THE bloody, chaotic scenes from the Smithfield Horse Fair reminded me of something from the streets of Tripoli.

Men, woman and children running for their lives, with gunshots ringing in the air and brutal machete attacks taking place.

The scenes were reminiscent of 24-hour rolling news reports from the Middle East, or west Africa, not a so-called civilised, first-world country.

Intimidation

It has since emerged that the unprovoked attacks were allegedly linked to a feud between Traveller families that started with a bare-knuckle fight in Waterford three years ago, which has led to attacks, intimidation and even murder since then.

Two innocent bystanders were shot with an improvised shotgun and a third man, an innocent young boxer, almost had his arm cut off in a machete attack.

In the midst of this chaos many people, including young children, were caught up in a stampede as people ran for their lives and horses panicked.

Unfortunate residents who have their community hijacked by this event are made prisoners in their own homes.

The events require nine times the policing resources of a non-fair event of a similar size.

Therefore, I completely agree with Lord Mayor Gerry Breen that this fair cannot continue in its current format. If a new, safe venue cannot be found this event needs to be ended.

But there's a subtext to all this. Let's call a spade a spade here.

The persistent lawlessness and criminality that occurs at this event is directly attributed to a culture of violent blood feuding within the Traveller community.

It's not PC to say it, but that doesn't mean it's not true.

In the past, members of the Travelling community were ostracised and shamefully put on the margins of Irish society. Their mortality rates were very high, they lived in poverty.

But that has changed. Resources are available to Traveller families, the same as any settled family. The old nomadic tradition has gone.

Responsibilities

They have been provided with full rights -- to which they are fully entitled -- by our society. Such rights do not come free, to Travellers or to settled people. They come with responsibilities.

Many Travellers who attend Smithfield Horse Fair and who bleat about "tradition" and "rights" clearly have no interest in these responsibilities.

I'm reminded of the idiotic and risible Citizen Traveller campaign, which ran for a number of years in the Noughties. Like those who advocate for different rules at the Smithfield Horse Fair, this was a craven cave-in to demands by Travellers to be recognised as a separate ethnic minority.

Nonsense.

Travellers are no more an ethnic minority than I am. They are Irish as can be. They speak the same language, attend the same schools, churches, drive on the same roads, shop in the same stores and enjoy the same rights and protections.

It is time that the Traveller community in general took responsibility for the actions of their peers. Sunday's violence took place in front of hundreds of other Travellers. Where are the hundreds of witnesses?

The unruly element in Traveller society, who have contempt for the law of the land and for each other, must be brought within it.

We have pandered to these thugs and their so-called 'traditions' for too long.

Sorry your majesty, but Bieber rules

THERE'S been a lot of talk about the queen's visit and how much it's going to cost to police it.

But rest assured the crowds that turn out, and the headache for gardai, will be nothing like the scenes on Grafton Street this week.

In my time we had Beatlemania, when hundreds of teenagers crammed the streets round the Adelphi cinema for the Fab Four.

This time it's the turn of a 17-year-old from Canada, Justin Bieber -- with Bieber fever hitting the capital this week.

When rumours got round that he was seen near Grafton Street, swarms of teenage girls descended like locusts on shops in the hunt for their idol.

Gardai were stretched to contain the hormonal throng.

If Liz generates half the excitement, I'll be very, very surprised.

Put an Enda to Brian and Bertie era of venal junketeering

IT'S that time of year again, when our fine representatives celebrate our national holiday by getting as far away from the country as they possibly can.

For 13 years, through the crony governments of Ahern and Cowen, we've had ministers outdoing themselves with more and more expensive trips, to further and further flung places. Junket John O'Donoghue enjoyed Houston, New Orleans and Washington DC while Mary Harney went long haul to New Zealand.

Enda Kenny has made a grand pledge that his Government's first 100 days will be spent working round the clock on saving our country. There is now an opportunity for Kenny, Gilmore and their newly elevated pals to draw a line under the past. Will they walk the walk?

We do not need the example of elected fatcats, on six figure salaries, business class travel, five star hotels and gourmet meals, all "in honour" of St Patrick, while back home the people are suffering. Kenny should take the lead this year and instruct his ministers to remain here, on duty.

I am willing to accept the traditional invitation to the White House, which is of genuine historic and economic significance. Enda Kenny himself needs to be in Washington, but that is it.

We are in austere times, we must behave austerely.

These venal trips need to be banished.

- Gerry O'Carroll