Galway Bay fm newsroom - A traveller woman has been awarded 5 thousand euro in a discrimination case against two Loughrea accommodation providers.
Geraldine Ward travelled from Dublin to Galway for a funeral in Loughrea in February last year but was denied access to accommodation.
Geraldine Ward's sister had confirmed bookings for the Auld Triangle B&B and the Meadow Court Hotel in Loughrea through a third party booking website.
She told the discrimination hearing that when they arrived at the B&B, it was locked and when they called the owner, he said he would be down in a few minutes to let them in but over an hour passed and he did not arrive.
According to today's Irish Times, the hearing was told that subsequent calls to the B&B owner went unanswered.
Later Geraldine Ward arrived at the Meadow Court Hotel on February 20th last year after attending her uncle's removal, where she was informed that there had been a mistake and the hotel was full.
In a letter to the WRC, the B&B owner said all publicans in the town were ordered by gardaí to close their premises on the day in question.
However, the Superintendent's Office at Loughrea garda station issued a written response that no such direction was given.
WRC adjudication officer Ray Flaherty found that Geraldine Ward was denied access to accommodation on the basis that she is a member of the traveller community.
Both the B&B and hotel were ordered to pay her 2 thousand 500 euro each.
