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Home » News » Singer Songwriter Wins Older Traveller Artist Award
Age & Opportunity, in association with Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre, is proud to announce Jerry O’Connor as the inaugural recipient of the Award for an Artist from a Traveller Heritage .
The award aims to highlight the often-undervalued contribution of contemporary Traveller culture, particularly within mainstream Irish society and to recognise and support the everyday creativity of older artists and makers within the Traveller community.
2025 recipient Jerry O’Connor is a musician, songwriter, and poet from New Ross, County Wexford. He began writing songs and poetry at 14 and started playing guitar at 20 to bring his lyrics to life.
Over the past 35 years, he has recorded a wide range of original material, blending traditional influences with personal storytelling. Rooted in his Traveller heritage, Jerry’s work reflects a lifelong journey of creativity, identity, and self-discovery.
On receiving the award, he said:
“I feel both honoured and inspired to be the recipient of such a gracious award. It has left me feeling very pleasantly overwhelmed and deeply encouraged.”
Dr. Tara Byrne, Arts Programme Manager at Age & Opportunity commented: “Traveller culture is a vibrant and vital part of Ireland’s cultural heritage, yet it often doesn’t receive the mainstream recognition it deserves. Through this award, we aim to highlight the invaluable contributions of older artists and creatives from the Traveller community to Irish culture and are proud to celebrate the incredibly talented inaugural winner, musician/songwriter Jerry O Connor.”
Martin Collins, Co-Director of Pavee Point, added: “There was great interest in this Award in our community and there was a fantastic range of applications. An Award like this is a great way to acknowledge the creativity that is out there in our community and we look forward to continuing this work.”
Jerry O’Connor will perform on Culture Night (19th Sept) in Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre 6.30pm and again for the Bealtaine Gathering in Project Arts Centre, on October 14th.
For more information or to attend either of these events, please contact caoimhe.mccabe@pavee.ie
