The retiring Bishop of Killaloe Dr Willie Walsh has claimed that he has ongoing concerns about traveller feuds in Ennis. Bishop Walsh said that he is very concerned that the feud in Ennis could become as serious as that in Dublin and Limerick.
Speaking this week to the Clare Champion newspaper, he said, “I am quite concerned that the feud in Ennis will escalate again. Nothing is settled by violence. Violence breeds violence. It has escalated in recent years and I'm very worried that it will escalate further and will result in very serious injury or potentially in death.”
He added, “We read regularly in the national media now about feuds among the settled community in the cities and how destructive they are to those involved in the wider community. Nobody wants these matters to persist.”
“The feud among some travelling families in Ennis has the potential to reach that level and I am very worried about that. I believe that mediation can help in this regard.”
While he has mediated in the past, Bishop Walsh said that he has not been involved in mediation in recent times.
He said, “I have to say I haven't been involved much in recent times. I was approached privately some time ago, I just didn't think I had the time to devote to it. I would have liked to have had the time but time is the key to the mediation process because it involves a lot of listening and when I couldn't commit the time to do it, I couldn't do it.”
He added that he welcomed the appointment of a mediator by Ennis town council and he hoped this would lead to a solution to the problem.
SIC: CiN