The Irish Travellers Movement (ITA) this afternoon described as unfortunate and inflammatory comments made by the Mayor of Dungarvan calling on the army to police travellers movements in the future.
Fianna Fail Councillor, Ms Nuala Ryan said travellers who moved over 30 caravans, vans and cars into a town centre beauty spot over the weekend had behaved like "animals".
She called on the Minister for Justice to allow the army to be called in as "reinforcements", in similar "invasions", in the future to help forcibly remove them.
A spokesman from the ITA, Mr Davy Joyce, said he was disappointed at the "very negative" tone of the comments made by Cllr Ryan.
It is "typical" of local politicians to "fob off" the responsibilities they have to other organisations, he said, "local authorities have an obligation to make provision for such families" and in this case they hadn't done so.
Cllr Ryan "should know better", he added.
The travellers who prompted the Mayor's outburst left Dungarvan on Monday. Ms Ryan admitted the town does not have a transient halting site.
"They [the travellers] know that if there is no such place they can park where they want," she said.