Picture: Keith Wiseman
WHEN former Mayor Kevin Sheahan claimed that an Irish person living in Ireland couldn’t be part of an ethnic group unless they came from another country, he clearly hadn’t considered the ethnicity of American Indians, Aborigines or the Māori people.
That’s the view of William Harty from the Traveller community in Askeaton who contacted the Limerick Post this week to correct an error in a recent statement by Councillor Sheahan.
The Fianna Fail politician had claimed at a council meeting last month that an Irish person living in Ireland couldn’t be part of an ethnic group unless they first came here from another country.
“An Irishman living in Ireland cannot be part of a separate ethnic group,” Cllr Sheahan insisted.
Mr Harty (59), who has lived in Askeaton all his life, believes that statements such as these have no place in modern day Irish politics and described Cllr Sheahan’s words as “discrimination of the highest manner”.
“To say that the Traveller community is not an ethnic group is not only inaccurate, it is untrue. I don’t know where Cllr Sheahan learned his lessons, but such negative comments only drive a wedge between the settled and travelling community in Askeaton,” said Mr Harty.
“We need to be working together in positivity and not working to divide the community. I love Askeaton. My family has been here for generations.
Cllr Sheahan has never made a secret of the fact that he despises travellers. For a man in public office to say such things is very wrong. What we need is someone with a positive way of thinking. It’s time he considered going out to pasture.”
At this month’s Adare-Rathkeale municipal district meeting, Cllr Sheahan called on the local authority to introduce a programme to help deal with criminality in Askeaton and claimed there was a section of the local community who never worked a day in their lives.
However, Mr Harty pointed out that members of the Traveller community in Askeaton are currently engaged in training courses and gainful employment.
“Unemployment and antisocial behaviour are issues in our community just the same as they are in every walk of life. But to say people haven’t worked a day in their lives is untrue. At the minute we have two qualified fitness instructors, a qualified boxing coach and six fully qualified private healthcare workers,” he explained.
“There is a lot of good people in Askeaton working for the betterment of the town and I have worked myself with the young people locally to try and get more courses up and running. There is no place for Cllr Sheahan’s type of negativity and discrimination in modern Irish life. He should really seriously consider his place in public office.”
