Galway gardai intervened yesterday in a feud between two travelling families who had organised fist fights and pitched battles in which guns and other weapons were to be used.
Supt Michael Curley, from Clifden, told Galway District Court yesterday that the feud, between the Ward and McDonagh families, both from Galway city, was extremely serious. If the fights were to go ahead they could result in loss of life. Gardai, he said, had kept both families away from each other for the last five days, and he wanted the court's assistance to ensure that would remain the case.
Supt Curley said there were two members of each family before the court, but they were not the only ones involved. Travellers had come from England to take part in 11 arranged fist fights.
He asked the court to make it plain to both families that no arranged fights could take place anywhere in Ireland.
Mr Pat McDonagh, of Hillside Park, Galway, and Mr Michael McDonagh, Derrynane, Clybaun Road, Knocknacarra, Galway, were charged with harassing Mr Edward Ward and Mr Anthony Ward between February 13th and June 3rd. Mr Edward Ward, of Rahoon Halting Site, Galway, and Mr Anthony Ward, of Cloontia and Rahoon Halting Site, Galway, were charged with harassing the McDonaghs between May 13th and June 3rd. Judge John Garavan said he was outraged at what he had heard. In 24 years on the bench he had never heard such a stern, stark and despairing cry as he had heard from Supt Curley.
He complimented the gardai on their surveillance work over the weekend, which had stopped the barbaric fights taking place. He appealed to the public to help the gardai by alerting them if they noticed travellers congregating anywhere in the county.
He remanded all four on bail for one week, each on his own surety of £1,000 to appear before the court again next Wednesday. The bail was on condition that no contact or threat of harassment be made by any of them to any members of the others' family and that no planned fights take place. "This is totally uncivilised and barbaric behaviour," he said.