GAA chiefs to meet over rally for Traveller-killer
Mayo GAA chiefs meet tonight to decide if they will back a national rally for Padraig Nally, who was jailed for six years last week for manslaughter of a Traveller.
The south Mayo bachelor farmer, 61 shot John ’Frog’ Ward twice and beat him 20 times with a stick when he found him trespassing in his farmyard in October 2004.
He reloaded his shotgun to fire the second shot, which hit Ward in the back as the tried to run away.
Mayo GAA County Board is meeting tonight to decide if they will support a rally in Athlone on Sunday organised by the Padraig Nally Support Group.
Board secretary Sean Feeney insisted today that it was an anti-criminal issue rather than an anti-Traveller campaign.
“It is an issue which has affected members of the county board. We are a sporting organisation but we are a political organisation as well.
“The main issue here is the right of a person to defend one’s property. It’s not a question of the GAA versus the Travellers.
Mr Feeney said that ’feelings are running high’ in Co Mayo over the imprisonment of Mr Nally.
He said the GAA pitch in Castlebar has been occupied by Travellers for the past four weeks.
“We have failed to remove them. That is going to inflame passions. Their horses are on our training pitch,” he said.
He denied that the GAA would be seen as an anti-Traveller organisation.
“We have law-abiding Travellers in society
“We have a lot of Travellers who come to our matches and are very supportive and very law-abiding and I wouldn’t like to see this as an anti-Traveller issue.
“It’s an anti-criminal issue.”
The six-year sentence imposed by Justice Paul Carney in the Central Criminal Court sparked outrage from Mr Ward’s family and Traveller advocacy groups.
Mr Ward’s wife, Marie, said their 11 children were now without a father and said Mr Nally should have received a life sentence.
IFA regional vice-president and presidential candidate Raymond O’Malley has also come out in support of Mr Nally.
