The chief executive of the Vintners Federation of Ireland has said he will support a Co Limerick publican who says she will refuse to serve Travellers in the future.
Mr Tadg O'Sullivan said the decision of Mrs Pauline Hayes, owner of Hayes' Bar in Kilfinane, to no longer serve members of the Travelling community was "a perfectly natural reaction" after an alleged assault on her in the bar on Saturday evening.
Ms Hayes suffered a fractured cheekbone and nose, bad cuts and bruises to her face and damaged ribs after the alleged assault by a 20-year-old woman.
Mr Martin Collins of the Travellers' rights group, Pavee Point, greeted the decision with "dismay".
"It is totally unjustified and nothing short of racism," he said. "If it is proven that this woman who carried out the assault is a member of the Travelling community, then of course she needs to be dealt with. But to penalise a whole community is unacceptable."
The incident is said to have happened in the bar's toilets at about 7 p.m. after Mrs Hayes asked the woman to escort her father from the premises. Mrs Hayes said the father had had four pints of stout and the daughter had had three cans of cider before the trouble began.
She said the man asked the barman, Mr Alan O'Brien, to turn off the jukebox in the adjoining lounge. "It was not in the bar and was not by any means loud. Alan told him that the customers in there had put in their money and wanted to hear the music". She added: "The traveller then took off his shirt and threatened to fight the barman when he ordered them to leave, and when they refused he called me from upstairs.
"I told him to leave the premises or I would call the gardai. I gave them the warning several times. With that the daughter moved out to the hallway leading to the private part of the house and the toilet. I foolishly followed her as she went into the toilet and she pushed me all the way into the doorway and caught me by the throat and started punching me."
Mrs Hayes said she was screaming for her husband, but he did not know where she was. Some customers in the men's toilet heard her and "came in and pulled her off me".
Mr Stephen Hayes, her husband, said his wife was still very sore after two visits to the hospital and was suffering from severe headaches. He said they had previously served this Travelling family, who lived 10 miles away, and they were well known to them.
Mr and Mrs Hayes have owned the bar for almost three years.
"By far the majority of Travellers" would condemn the assault on Mrs Hayes, said Mr Collins. However, the settled community had a negative perception of his community in general, he said.
"If they have one bad experience with Travellers they blame a whole community. In some instances some Travellers do cause trouble, but people have to realise we are not a homogeneous community. There are 25,000 Travellers in Ireland, and to victimise all for the actions of just a few is not on."
However, Mr O'Sullivan said he was very angry. "We've forgotten who are the real victims here. Members of the settled community are being discriminated against and intimidated."
An Equal Status Bill before the Oireachtas would make it illegal to refuse service to someone on the grounds of race or ethnic identity. A spokesman for the Department of Justice said it should be enacted by the end of the year.
Mr O'Sullivan said he was "always hearing about trouble [his] members had had with members of the Travelling community" and he would stand by any member of his association who felt they needed to bar someone when their life was threatened.
He said the majority of rural publicans lived as well as did business on their premises. "All vintners must have the right to decide who comes into their homes."
Gardai at Bruff and Mitchelstown say they are investigating Saturday night's incident. They expect to prepare a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions.