Four Travellers who were refused a drink in a Co Laois pub have been awarded €300 each by the Equality Tribunal.
The four, Michael and Ann Connors and James and Ann Cash were turned away from The Spa Inn, in Portarlington, on April 25th, 2002 when they tried to toast a family celebration.
They believed they were discriminated against on the grounds of their membership of the Traveller community and alleged that the treatment they received was contrary to the Equal Status Act, 2000 in not being provided with a service which is generally available to the public.
The complainants told the Equality Tribunal that Mr Connors had gone into the pub first and was refused when he ordered for himself and his wife and then Mr Cash was refused than when he arrived at the pub just a few minutes later and attempted to order.
They said the only explanation they could come up with for the refusal was that they were Travellers.
The respondent, Michael Ryan, said that the Spa Inn was no longer in his ownership as he had lost the business. He told the hearing he had not been working in the pub on the evening complained of by the four complainants but his bar manager was on duty and had informed him of what had happened.
Denying the business was operated in a discriminatory manner, Mr Ryan said the barman refused the complainants because Mr Cash had been barred by the same barman previously when he was involved in a dispute with a customer.
This was the only reason the group was refused.
Awarding €300 to each of the complainants, equality officer Mary O'Callaghan concluded that on the balance of probabilities the complainants were recognised as a Travellers by the barman and found that the complainants were subjected to a discriminatory refusal.