By Miriam Kerins Gardaí have commenced what is their third phase of Operation Faoiseamh, an initiative which seeks to protect those affected by domestic violence; insisting the vulnerable will receive the “highest priority response” from the force. Under this new phase, Gardaí will be reaching out to those who sought help in the past and…
Vox Pop Submitted by John Madden Challenging times call for creative solutions, and while we’re all aware that the schools are shut and are very limited in what they can do effectively, youth work across Ireland is also having to adapt. There’s a saying out there, “youth work works” and it does. It has made vast differences in so…
Submitted by John Madden In the midst of all the Covid-19 news, we saw a changing of the guard in Seanad Eireann. Over the month of March, the elections took place for 49 of the seats for the upper house of the Irish Government, and with elections comes the time to say goodbye to some…
Autism: Your child received a diagnosis…don’t despair! By Rosemarie Maughan When you finally get the diagnosis your child is autistic don’t despair; being autistic is not a tragedy, but a neurological difference which is to be understood and embraced. It’s going to be ok. The best thing you can do now for your child is…
Owen Ward, the first Traveller to be elected to NUI Galway’s Governing Body gives us all a lesson in unflinching determination! By Miriam Kerins Owen Ward is a proud Irish Traveller man who left school at the age of 16 without having the benefit of either a Junior or a Leaving Certificate. However, rather than…
By Rosaleen McDonagh Culture, gender, history, tradition; identity, sexism, ableism, homophobia and racism are all complex issues, and conversations need to be had around them; particularly when dealing with a world pandemic. Jurisdictions, the denigration and disregard for certain members of society in the context of public health care and access to health information…
UK has BREXited – What does this mean for Irish Travellers? By Davie Donaldson The UK has officially BREXited the European Union – but what does this mean for Irish Travellers? The news has been difficult to follow, vague and, (as usual) not representative of the Traveller perspective. So, here’s my…
Seeks Young Traveller Voices By John Madden SpunOut.ie is a national charitable organisation providing information for young people across Ireland and beyond. Its popularity has grown significantly over the last number of years, often being a case of trying to meet the growing demand for an ever-inquisitive younger generation. One gap that lay within SpunOut.ie…
By Rose Marie Maughan I am a Traveller woman from Ballinrobe, County Mayo. Like many Traveller women, I became a human rights activist in 2004 after having enough of both external and internal oppression as a Traveller woman. I have been blessed to work within the Irish Traveller Movement ever since in various different positions.…
Minnie Connors: The Story of one Woman’s Crusade to Secure Mental Health Supports for her Community. By Miriam Kerins When a beloved family member dies by suicide, the people affected most dramatically are those closest to them. And, if a certain family member has daily interaction with the deceased, then they will very often feel…
By John Madden On Friday 17th November, 12 young Travellers from across Galway took on the roles of museum guides in the Galway City Museum as part of Takeover Day 2017. It was the second year that the museum was involved in this unique initiative but it was the first year that it involved a…
By David Jo Murphy. Leanne McDonagh is a name that will be familiar to many of our readers. She was the breakaway success on the RTE TV series Norah’s Traveller Academy where she launched her fledgeling art career. Since completing the RTE series Leanne has built upon her existing body of artwork to expand…
By John Madden Across the country there are several horse projects in operation. One such project is the Offaly Traveller Movement (OTM). The project began as a six-month pilot scheme and after a successful trial run; it was decided to continue it and to roll out a separate one in Laois. These began in 2011…
The number of reported cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) in Ireland has continued to increase in the past three weeks. People in high-risk groups are urged to get vaccinated against influenza. Influenza is expected to increase over the coming weeks and to circulate for at least the next 4 to 6 weeks. Seasonal flu Seasonal…
Recognising the Problem Introduction by John Madden While we are more and more aware of the mental health issues facing the Traveller Community, we can share information from key organisations from across the country. This can be effective to some degree, but often it is the case that people relate more to a person’s lived…
By David Jo Murphy. Irish society is becoming more varied and culturally diverse with each passing generation and our schools are at the forefront of these changes. Whilst there is excellent work taking place in schools to ensure that they are inclusive places I still regularly hear terrible accounts from Travellers about the…
By Noelle Mann For the Irish Traveller community, the morning of Saturday, the 10th October 2015 will be forever associated with the tragic fire at a halting site in Carrickmines which took the lives of ten family members and an unborn child. Thomas Connors, 27, his wife Sylvia, 30, and their children Jim, five, Christy,…
By Noelle Mann Growing up and accepting yourself and your identity is tough for everyone. Belonging to an ethnic minority group can make things even more complicated, and many Irish Travellers and Roma struggle to find their place in Irish society. If you also add in the issue of sexuality or feeling that your…
By John Madden and Noelle Mann During the week of the 9th to 16th October, Arthritis Ireland ran an awareness campaign to create a great understanding of the hugely common condition that affects so many people across the island of Ireland and beyond. For many, Arthritis can be a massive setback in life and can…
