“We have waited too long; we desperately need the department to fund this,” says Shay L’Estrange, coordinator with Ballyfermot Traveller Action Project.
A Dublin City Council log of maintenance requests shows older complaints of a damp fuse box, a sizzling socket and, more recently, of water leaks into the electrics.
Elsewhere, there are movements towards creating respite from noise pollution in urban centres. But there’s little research done in Dublin, says Sibéal Devilly.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said they rely on post because of “security reasons and in some instances to comply with statutory provisions”.
From 2019 to 2022, people who ran HGV registration plates through the council’s permit-checker app threw up 1,013 verified infringements and 277 permits.
If the council can find land for deals with private developers, “why can’t it be found for Traveller homes?” asks Shay L’Estrange of the Ballyfermot Travellers Action Project.
“It’s a great business to do, but it just financially isn’t rewarding,” says Zoe Poynter, who ran the play café, Little Monkeys in Killester for four years, before closing down in 2017.
