This article is from page 4 of the 2008-07-15 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
A SHOTGUN, slash hooks, wheel braces, a machete, a samurai sword and a haul of drugs have been seized by gardai investigating a violent feud between Travellers in Ennis, over the past fortnight.
Several incidents have broken out between two Traveller factions, in- cluding shots being fired at a house, a vicious row breaking out at the lei- Sure centre in the town and two cars
being burnt out.
As part of a major Garda opera- tion, several parts of the town were searched last Wednesday and Thurs- day. The firearm, implements, and cannabis resin were seized during the searches, which involved several gardai.
A house at Waterpark View in the town was shot at in the early hours of last Wednesday. While nobody was injured, members of a family were in the house at the time.
One car was burnt out last Thurs- day and the other on Sunday night.
“In the course of the searches, we recovered various implements on lands, in houses and in bays last Wednesday and Thursday. It was part of a coordinated operation,’ said Superintendent John Scanlan, Ennis.
The feud involves several people. Four men have been charged with possession of implements relating to one of the incidents. All four have been granted bail in court, on condi-
tion that they abide by strict condi- tions. Gardai say that the matters are still being investigated and CCTV footage has been viewed by those investigating the rows. A file will be sent to the DPP.
According to sources, the feud start- ed 12 months ago when a row broke out at a wedding in the Midlands. A second incident is understood to have occurred at a wedding in Limerick a short time ago and has escalated in Ennis in recent weeks.