Tag Archives: eviction

This morning/afternoon.

Farndreg, Dundalk, County Louth

In fairness.






Isaac Doherty (above) and John Mangan (pic 4) in front of their homes at the former halting site in Balgaddy, Clondalkin, Dublin, where a number of traveller families including 28 children face eviction. The site was due to be cleared today by South Dublin County Council. Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre is calling on Minister for Housing, Eoghan Murphy TD to intervene and ban Traveller evictions until the Traveller accommodation crisis is over

This afternoon, in Balgaddy, west Dublin.

A number of Traveller families, including 28 children, are to be evicted.

They say they have nowhere to go.

Pavee Point has released the following statement:

Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre is calling on Minister for Housing, Eoghan Murphy TD to intervene and ban Traveller evictions until the Traveller accommodation crisis is over.

Today five families including 28 children face eviction from an old school site in Balgaddy, Clondalkin where they have been living since last year.

The families agreed to move by today – but there is nowhere else for them to go.

Meanwhile an independent review of Traveller accommodation law is currently underway through the Department of Housing and due to be published in April.

“Twenty years of failed accommodation policies has resulted in this crisis for Travellers. There has been an underspend of €55 million on Traveller accommodation since 2000.

“In this context, evictions are inhumane,” said Pavee Point co-director Martin Collins.

Traveller family with 28 children to be evicted from west Dublin site (Kitty Holland, The Irish Times)

Related: English seeks solutions to Traveller accommodation crisis (Lorna Siggins, The Irish Times, September 12, 2018)

Ban Traveller Evictions – not fair to families with nowhere to go (Pavee Point)

Rollingnews


From top: The farmhouse in Strokestown, County Roscommon; Monday’s and Tuesday’s Irish Independent

Further to media coverage of events last week in Strokestown, County Roscommon.

Paul Dalton, In The Roscommon People writes:

Such has been the bias displayed by certain quarters of the traditional print and broadcast media in the last few days that as a former national newspaper editor and foreign correspondent in the UK and Ireland for 25 years, even by the standards of ‘fly by your pants’ journalism, I’m shocked and disgusted by my colleagues, and it takes a lot to say that.

Almost within hours of Sunday morning’s events, The Irish Independent had already fingered “dissidents” as being responsible for the revenge attack against the security personnel shipped down from the North.

As someone who’s edited these kind of stories, it was bewildering to see that The Indo had no evidence for its claims, nor any clarification as to whom these “dissidents” were. Republican, Loyalist, it didn’t matter.

The same newspaper within a day then extrapolated its bias by wheeling in a “notorious crime family” as being part of Sunday’s dawn attack, again with no evidence other than unnamed and not even quoted Garda sources, and further cemented its claim of “dissident” insidious control of events.

The aroma of creative license began to waft in the air. To a lesser extent, The Irish Times and broadcast media, especially RTE News, tried to play as straight a bat as they could. But hidden beneath their coverage, there was still a sense of them putting a perfumed handkerchief to their noses as they surveyed the “mad Rossie culchies” out West.

…within hours, the Irish Daily Mail, for which I once worked, condemned everything that had happened at Falsk as protest masquerading as “criminality”….

…Ironically, it was the often derided tabloids, The Irish Sun and The Irish Mirror who gave the fairest and most accurate accounts, as far as they could, of what took place, and the real sense of outrage many of us in rural Ireland feel.

In fact, it was only these two tabloids who even reported the now notorious moment when one of the security personnel boasted about being “British” on a video clip in response to why he was helping evict an Irishman from his own home, a clip that has gone viral.

So, there have been calls to boycott The Indo, which is fair enough, and their reporters have been told to “f**k off back to Dublin” while reporting from outside the Falsk premises.

In fairness, and I’ve been there, it’s not the individual journalists’ fault. I know from experience that, when a publication has a mindset riddled with bias from the very editorial top, at times you have to fall into line.

It ain’t pretty, and might leave a bad taste in your mouth of which you’re not proud, but it does help pay the bills at the end of the month. [More at link below]

‘An out of touch media elite’ (Paul Dalton, Roscommon People)

Previously: The Other Guys

Resent Thy Neighbour

Thanks Murph

Strokestown, County Roscommon

This morning.

Via The Irish Independent:

Although some of the individuals involved have links to dissident groups, gardaí are satisfied the main motive behind the incident was to show how unhappy they were with the decision to give the security work to personnel, some of whom were based in Northern Ireland.

Others were locals, who joined in as a protest without realising that the incident was likely to turn so violent.

