A traveller woman attacked by members of her own community said yesterday it was no wonder a councillor had made controversial statements recently condemning the actions of travellers and calling for their movements to be monitored.
Mrs Margaret Sweeney was beaten "black and blue " with sticks, and tufts of hair were pulled from her head by at least four youths outside her home at Hillside Park in Galway, yesterday morning.
Windows of her home and the family pick-up truck were also smashed.
She believes the youths, who were wielding knives, attacked her because her husband had been asked to referee a fight in an ongoing feud between two traveller factions in the city.
Afterwards, she said it was time travellers got their act together and proved to the settled community that they could live together in harmony.
"It is no wonder that councillor in Charlestown made the statements he did. He probably has seen this going on himself," she said.
Last month Mr John Flannery was condemned as racist and threatened with expulsion from the Fine Gael party after he said travellers should be made to work on FAS schemes instead of lying around sunning themselves like pedigree dogs.
He also suggested that microchips be used to monitor their movements and to ensure they were "locatable " at all times.
Mrs Sweeney continued: "How can you not think about travelling people as bad people when a group of men get together and beat up a defenceless woman like me?"
Extra gardai had been drafted into Galway city at the weekend to ensure no disturbances took place between rival traveller clans.
Last night they were investigating Mrs Sweeney's complaint.
Mrs Sweeney, who was a candidate in the 1987 general election, has been outspoken on traveller issues and is a member of the Galway Traveller Support Group.
Her husband fled when he saw the youths approach with knives and she believes they would have killed him if they had got their hands on him.
"We are all in the travelling community, and it's time we got our act together and proved to the rest of the community that we can live together in harmony."