Mr Jim Maguire and Ms Angela Maguire say they don't know when or how their troubles are going to end. The couple and their eight children are living in two caravans at Applewood, Swords, Co Dublin. But the developer who owns the land, Mr Gerard Gannon, now wants to build on it.
The High Court yesterday ordered the family to leave. Mr Gannon has agreed to give them six weeks grace. But after that the Maguires say they have nowhere to go. They say they fear being moved on by gardai every time they set down anywhere else.
"You might be a few hours in a place, and the knock will come on the door. The gardai will want you out. Or you might get a few days or a few weeks. But it's always the same story. The kids haven't been to school for months because we never know where we're going to be," said Mr Maguire (49). "I don't want to go to a halting site, not with the kids. There's too many drugs going on and that type of thing." Their youngest child, Catriona, is six months old. Their eldest, Melisa, is 17.
Mr Maguire says he harbours no ill feeling towards Mr Gannon, who has allowed the family to stay at Applewood for seven months. "I don't blame Gannon. I accept it's his land, and it's worth a lot of money, I don't want to be on Gerry Gannon's land. If we got a house in the morning I'd take it."
The couple had an agreement with a landlord last month to rent a house in Swords, for which they were to be paid rent allowance. However, Fingal County Council stamped the word "Travellers" on the rent allowance form, and when the landlord saw it he refused to rent the house.
"It was a different story when the landlord saw that; the key was taken back straight away," said Ms Maguire. "It happens all the time."
She added: "It's an awful lot of pressure for us. We want to be fair with Gerry Gannon; I think he understands our situation. But we've nowhere to go. The council weren't even in court. I'd rather if they had been in court with a few questions fired at them, and let them have to answer."
The family has been on Fingal County Council's housing list for over two years. A spokesperson for the council was not contactable last night.
