New fines for non-essential travel across the Northern Ireland border came into effect today - but some locals in the border area of Lifford / Strabane say it's not going to stop their daily crossings.
The rules now apply to anyone who isn't 'ordinarily resident' in the Republic, including people living in the North.
It means anyone crossing without a reasonable excuse will face a €100 fine.
Those who refuse to pay could find themselves before a court, facing a larger fine or possible imprisonment.
However, some locals told The Pat Kenny Show's Barry Whyte the new fines are not going to deter them.
One man said: “I live in Northern Ireland, but my family are all in Lifford. To visit my children I have to cross the border. If my children have any problems and need their father to help them out… what do I do?
“I could cross maybe two or three times a day… I have to depend on the discretion of the gardaí that I meet.
“It won't put me off. I’ll still come across… but I don’t know if I’ll pay a fine or not. I'll take the consequences of it, because I don't think we should be fined for that."
"I wouldn’t pay it."
Another man explained that he's from Strabane, but living in Lifford.
He says he crosses the border at least ‘three, four, five’ times a day.
He said: "I've still got family in Strabane - notably two elderly parents, that sometimes need transport.
"There are some items for my children are only available in Asda, for example.
“I’ll still be doing it - fines won’t put me off.”
Garda stance
An Garda Síochana says the new rules are mainly designed around avoiding non-essential travel and the likes of house parties.
Brendan O’Connor, vice-president of the Garda Representative Association (GRA), said the legislation was needed.
He said: “I think there’s certainly a little more clarity around the situation.
“People who were coming as day-trippers, the legislation didn’t apply. That did present significant difficulties for some members in some locations.
“We didn’t have that enforcement element… it is there now. Hopefully when we engage and try to encourage people… the fact that enforcement is there in the background is an extra assistance to our members."
He stressed that this isn't a case of gardaí closing the border, but instead just finally reaching the point where the national strategy of restricting unnecessary travel applies to everyone.
He said there was a 'relatively isolated' problem that needed to be addressed, and officers now have 'enforcement in our back pocket' if they need it."
