Illegal halting site poses danger to local tourism

A large group of Travellers who set up camp beside a Connemara lake every summer are threatening the local angling industry, it has been claimed.

The encampment on Seanafestin Road in Casla involves twelve caravans where the land on either side is commonage. Two others have settled on a concrete area owned by Galway County Council at Rosaveal, the port from where thousands of tourists use ferries to the Aran Islands.

There are an estimated 50 adults and children currently living there without sanitation or running water.

Manager of the Costello and Fermoyle Fishery, Brian Curran, said their presence is a health hazard and is damaging angling tourism.

“The fishery is next to them. They use the river as a swimming pool. The women wash their clothes in the water. On the boreen leading to the fishery they have left rubbish and use it as a toilet. On another boreen yesterday I saw a plastic bag full of dirty nappies,” he fumed.

“At least 20 people including myself did a big clean-up of the roads around here in April and the place was looking good. Now it’s just filthy.”

He said anglers who pay to fish on the local lakes were unimpressed by the visitors.

“it’s very unhygienic, particularly in this warm weather to have people here camped without sanitation. I understand this is something which happens every year but nothing is ever done about it.”

He believes Galway County Council should force the owners of the commonage to erect fences or face fines. A local Garda informed him that an eviction notice had been served on the families who are using their ground but they usually leave before the deadline expires.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app

The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and  county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and  information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.