The Workplace Relations Commission found that Geraldine Ward was discriminated against because she is a member of the Traveller Community and awarded her €2,500 compensation. The case concerned her denied access to pre-booked accommodation at Auld Triangel B & B.
The decision was dated 7 August 2019. Ward said she and her sister arrived for their Booking.com booking on 20 February 2018, but the entrances were locked. She said the B&B operator did not let them in after a phone call, and they had to find other accommodation.
Michelle Kelly did not attend the hearing or submit a response. An ES.2 form attributed the closure to an alleged Garda instruction. A letter from the Garda superintendent’s office said no instruction had been issued to close public houses on 20 or 21 February 2018. The adjudication officer found that Ward had been denied access because of her Traveller identity.