Demands for a court injunction to remove Travellers from the main car-park at Knock grew louder yesterday as worshippers arrived at the shrine for one of the first major pilgrimages of the season.
Coach and car drivers arriving for the Clonfert pilgrimage were denied access to what is known as the "west car park", where between 18 and 20 Travellers' caravans are illegally parked.
The Travellers are involved in selling electrical and other goods. According to locals, they received a fresh supply of products on Saturday. This dampened optimism that the group might make an early departure from the area.
Last night, Fine Gael European candidate Senator Jim Higgins claimed that, in the absence of a court injunction, the Travellers have "absolutely no intention of moving in the short-term".
He said that local stall-holders and business people were at the end of their tether over the fact that the Travellers have been operating from the car-park for a number of weeks. "These Travellers have no connection with the area or the county."
The Travellers gained admission to the car-park after a barrier erected by Mayo County Council to keep caravans out was lifted temporarily to assist traffic flow during major roadworks.
Court injunctions have been sought by the local authority on six occasions during the past two years to remove Travellers who were illegally parked there.