A battle between two feuding Traveller families was reminiscent of scenes from the film, Braveheart, a Garda sergeant told a special sitting of Galway District Court yesterday.
Members of the Ward and Donovan families appeared before the court following disturbances in the Castle Park area of the city on Thursday night. They were charged with riotous behaviour and having weapons which included machetes, iron bars, lump hammers, slash hooks, nail-studded baseball bats and hurleys with intent to cause serious harm to others.
"There were 70 to 80 people all armed with weapons in two factions running towards each other. It was like the battle scene from Braveheart. They ran down the field roaring, shouting and waving weapons," Sgt Padraig Dolan said.
The sergeant and six other gardai were called by residents at 10 p.m. on Thursday. They were stoned when they told both sides to lay down their weapons. They sent for reinforcements when the disturbance continued. Up to 40 gardai arrived from other parts of Co Galway, and Cos Clare, Mayo and Roscommon. They were stoned but managed to confiscate a large arsenal of weapons and arrest 12 people and a minor, including: Mr Eddie Ward, Mr John Browne, Mr Derek Ward, Mr Eddie Sweeney, Mr J.P. Ward, Mr Michael Ward, Mr Francis Sweeney, Mr Michael O'Loughlin and a 14-year-old minor from one faction, and Mr Jimmy Donovan (17), Mr "Phono" Donovan (20) and Mr Tom Donovan (19) from the other. They all live in Galway city.
Sgt Dolan said trouble between both clans started at a wedding in Killaloe, Co Clare, on Monday, when there was a dispute about a witness who gave evidence at a previous court hearing. A crowd gathered in Bohermore in Galway on Monday night but gardai managed to disperse it. The same crowd regrouped in Corrib Park and was again dispersed.
However, the situation flared up yet again on Thursday night in Corrib Park when a crowd of between 70 and 80 armed men congregated in a playing field.
Tension between both sides was still high in court yesterday morning, and gardai had to keep them separated during the hourlong hearing during which Supt Tony Finnerty applied to have all remanded in custody because there was a fear witnesses would be interfered with if they were given bail.
"A serious riot occurred last night, and an arsenal of weapons were found and seized by the gardai. Witnesses in other cases in the past were interfered with and cases had to be dropped," he said.
Sgt Dolan added there was little doubt the trouble was not over between the sides. A Garda investigation was ongoing, and witnesses had yet to be interviewed.
Judge John Garavan said it was a disgraceful incident, but the law had to be even-handed and there was no evidence against any individual before the court to give him grounds to refuse bail. He remanded the accused in custody with consent to bail on their own sureties of £1,800 and independent sureties of £3,000 each to appear before Harristown Court, attached to Castlerea Prison, next Friday.
The conditions are: that they remain indoors between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m.; have no contact with each other; do not congregate in groups of more than three; and remain away from potential flashpoint areas in the city.
He remanded the 14-year-old juvenile in custody with consent to bail, to appear before Galway District Court next Wednesday.
Judge Garavan commended the gardai, whose quick action had prevented a massive riot.