Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving me the opportunity to speak about the recent vicious attacks on both tourists and residents in Tipperary town and to condemn the disgraceful behaviour of a small group of thugs who brought shame on themselves on St. Patrick's Day, our national holiday. It was with great horror and disgust that I learned of the vicious attacks that ruined the national day festivities for so many in Tipperary. As an elected Deputy for Tipperary South which includes Tipperary town, I apologise to our American visitors and the local families who were terrorised. The attacks which left an American tourist in a serious condition in hospital as well as other residents injured after they had chosen to celebrate St. Patrick's Day on the streets of the town were despicable. It is a source of great regret that the town has received so much bad publicity since St. Patrick's Day.

It must be stated Tipperary is a beautiful town with a great sense of community spirit which was evident when so many went out to support the St. Patrick's Day parade in the town and so many community organisations and businesses entered floats. The sunshine on the day was gallant and it should have been a tremendous day for all. However, the actions of a few individuals damaged the efforts of those who had taken the time to organise the parade and festivities for everybody else.

I compliment the mayor of Tipperary, Tipperary Town Council and the St. Patrick's Day committee on their hard work in organising such a splendid parade. I was pleased to learn this morning that there was a huge Garda presence in the town area, including the emergency response unit, to address the matter. We must now examine and address the root of the problem. I compliment Superintendent Courtney and his team on their ongoing work in combating crime in Tipperary town but, unfortunately, gardaí cannot work alone and there cannot be a garda on every street corner. Some 99.9% of the citizens of the town are decent and law-abiding, as are the citizens of most towns in the country, although a small few are hell-bent on making life miserable for the rest of the community. I invite the national media to come to examine Tipperary town and try to portray some of the positive attributes of life there.

Far too often, we witness attacks on innocent people simply because they get in the way of some thugs on a bad day. There is nothing in place to allow ordinary individuals to defend themselves. Those responsible for these vicious attacks are more often than not repeat offenders who will not stop until they are behind bars or, worse, they cause somebody's death. They have no respect for others and absolutely no respect for law or order. We must deal with them when apprehended. While they are entitled to due process, to go before the courts and defend their good names, if they are found guilty and are repeat offenders, we should hit them where it hurts. The State should stop funding those found guilty of such heinous offences. They should be doing community service, trying to assist the communities in which they are wreaking havoc. I call on the Ministers for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Finance and Social and Family Affairs to work together to introduce legislation to deal with those who for far too long have been terrorising ordinary law-abiding citizens. I have witnessed at first-hand what such attacks can do to a community. I have experienced the fear that can be caused if a person is confronted by thugs. I know people cannot defend themselves without putting themselves at risk of being persecuted. This is not just a problem in Tipperary town, it has also become a problem in every community throughout the country.

I have great experience with Community Alert, the national organisation which helps the Garda Síochána. Tipperary was the founding location in 1937 of Muintir na Tíre, the national community development organisation which has been based in Canon Hayes House in Tipperary town since. Today, it operates its community development programme, supporting communities and encouraging people to be proactive within their own communities. It has operated the community alert programme since 1985 in partnership with the Garda Síochána. Through its network of community councils, it operates many innovative programmes in local communities. I call on the public to come out and support the community alert groups, get involved in neighbourhood watch, be supportive of the Garda Síochána and together we can tackle these thugs and get them off our streets.

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