Members of the Mayo Travellers Support Group (MTSG) and Mayo Anti-Poverty and Social Inclusion Forum (MASIF) took to the streets of a rain-soaked Westport yesterday to distribute information leaflets on the Equal Status Act 2000.
Hundreds of members of the public also signed a petition which stated: "We, the undersigned, believe that everyone is equal under the law.
"We reject discrimination and call on the Westport Branch of the Vintners' Federation of Ireland (VFI) to rescind their blanket ban on Travellers.
"We support the publicans' right to refuse to serve anybody, regardless of ethnic identity, who causes trouble, or threatens to cause trouble.
"We acknowledge that the Equal Status Act does nothing to undermine this right, but only to outlaw discrimination."
Mr John Mulloy, a spokesman from MASIF, said: "We are delighted with the positive response we have received. Even though the town is packed with tourists, it was mainly local people who signed the petition."
A local Fine Gael councillor and former senator, Mr Patrick Durcan, declined to sign.
"I don't believe in the efficacy of petitions," he said. "If people misbehave it is a matter for the gardaí and the courts.
"The issues that have arisen from this ban on Travellers are extremely complicated, and it is much more useful for me to address these matters in the proper fora, and I intend to do that."
Mr Durcan, a solicitor, referred to his long record of taking positions that did not concur with the status quo in the town. He emphasised that poverty and social exclusion were still causing major problems in Irish society.
Ms Bernadette Comiskey, of the MTSG, said she believed there was still a lot of work to be done to counteract discrimination.
"The publicans received us politely today because there were cameras," she said.
Ms Comiskey, in the company of another Traveller, had also delivered information leaflets to several pubs.
They were followed by a camera from TG4.