A condolences page for farmer Padraig Nally, who shot dead John “Frog” Ward, has been removed by RIP.ie after it was inundated with comments, some of which contained anti-Traveller sentiment.
Mr Nally (81), who died last Friday at University Hospital Galway, came to national prominence in 2004 after killing Mr Ward, a Traveller and father of 11, who had been trespassing on his farm near Lough Corrib on the Mayo-Galway border.
It is understood his condolences page, which allows anyone to post a tribute to the deceased or express sympathies to their family, was closed on Saturday due to a number of comments that were anti-Traveller in nature.
Mr Nally’s death notice is still published on RIP.ie, though the comment function remains unavailable.
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Responding to a request for comment, Rip.ie, which was acquired by The Irish Times Group this year, said: “RIP.ie does not comment on individual death notices or condolence books and reserves the right to remove condolence notices which do not fit with its standards and policies.”
Traveller activist Latisha McCrudden said the anti-Traveller comments originally posted spread “violence and hatred against our community”.
“Once again, Ireland showcases its hatred, abuse, discrimination and non-acceptance towards the Traveller community,” she posted on X, formerly Twitter.
[ How Padraig Nally’s manslaughter case divided the nationOpens in new window ]
Mr Nally’s funeral, attended by hundreds of mourners, was held on Monday in Cross, Co Mayo.
He received a six-year prison sentence for manslaughter that was subsequently quashed in 2006. In a retrial that same year, Mr Nally was found not guilty of manslaughter at the Central Criminal Court.
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