8 hours ago
Up to 60 caravans on Dept of Defence land in the Curragh despite order to leave
The majority of more than 80 caravans camping on Department of Defence-owned lands in the Curragh, Co Kildare, were still there on Friday morning despite a High Court order that they leave by 1pm, a judge was told.
As a result, Mr Justice Brian Cregan ordered that interim injunctions he granted on Tuesday over the alleged trespass should remain in place until further order.
More than 80 caravans, believed to be occupied by members of the Traveller Community who come over from England and France for the summer, had parked at a number of different locations on the Curragh plain since March, the court heard earlier this week.
Their presence has resulted in "mountains of rubbish" having to be removed at a cost so far of €31,700. Some €186,000 was spent on similar clean ups last year in what has become an annual problem for land owners, residents, and horse trainers in the Curragh, the Minister for Defence has claimed in proceedings seeking to remove the caravans.
There have also been problems with noise nuisance, scramblers and quad bikes causing damage to greens on a golf course, dogs running around horses being trained and animals being left to graze on the plain. The Defence Forces have been prevented from carrying out training on a firing range on the lands.
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The case was returned to Friday when there was no appearance for any of the caravan dwellers, including 21 named individuals who it had been possible to identify.
The court heard the injunction notices were either handed to the occupants or pinned by bailiffs to the caravan doors and included a "plain English" version of them ordered by the court.
Kelley Smith SC, for the minister, said that as of 10.10am on Friday, there were 60 caravans at four different locations on the lands. One slightly troubling aspect was that one group of caravans had moved from one location within the lands to another, she said.
She applied to make the interim injunctions interlocutory which means they stay in place pending the full hearing of the minister's case against the defendants.
Mr Justice Cregan said he was satisfied to grant the orders sought and said in notifying the defendants about the orders they should be informed, again in plain English, that further applications may be brought against them.
Ms Smith said in event of failure to comply with the orders, it may be necessary to apply for attachment and committal orders seeking the jailing of the defendants for contempt.
