GARDAI were called to an Irish Traveller funeral on Thursday only to find that dozens of the mourners had arrived from the UK, in spite of Ireland's current travel restrictions.
They noted that very few of the attendees were wearing face-masks or observing social distancing rules.
Under current lockdown guidelines, a maximum of 10 people can attend funerals, but gardaí reported upwards of 50 people present.
A member of the public had reportedly spotted a number of vehicles with English registrations outside Rathnew Cemetery in Co. Wicklow and contacted the authorities.
When they arrived, gardaí noted that a canopy had been erected, along with a speaker system which was amplifying music throughout the graveyard.
A Garda spokesperson said they had "engaged" with the mourners, but confirmed that no fines were handed out, despite the obvious breach of Covid-19 public health rules.
Speaking to the Irish Daily Mail, Ronnie Fay, director of Pavee Point - a Traveller's rights group - said she wasn't aware of the aforementioned funeral, but acknowledged that a number of similar gatherings had been taking place in recent weeks.
She went on to urge Travellers not to break the rules, saying they were risking "making" another funeral by choosing to attend one illegally.
"Over the past few weeks we've heard of several funerals that were in breach of the Covid-19 guidlines," Ms Fay said.
"People have travelled across the Irish Sea to attend them, which we would, of course, discourage.
"We're now calling on all Travellers to adhere to the public health measures. No one wants to see one funeral being the making of another through the spread of Covid-19.
"People need to think of their families and there are other ways of showing respect to their deceased loved ones."
