This article is from page 19 of the 2007-10-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG
FIVE people – including two moth- ers – have appeared in court, charged in connection with a long-running ‘volatile’ traveller feud in Ennis.
Four of the five were arrested after a row broke out as parents brought children to school in Cloughleigh, last Friday morning. The fifth was arrested at Ennis courthouse later Were ee hVA
As allegations that members of one family awaited the other family out- side Ennis courthouse last Friday, security was tight as several gardai were deployed to the scene.
Before the court were Anne (43), Christopher (22) and Jim (18) Mon- gans, of Shalee Drive, Ennis, and Margaret (44) and Mary (20) Molloy, of Gordon Drive, all charged with engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour, at Cloughleigh Road, Ennis, last Friday morning.
Christopher Mongans is also ac-
cused of damaging Mary Molloy’s car.
The court heard from gardai that the charges arose from a ‘tense’ and ‘volatile’ feud between the two Dee e Sloe
“This is part of a feuding incident between the Molloys and the Mon- gans. It is ongoing, sporadic, over the past couple of years. Over the past 24 hours, it has escalated into violence occurring between both sides,” said Inspector Tom Kennedy, RON eUlan ites
He said it “boiled over” when par- ents were bringing their children to school that morning and resulted in one woman, Anne Mongans being taken to hospital with a head injury.
He appealed to Judge Joseph Man- gan to remand the accused in custo- dy, “to diffuse what is going on and to curtail them from fighting”.
“Outside the court, some of these parties are waiting for others. I have to be fearful. What happened this
morning could be a lot more seri- Ole
“It is escalating from damaging property to physical assaults. Insult- ing and degrading language is now escalating into physical contact and fighting,’ he added.
“I don’t think it’s in the capacity of any of the parties to hold their feel- ings in accordance with conditions set down,’ said Inspector Kennedy.
Solicitor for the Mongans, Tara Godfrey said, “There is a generali- sation made that if some members of each family are put 1n prison, this won’t continue. It will.”
The Molloys’ solicitor William Cahir said his clients were “not the ageressors” of the incident.
The case was adjourned for a number of hours. At 6pm, the judge asked had anything changed.
Mr Cahir said he had had a full consultation with his clients.
“Margaret Molloy is a mother of 11 and has never come to the atten-
tion of the court before. Her daugh- ter Mary never came to the attention of the court before. They are willing to abide by a curfew and any un- dertaking the court would impose,’ said Mr Cahir.
Ms Godfrey said she would concur with Mr Cahir.
She said, in the past, mediators were involved and she suggested that these people be contacted, in an effort to see if this option was open.
However Sergeant Paul Slattery then brought it to the court’s atten- tion that efforts had been made to get both parties together, during the day.
“I brought representatives of both parties together outside to try to come to some agreement. After that, I heard Anne Mongans engaging in threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour with a member of the op- posing family,” said Set Slattery.
“I was forced to intervene, to pre-
vent it escalating. There doesn’t seem to be any gra by either side to bury the hatchet,” he said.
Ms Godfrey said her client made an allegation about something that had been said, but that complaint had not been dealt with.
“It was a very serious threat, an immediate threat. The person that issued the threat is not before the court at the moment,” she said.
She said there was “resentment” if things said to her client were being ignored by the State.
“My client was provoked. There was a reason for her reaction,” she said.
Judge Joseph Mangan said it was “unusual” that the State would ask to remand people on public order charges in custody.
He remanded all five in custody, with consent to bail, to appear in court again later this week. They were ordered to keep away from each other and abide by curfews.