On Friday 17 January, a Killarney District Court Judge made an order against a licensed premises in favour of two Traveller women. Linda Mongan and Margaret Rose O Neill had been refused entry to a February 2013 fundraising event at McSorley’s in Killarney, in aid of a depression support organisation (Aware). The women had wanted to attend the event because they had both been widowed by suicide. Although McSorley’s initially contested the case, after evidence was heard in court they admitted that their staff had discriminated against the women. The Irish Traveller Movement Independent Law Centre represented both women.
Ms Mongan and Ms O’Neill had bought tickets for the event in advance, but they were refused entry by the door man. He told them that no charity event was taking place, even though they saw many people entering the venue for the event.
Susan Fay, Managing Solicitor of the Irish Traveller Movement Independent Law Centre, says: "Approximately half of all enquiries to the Irish Traveller Movement Independent Law Centre relate to discrimination against Travellers and a significant portion of them relate to accessing licensed premises. The introduction of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003 presented significantly greater obstacles for litigants taking cases as it transferred cases of discrimination complaints under the nine grounds protected in the Equal Status Acts (as amended) where the discrimination took place on, or at the point of entry to, the licensed premises, from the Equality Tribunal to the District Court. As such, technical court procedures and the fact that unlike the Equality Tribunal, the District Court is held in public and costs orders can be made if a claimant is unsuccessful, often dissuades litigants from taking and continuing actions.”
Click here to read an Irish Traveller Movement Independent Law Centre press release about the case.