Travellers evicted from an illegal halting site at Woodland Park in Dundalk.
On foot of a health and safety notice from Louth County Council, An Garda Síochána, including members of the armed Emergency Response Unit and Public Order Unit, evict Travellers from an illegal halting site at Woodland Park in Dundalk, County Louth. The site was home to around twenty families.
Woodland Park was a serviced halting site for over a decade, but it was closed by the council in 2008. In 2015, several families facing an accommodation crisis moved onto the site, albeit illegally. Among them was Rebecca Quinn, who is vice chairperson of the Louth Traveller Movement. She notes many of the evicted families have been on the council list for eight years.
Yes it was illegal for the families to come in here, but they had nowhere else to go.
In the wake of the Carrickmines tragedy, Louth County Council chief fire officer deemed the Dundalk site unsafe and unfit for human occupancy. Winifred Joyce questions the need to evict vulnerable people, where there is no plan to house them elsewhere.
Louth County Council's chief executive and director of services met with representatives of the families evicted from the site, and the Louth Traveller Movement to discuss concerns. They left with an agreement to secure long-term specific Traveller accommodation.
Rebecca White says the short-term prospect for those evicted means they will have to go where they can. She has assurances that after the weekend, everyone will have more permanent accommodation.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 15 January 2016. The reporter is Laura Fletcher.
