A Traveller Funeral in Tralee required the presence of 17 armed Gardai and detectives to prevent violent clashes between feuding families.
A small number of Gardai were managing a threat posed by the long-running history between two families as Margaret O’Driscoll was lying in repose after losing a battle with illness earlier in the week.
However, when a large group arrived from Cork for the funeral, gardaí immediately called for back-up.
A senior garda source said that “assistance was called after a large group arrived who were not there to offer condolences to the dead woman’s family”.
Apart from some verbal abuse and threats, the funeral passed off without incident on Tuesday evening.
Gardaí were present again at the Funeral Mass at St Brendan’s Church on Wednesday morning, and at Aghadoe Cemetery in Killarney.
