Tag Archives: Kilkenny County Council

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Scenes from the removal this morning of the 24/7 protest in Kilkenny attempting to halt the building of of bridge into the city

“We didn’t need 30 gardai, 15 workers and two members of the Council executive to remove two people and a gazebo.” [Kilkenny resident Kay Brennan (pink jacket)]

Darragh Byrne writes:

“At dawn today two members of the Save Kilkenny campaign were asked to leave the site of the Central Access Scheme (CAS) bridge in the city.
Some 15 workmen and up to 30 gardai swooped onto the picket site and asked the campaigners to vacate immediately. Locals Kay Brennan and Donal Coyne [pictured] asked to remain on site until other members of the campaign arrived to help pack tents, boats and other belongings.
…[but] Under the supervision of members of the unelected Executive of Kilkenny County Council workmen pulled up tents, tore down gazebos and threw personal items into trailers. They then erected railings across the site entrance and public footpath.
At this stage many more campaigners arrived but all vacated the area peacefully so no garda force was used. The campaigners said that picketing is set to continue and legal options are being pursued.
The campaigners, who are mostly supporters of the three main parties, said they would now be spreading their campaign throughout the city and at the ballot box next year in the upcoming by-election for Phil Hogan’s seat.”

Previously: Saving Kilkenny

Pics by Vicky Comerford

Thanks Padraig O’Ceallaigh

In the wake of Phil Hogan’s attempted intervention in the housing of a traveller family in his Kilkenny constituency…

On March 30, a Traveller family moved their possessions into a three-bedroom home in a Kilkenny County Council-purchased home in Dunkitt, Kilmacow (above).

The house was targeted by arsonists early on March 31, with most of the family’s belongings destroyed.
Irish Examiner columnist Michael Clifford compared the attack to the burning down of homes belong to black people in the Fifties and Sixties, in America.

He wrote:

“The reaction to the burning out of a family in Kilkenny has been as muted as similar acts once were in the bigoted Deep South. Last Tuesday, RTÉ’s Morning Ireland broadcast an item on the arson attack. The presenter Cathal MacCoille said the show was unable to get any local public representatives to come on. This was despite the fact at least two councillors had made representations to Kilkenny County Council to reverse the decision to allocate the house to the Traveller family.” 

 

Green Party councillor Malcolm Noonan noted:

This is clearly a racist attack, and is being fuelled by scaremongering within local communities. It was only a matter of time before an incident like this occurred. Racism towards travellers permeates every facet of our society and we have councillors interfering with the work of our housing staff in allocating houses to traveller families.”

 

Earlier: Big Phil’s Fat Gypsy Prejudice