Tracie Joyce and John Madden catch up with him on the Travellers’ Voice cover photo shoot Twenty years ago, if we had said to you that there’ll be an entertainment show where you’ll get to watch regular every-day people live in a house for several weeks, you probably would have said “sure, why would…
By Tracie Joyce Wouldn’t it be great if we lived in a world where every woman and child could look forward to living a life free from abuse? As we enter 2017, sadly, studying the shocking statistics, that situation doesn’t look set to be a reality any time soon as it appears domestic…
When offered a place in a Masters in Community Music at the Irish World Academy, Limerick, last August, I was presented with the opportunity of discovering new musical genres, people and cultures. I set a goal at the start of my year’s study to open my mind as much as possible to the many music…
Travellers’ Voice Magazine, in collaboration with Involve Ltd. have recently completed a project promoting the importance of Third level education in the Traveller community. Degrees Ahead: Another Level is a poster highlighting 8 members of the Travelling community with various educational qualifications ranging from a Bachelor of Law Degree to Degrees in Business and Accounting and Community &…
Travellers’ Voice always encourages readers to share their stories with others. We also encourage them to make sure their voices are heard and show others what makes them great in their own unique way. In this article, we tell the story of a young Traveller girl who hopes to make her future a very successful…
Does Self-Medication Equal Self Destruction? We take a look at the balance between self-help and self-harm and ask the question – When does the substance become the presence in one’s life? By John Madden Let’s be frank, substance abuse is widespread) and there does not seem to be any end in sight. We turn on…
This article is taken from our archives and was published in The Voice of the Traveller Magazine (Now known as Voice of the Traveller Magazine) by David Lynch. The fatal shootings of two British soldiers and a PSNI officer by ‘dissident’ republicans in 2011 fired the North back into the headlines. Over 3,000 people lost…
Have you ever wondered where the term ‘sulky’ comes from? Supposedly it comes from the fact that the sulky cart only has one seat so the driver prefers to sit on his own! Sulky racing is a popular sport in many countries around the world, in Norway and Finland it is as popular as greyhound…
The Criminal Justice (Aggravation by Prejudice) Bill 2016 aims to make offences committed with prejudice relating to the race, colour or ethnic origin, a disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity to be illegal. The Bill to be put to the floor while extremely important has omitted Travellers. Several opposition TDs have already made their grievances…
Currently, we are seeing a momentous shift in our own approaches and attitudes to mental health. It’s everywhere, which of course is a hugely positive step in the right direction for Irish society. The last few years have seen a wide range of celebrities opening up about their own stories around their personal struggles and…
Resilience can be described as the person’s capacity to overcome adversity or how well somebody can ‘bounce back’ from some form of knock, be it a traumatic event like the loss of a loved one or even a pet. The experience of loss can shape us as we grow as individual people, take for example…
What we know so far: The Budget will allow for 1000 new nurse positions, 800 Gardai and an extra 10 Million for Homecare costs and grants. In terms of Social Welfare: We are looking at an 85% restoration of the Christmas bonus. The One Parent Family Payment: If you are in receipt of this the…
Miriam Kerins chats with BT Young Scientist entrant Ian McDonagh who shows us just what young Traveller teens are capable of achieving when given a chance. If you’re the parent of a teenager, you may often find yourself on the receiving end of endless eye rolls, slammed doors, disagreements and major attitudes; much as I…
By David Lynch Author and photojournalist Noel Mullins has written a history of horse fairs and trading in Ireland. His fascination began in the 1950s as a young Loughrea boy. Every year he watched Travellers with colourful horses and ponies walk past his house as they headed for the Ballinasloe Horse Fair. David Lynch met…
By Noelle Mann In a previous issue of Travellers’ Voice, we featured Muló, a new short film set in London, which explores some of the issues affecting Roma communities in the UK and beyond. Muló is currently in post-production and will be completed later this year. Bobi Rostas, who plays the leading role of Nicu,…
Old religious traditions like the ‘Travelling Mary’ are kept alive across the country. While new ones such as a multi-cultural mass at Christmas are growing from strength to strength. Here Ellen McDonagh writes about Christmas traditions among Travellers in her own Co. Meath community. Christmas is a very special time for the majority of Travellers.…
Mincéirs Whiden is a Traveller only organisation with over 800 members spread throughout Ireland both north and south of the border. Mincéirs Whiden, Cant for Travellers Talking was set up as safe space where Travellers can come together to talk about issues affecting our community and create ways as a community to deal with these…
By David Lynch From the blistering heat of Iraq during the Great War, to border duty at the height of the Troubles, Irish Travellers have a long, proud history of military service. Tales have passed down within families but among the wider community little is known about this tradition. David Lynch talks to Travellers about…
By David Lynch Christmas is a time of faith and family for Travellers. Thousands of Irish Travellers live in Britain and many will return for the festive season. David Lynch spoke to Martin Moloney-Naughton, ex Irish Traveller Co-ordinator for the North of England. For many Travellers the Irish Sea is not an important barrier. Family…
By Julieanne Doorley & David Lynch Fr. Paddy, tell us a little about your background? I was born in Limerick city in October 1944. I’ve two sisters, one of whom is a nun in Limerick and the other is married and living in Dublin. My mother was a Limerick woman and, my father was from…
