Life in Rathkeale

In reports submitted to Government in recent weeks, including an interagency taskforce report and a report by Mediation Northern Ireland, the town is said to be “dying” and is described as “practically segregated” in relation to the lack of interaction between the settled and Traveller communities. While the town has attracted some negative media focus in recent years, some locals feel this latest report is not a fair representation of what life is like in Rathkeale. In the past week, I visited Rathkeale on several occasions to get a sense of whether or not an "apartheid" type situation exists in the west Limerick town.