in court. They sought an adjournment to give them time to see a solicitor.
Mr Eanna Mulloy, for the Minister, said some of the defendants had been camped at the Brownstown area of the Curragh since last September.
In an affidavit, Mr Hugh Crawford, an official in the Department's property management branch, said he had visited the encampment a number of times. The number of vehicles there varied in accordance with the arrival or departure of other members of the families of the defendants.
The Minister had been most anxious for many years now to preserve the Curragh's amenities. He had been obliged on previous occasions to seek court intervention for similar encampments, most recently in September 1992, August 1994, May 1995 and July 1997.
The fabric of the land was being damaged as a result of the defendants driving vehicles on it. It had recently been declared a National Monument and was in the process of being designated a National Heritage Area.
Mr Crawford said he had spoken to the defendants on a number of occasions. He judged it best all round if the defendants would accept the Minister's concerns voluntarily and the trespass be discontinued peaceably and without unnecessary aggravation.
He was obliged over time to concede that the leeway and time being afforded to the defendants to depart on a voluntary basis and without rancour was not being taken up and that requests for more time were no more than a stalling device.
Mr Casey told Mr Justice Kelly he wanted an adjournment so that he could get a lawyer to represent him in court. He said he could not read or write. Mr Justice Kelly read correspondence handed in on behalf of Mr Casey. He said it was indicated the Caseys had seven children and school arrangements needed to be made. A school principal had indicated there was a very good school attendance record. A doctor had written supporting an application for housing by the Caseys.
Mr Casey said they would move off the lands "this minute" if they had a place to go to.