JUST one in four people believe Mayo farmer Padraig Nally should have been sent to jail for the manslaughter of traveller John Ward, according to aSunday Tribune/ Millward Brown poll.

When asked whether they believed the jury was right or wrong to acquit Nally, just 25% of respondents said they believed the jury should not have acquitted him, with 65% expressing support for the jury's verdict. Nine per cent expressed no opinion.

Nally was originally found guilty of Ward's manslaughter. The traveller died after being shot on the Mayo farmer's land in October 2004.

His conviction was quashed on appeal and the subsequent retrial cleared him of all wrongdoing. Nally's acquittal sparked claims of prejudice against travellers in the courts and was referred to by Justice Paul Carney as "the most socially divisive" case he had ever tried.

Support for Nally was at its strongest in rural areas and among older age groups. Support was at its highest in Connaught / Ulster, where 76% of respondents believed it was the correct decision. Farmers also showed high levels of support for Nally, with 72% backing the court's decision, while 74% of those in the 50-64 age group believed the jury was right to acquit him.

Lack of support for Nally was highest among the professional urban classes, especially those under 24 with 30% of those living in Dublin believing it was wrong to acquit Nally. Nationwide, support was lowest among younger age groups, with 31% of 18-24 yearolds saying the jury was wrong to acquit. A similar proportion of those in the highest earning category also believed Nally should have been jailed.

25% wrong to acquit
65% right to acquit
10 % don't know