ANNUAL FAIR:PUBS AND shops are to close and protective screens have been erected as Travellers from all over Ireland arrive for an annual street fair.
Residents of Borris, Co Carlow, say they "cannot handle the pressure" put on the town every year during the fair, which attracts up to 3,000 visitors.
Deputy leader of the Green Party and local TD Mary White said she hoped this year would not see a repeat of the "rubbish mountains" left on the streets in previous years. "Residents in the town accept that the fair can take place but the visitors must adhere to litter, parking and trading laws."
The 400-year-old fair, which takes place on August 15th every year, attracts many traders. There is horse-trading on the streets.
Hotelier James Coady of the Step House Hotel said the fair "makes a mess of the town every year and shouldn't be allowed to continue".
Pavee Point, the national representative body of Travellers, said the decision by businesses to shut reflected "the underlying prejudice and a discriminating attitude towards Travellers".
"There is an assumption that Travellers will misbehave or wreck the place, which sends a very bad message to a wider society," said Martin Collins, community worker with Pavee Point.