Ardfheis briefs

In short:

In short:

Minister of State for Equality Frank Fahey told the ardfheis he was "shocked" at the level of discrimination and "downright racism" there was against the Traveller community.

Travellers were "good people", but society only heard about them when a small number of the community "let the side down". Traveller women were the "finest group of people" to be found in any sector of Irish society, particularly "when you look at what they have put up with", and what they have achieved.

If delegates left the ardfheis with one message it should be about Travellers, that "they're our own", Mr Fahey said. "Let's leave this ardfheis as a Fianna Fáil party who are prepared to look up to people others look down on."

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Calling for the current electoral register to be scrapped because it was "out of control", the Taoiseach's brother said he knew of many voting scams that had been used.

The identity of voters was very rarely checked at elections and there was no point sending out council officials to check the electoral register in their area. Cllr Ahern warned that if reform was not carried out, seats would be lost in the next election.

Mr Gallagher addressed the session after a protest by a group of some 100 salmon driftnet fishermen and their families and before a much larger protest later in the day by upwards of 3,000 anglers, outside the Gleneagle Hotel, the venue of the ardfheis. Anglers have repeatedly criticised the Minister for failing to stop commercial driftnet fishing, a decision they claim is inevitable.