“This appears to be largely a case of teaching a lesson to the outsiders because of their selection for the job, rather than a protest over the eviction of the family from the house the previous Tuesday,” a senior officer told the Irish Independent.

Right so.

Gardaí believe WhatsApp group organised violent attack (Tom Brady, Independent.ie)

Yesterday: Meanwhile, In Roscommon

Pic: RTÉ

TDs Stage protest At KBC Bank (RTÉ)

Earlier: ‘The Violent, Forced Eviction From Our Home Has Left Our Family Shocked’

Pic Via Mattie McGrath

Last night

Via Matt Carthy MEP:

The McGann family from Strokestown, County Roscommon, who were subjected last week to a forced eviction by a Northern Ireland based security firm acting on behalf of KBC Bank, have issued a statement in response to the deeply distressing events they have been forced to endure over recent days:

“Our family has been overwhelmed by the levels of support we have received and we wish to pay special thanks to our neighbours and friends who have greatly helped us during a very traumatic time.

We would also like to pay tribute to the people from across the four corners of Ireland whose sympathy and solidarity has been of great assistance in our time of need and to the people who travelled long distances to stand in solidarity with us.

The forced eviction from our home has left our family shocked by unforeseen events that were thrust upon us. Our ordeal has been further compounded by the inaccurate and ill-informed media coverage of our eviction, and the subsequent events that have occurred.

We wish to make clear we condemn all forms of violence and want to see the rule of law upheld but we have also been deeply upset by the use of inflammatory language that has characterised much of the media reportage.

We believe our plight has been exploited by some wishing to further their own narrow agendas and we were particularly disappointed at comments made today by An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil.

His remarks, we believe, are a deliberate attempt to deflect attention from some of the very serious issues relating to our eviction.

He has yet to adequately respond to the actions of unidentified security personnel who forcibly, and with considerable violence, removed our family from our home in front of a massive Garda presence that oversaw the eviction nor has he responded to concerns about the legality of the eviction notice.”

The McGanns have asked the Taoiseach to refrain from making comments that further compound their distress and in conclusion to their statement they say their case is with two firms of solicitors who are now acting on their behalf and that matters relating to their eviction will be heard before the courts in due course.

Meanwhile they appeal for their privacy to be respected as they resume their preparations for Christmas. As this is now a legal matter the McGann family or anybody connected to them will be making no further comments it may be prejudicial to future legal proceedings.

Yesterday: “It Was A Very Highly Organised, Highly Violent, Vigilante Attack”

“It Doesn’t Take Very Long For Your Balaclava To Slip”

Monday: ‘The Family Has Returned Home’

Cause And Effect

Drone pic via RTÉ

UPDATE:

This morning.

Retired history teacher Anna Kavanagh, who has been reporting from Roscommon for the past week, has posted a new video on Facbeook in which she:

Explains how Matt Carthy came to release the statement from the McGann family.

Criticises the Irish Times, top, and other media outlets’ coverage of the matter and says claims that dissident republicans or the IRA were involved in the post-eviction violence last Sunday morning are wrong.

Criticises Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and asks him to step down.

Tells a funny story and asks for a spin to Dublin Airport.

Anna Kavanagh (Facebook)

This afternoon.

Anna Kavanagh describes the latest developments from Strokestown, County Roscommon and the condition of the retired Garda injured during last week’s eviction.

Anna also reveals that solicitors acting for the family claim there was no “valid court order in place” for the farmhouse’s repossession.

Earlier: Reporting From A ‘Land Grab’

Cause And Effect

Watch: Drone footage of Roscommon incident aftermath (RTÉ)

Pic via RTE

Update:

Mari Maxwell writes:

‘A considerable presence, of Gardai have returned to the property and the family is now awaiting the arrival of a solicitor.’

Update:

8pm update:

Anna reads a prepared statement from the family.

9.30pm update:

Anna says there are now “well over 100” neighbours at the house as a ‘mark of solidarity’ to the family.

After midnight update:

Anna interviews Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice who raised the eviction in Strokestown, Co Roscommon, in the Dáil last Wednesday.

1.06am update:

Anna speaks to Jerry O’Boyle, from Mayo, who said he’s been at a number of other evictions and recalled a farmer who took his life after he was threatened with eviction.

Anna, who has been at the home for 12 hours, also says she’s been invited into the house where the eviction took place and is going to sleep there tonight.

She said she’ll report live on Facebook if “anything happens”.

This afternoon.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar speaks to RTÉ News about last Tuesday’s eviction in Strokestown, Co Roscommon and events at the property early yesterday morning where security personnel at the home were attacked.

Earlier: Cause And Effect