A Decade After Carrickmines: A Preventable Crisis Demands Action
Ten years ago on the 10th October, 2015, a fire on a Traveller Halting site in the Republic of Ireland claimed 11 lives, including 5 children and an unborn child. At the time we vowed "never again." Yet, the relentless series of fires on Traveller sites across the UK proves this is an unheeded warning. This is a national scandal, and a fatal tragedy is inevitable without immediate change.
Since July 2024, at least eight significant fires have erupted on sites from Bolton to Hertfordshire. The July 2025 Ver Meadows fire left dozens of families homeless, trapped in temporary hotels with their lives in ashes. This is not bad luck; it is systemic failure.
The causes are clear and unforgivable:
· Inadequate Infrastructure: Sites often have only one access road, blocking fire engines, and insufficient water hydrants, allowing small fires to become infernos.
· Dangerous Overcrowding: A critical shortage of official sites forces families to double up on pitches, creating tinderbox conditions.
· Political Neglect: Councils consistently fail to build adequate sites due to public opposition and prejudice.
Charities like Drive2Survive, Gypsies and Travellers Essex and Friends, Families and Travellers have issued the stark warning: loss of life is "only a matter of time."
We must act now. This is a call to action.
1. Local Authorities: Conduct immediate, mandatory fire safety audits of all authorised sites. Fund and implement urgent infrastructure upgrades—including multiple access points and adequate water mains.
2. National Government: Mandate the provision of new, culturally appropriate Traveller sites in every local authority plan. Link funding to the fulfillment of these legally binding commitments.
3. The Public: Challenge the stigma and NIMBYism that blocks new sites. Support calls for safe, legal places for families to live.
A decade of inaction since Carrickmines is a decade of complicity. We have the knowledge and the means to prevent the next tragedy. What we lack is the political will. Let the memories of those lost in Carrickmines, and the plight of those suffering today, finally be the catalyst for change. Build the sites. Save the lives. The time for excuses is over.
On this day, the 10th October 2025, the tenth anniversary, we remember the victims of the Carrickmines fire 10 years ago: Willie Lynch, Tara Gilbert (who was pregnant) and their daughters Kelsey and Jodie, Jimmy Lynch, Thomas and Sylvia Connors and their children Jim, Christy and Mary – who was just six months old.
May they rest in peace.
By Sherrie Smith co-founder Drive2Survive
(Lead image: Carrickmines halting site entrance after the fire in 2015 – screenshot from RTE News)