Five to appear in court over feud violence

Five people have been charged with public order offences and are to appear before a sitting of Mullingar District Court on Thursday in connection with the feud related violence that erupted across Mullingar this weekend.On Saturday night, Gardaí arrested one person at a house in Ardleigh Crescent at 11.30pm where a number of youths smashed the glass panels of the front door. The criminal damage continued into Grange Meadows, another house was attacked.On Sunday the violence escalated when, at six o'clock, three men wearing balaclavas and carrying weapons smashed up a house on the Mill Road, as crowds attending a senior football match in Cusack Park looked on.Later on Sunday, a car was badly damaged when at 7.10pm on the Green Bridge, both sides of the feuding families came to blows. It is believed that seven people from one family and three from the other, spilled out onto the street.Seven more arrests were made and five were charged with Public Order offences. Three were released without charge.This particular feud between two traveller families flared up in June, when a car parked outside a house in Grange Crescent was set on fire.The following night, two cars were damaged at a house in Grange Meadows, while a house in Ardilaun Green was attacked and windows smashed.Arrests were made in relation to all of these incidents A spokesperson for the Gardaí at Mullingar said investigations have been ongoing into the feud since June and twelve arrests have been made.