Events during the summer prompted me to raise this matter on the Adjournment of the House. I welcome the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry and thank the Minister for Justice, Deputy Owen, for meeting a deputation from Dunmanway regarding the problem I will now outline. I compliment the gardaí, particularly Superintendent John O'Flynn of Clonakility who made himself available to the local community when required. We deeply appreciate his help.
The Dunmanway races have been held since 1615 when a charter was provided to hold a race meeting in a field outside the town. These races have continued to be held successfully over the centuries. In 1995, there was an influx of people in caravans who were intent on wreaking havoc on the area. As a result, the festival organised to coincide with the race meeting was cancelled. However, the races proceeded and, a week before they were due to begin, a hoard of approximately 60 caravans descended on the town. Their owners parked them in lay-bys and at the roadside in complete disregard of road signs, yellow lines, etc. They parked outside people's houses and pestered them for almost 14 days.
Local business people, shopkeepers, etc., were intimated and threatened. They were informed that if they did not serve those travelling in the caravans their premises would be burned out and they would be beaten up. As a result, business people were obliged to employ security personnel to keep undesirables off their premises. Children from the caravans stole goods from supermarkets and shops. They also ran into old people's houses and pilfered their possessions. Those children were not supervised and were allowed out at all hours of the day and night. People were observed surveying houses from their backyards. This situation persisted for almost ten days. The entire town and surrounding countryside was held to ransom. When pressure was applied through the deployment of extra gardaí in Dunmanway, these people moved to local towns and villages and pestered the inhabitants. Elderly people, women living alone and lone parents were afraid and people would not permit their children to play outside.
I am highlighting this matter before problems arise at next year's race meeting. In the past, there was a very good festival which coincided with the races but this was cancelled because people could not leave their houses unoccupied. It is not fair that a local community can be held to ransom by a bunch of blackguards who can enter the town in their caravans and do as they please. That is a disgrace. I did not refer to those involved as "travelling people" or "itinerants" because I believe many of them have houses, probably local authority houses, elsewhere. They travel in groups to blackguard people in certain localities. I ask that steps be taken to stop this happening in the future.
I live in west County Cork and Cork County Council carried out a survey of travelling people and itinerants there. It was discovered that only six families were in need of housing. Four of those families were housed by the county council, one family left the area and the other does not wish to be housed. The issue of the travelling community in west County Cork has been dealt with quite well. However, there is another group purporting to be travellers who are not travellers. Travellers should have some form of identification or the county council should draw up a list so that they can be identified. People should not be permitted to travel under two tags — owning a house and not owning one. The people of any community have the right to their festivals, to live in peace without being abused or intimidated and to go about their business without fear or threat of their houses being broken into.
Another problem which has affected Dunmanway is the influx of new age travellers from abroad. Many young Irish people have left this country to look for work abroad. If they cannot get work here they are often refused the full rate of unemployment assistance because they are living at home yet people can come from abroad to live here in huts, teepees, tents and caravans. They go into the labour exchanges and health centres to get money. They drink on the streets and look shabby. Tourist buses often drive on through towns when they see these people rather than stop.
Dunmanway won the tidy towns competition in 1982 and this problem is giving it a bad image. These people congregate in the square in Dunmanway around the telephone kiosk obstructing people. The county council erected seats there where old people could sit and enjoy the sun in the summer. However, now they are prevented from doing so by these people.
This problem is bad for tourism. It is putting severe pressure on the social welfare system and the health clinics. There can be long queues of people waiting to see the community welfare officer and whereas before local people could see the officer easily now they are left waiting for long periods.
These two problems must be handled. I thank the Minister for Justice for meeting the deputation. I hope I have made the point more clearly tonight and that steps will be taken to alleviate the problems not only for Dunmanway but for other areas which suffer intimidation from people who have no respect for law and order.
