Family agrees to leave site of new Palliative Care Centre

A family has given a legal undertaking to vacate an illegal campsite in Castlebar that was interfering with the construction of a new Mayo Roscommon Hospice Palliative Care Centre.
An application was brought by the Health Service Executive (HSE) before last week’s sitting of Castlebar Circuit Civil Court to order Martin and Annie McDonagh, along with their six children to vacate the site, in Castlebar.
Judge Rory McCabe was informed that the family, members of the Travelling Community, had been camped on land owned by the HSE adjacent to St Anthony’s Special School, close to the construction site of the new Mayo Roscommon Hospice Palliative Care Centre.
Ms Sarah Kate Foley, counsel for the HSE, explained that the family had moved onto the site in January and the main difficulty was that the family had camped on an area where the ESB is to put cables underground for the new palliative care centre.
Ms Foley also stated that a health-and-safety risk assessment of the area had been carried out for the site, and it was considered to be high risk. She said the family was trespassing and she asked Judge McCabe to issue an order to have family along with the vehicles and belongings vacated from the site.
The court heard that the family had moved from England and they needed time to arrange for a place to live.
Judge McCabe said they had no right to be there but was giving them two days to arrange their affairs.
At Friday’s sitting, Ms Foley informed the court that the family had agreed to vacate the site by May 8, and that this was acceptable by the HSE. Ms McDonagh told Judge McCabe that her child was making her First Holy Communion on May 6, and she gave an undertaking to leave by May 8.
The matter was put back to the sittings of Westport Circuit Civil Court on May 12 to ensure compliance.