FEAR AND LOATHING IN GLENAMADDY

IF last week's violenct clashes between members of the travelling community and the good folk of Glenamaddy served any purpose, it was to show what a bunch of fascists, hypocrites and bigots we the (settled) community of Ireland are. That's you by the way. And me.

None of my best friends are itinerants. Chances are that none of yours are either. We don't like them and we don't trust them. We call them "knackers", "tinkers" or worse. And we discriminate shamelessly. Which is why a mob of "law abiding citizens" are able to violently attack a group of travellers with clubs and hurls, smash up their vehicles and break the windows of a public house that dared to serve them and get away with it, as seen last week. In case you're not familiar with the incident in question, I'll explain . . .

Being a case of "this town ain't big enough for both of us" perhaps it's fitting that it happened in the wild West. The small (pop: 1,500) town of Glenamaddy is just fifteen miles from Tuam and, up until last week, was famous only for a bit part in the Big Tom song 'Four Country Roads'.

Taking its name from the song, The Four Roads pub in the centre of the town is one of the few drinking establishments in the region willing to cater for large groups of travellers when they wish to congregate to celebrate weddings and births or to hold wakes.

Unsurprisingly, this hasn't made it popular with the locals who object to the travellers' presence in the town. When The Four Roads intoxicating liquor licence came up for renewal a fortnight ago, objections were lodged by the State and eighteen local businesses who claimed that Mrs Mary O'Reilly (the licensee) was an unfit person to hold a licence and objected to "the public nuisance and danger to local businesses and premises which is being created by the large numbers of itinerants on Mrs O'Reilly's premises." Judge Bernard Brennan disallowed the objections (citing lack of evidence) and renewed the licence. The Four Roads could (and would) continue to operate and presumably also continue to serve travellers.

It did. The following Monday saw over a hundred travellers gathered in the pub after the blessing of a headstone for a young girl in Ballaghdereen. Local Gardai arrived at about 7.00pm to investigate the alleged hold-up (at knife-point) of the nearby Raftery's Filling Station by two traveller women. When they entered the pub, they claim to have witnessed a row between a travelling man and his wife. Versions of the story differ at this point. The Guards claim to have thrown only the man out because, they say, he was beating his wife. Mary Moriarty of the European Centre for Travellers (based in Tuam) claims that the Guards evacuated the entire pub. This seems more likely for whatever way it happened, all of the travellers left the pub and were confronted by an angry mob of over two hundred locals who then set upon them with clubs and various other weapons. A major fight broke out and over twenty-five Guards from neighbouring towns had to be drafted in to quell the disturbance. During the course of the row, several of the travellers' vans were damaged and rocks were thrown through the windows of the pub. At no stage did the Gardai interfere. Eventually, outnumbered and badly beaten, the travellers fled in fear of their lives. At about 1.00am that night, Bridie Dempsey received a phone call from an anonymous caller saying "we hope you've learnt your lesson". She didn't and despite heavy tension, The Four Roads continues to serve travellers and, of course, settled people.

Some questions should be asked. Why did the Guards run the itinerants out of the pub when they knew that an angry mob had gathered outside? Why was the fighting allowed to continue? Why did they just stand and watch while people were being battered with clubs? Why were no arrests made?

Supt. Jim Sugrue of Tuam Garda Station claims that it was not possible to arrest people during the incident as it would have weakened the strength of the Garda force on the night. Well, how about the next day? The attackers were all local and presumably known to most of the Guards.

You already know why there were no arrests. Just as you know why the Guards forced the itinerants out of the pub and into the mob. They did it because they saw nothing wrong with it. Just a bunch of "knackers" getting what they deserve.

So what's going to be done about it? You know the answer to that one too. Nothing. At least nothing that will change anything. Maire Geoghegan-Quinn is seeking a fully enquiry. Big fucking deal. The Minister for Equality and Law Reform, Mr Taylor, intends to propose that discrimination on the basis of membership of the travelling community in respect of access to public houses will become unlawful. So an itinerant attempts to get a drink in a pub and is told (as they often are) to "fuck off knacker" or words to that effect. What's he going to do? Call his lawyer maybe? The Guards? Easier just to head to an unbiased establishment like The Four Roads.

What is needed is a change in attitude. It's hardly surprising that itinerants behave in what we perceive to be an antisocial manner when we reject them from so many aspects of our society. When itinerant children go to school they are treated like lepers by the other kids. No wonder they tend to drop out. Most pubs and restaurants refuse to serve them. They are denied access to cinemas and nightclubs. They are shunned or treated with suspicion wherever they go. The Glenamaddy incident just highlights a much deeper problem within our society. A system of apartheid exists in this country, enforced by the citizens, rather than directly by the law.

• Olaf Tyaransen