Category: News

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Rural, Regional and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys, TD, sampled the enthusiasm and energy for arts and heritage at Pavee Point and reiterated her belief in pride in Traveller culture. The Minister recalled her own family’s contact with Travellers in the days gone by and said her programme ‘Creative Ireland’ was committed to enabling […]

Congratulations to Rosaleen McDonagh, playwright, on her election to Aosdána.  She is the first Irish Traveller to receive this honour. Rosaleen says she is ‘delighted’ with the news and that her election came as a surprise. “Poet, Michael O’Loughlin and writer Colm McCann nominated me.  It was never my ambition or on my horizon.  I […]

It is good news that the new National Women’s Strategy 2017-2020 contains specific actions in relation to Traveller and Roma women.  This wasn’t the case in the last Strategy. It is our experience that Traveller/Roma are often ignored if not specifically named in policy documents. The Strategy locates some of these actions with the National […]

EU Roma Week saw the first session of ‘Community Work in a Changing Ireland’ – a course for Traveller and Roma leaders – take place at NUI, Maynooth. This course is taking place over four sessions between now and October and aims:  To promote effective intercultural community development to improve the communication and co-operation between Travellers […]

Today’s Census 2016 results show an increase in the numbers of Irish Travellers – a sign, partly at least, of the success in getting across the message of the importance of ethnic data collection. Census 2016 results show a population increase of 5.1% to almost 31,000 Irish Travellers in the Republic. ‘It is very important to […]

Maynooth University calls for action on the low levels of Traveller participation in higher educaiton in its report ‘Traveller in Higher Education’, launched today. The report places particular emphasis on mature students, becaues of the particular challenges of re-entering formal education in early adult life for many Travellers. Anastasia Crickley, former Head of Maynooth University […]

This year for International Roma Day we are asking Roma community members what makes them proud to be Roma? My name is Gina. I was born in Romania. I’ve been in Ireland for sixteen years. I am training to be a nurse so I can help people. Why are you proud to be Roma? I am […]

Traveller and Roma women highlighted the mental health issues for their communities at the World Congress on Women’s Mental Health which took place in Dublin’s RDS from the 6th to 9th March. Our Primary Health Care Project produced a booklet for the event – Pavee Beoirs and Lackeens: Our Health, Our Words, which highlights some of the […]

Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre extends its condolences and sympathies to the bereaved relatives and friends of Annmarie O’ Brien (27), Paris O’ Brien (2), Holly O’Brien (3) and Jordan O’Brien (4) who died as a result of a tragic fire in Dublin that took place in the early hours of the 8th of […]

International  Women’s Day 2017 is the first year  Traveller women can celebrate their identity as women  and as an ethnic group – as Traveller ethnicity was recognised by the State just one week ago. It’s a busy day for Traveller and Roma women. Trade Union Meeting Tessa Collins of our Violence Against Women programme will be speaking tonight […]

The State should take concrete measures to improve health, education, housing and employment outcomes for Traveller women and girls – says the UN Committee reporting on the Irish Government’s performance under the Convention On Eliminating All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).  In its concluding observations, having heard from the Irish Government and NGOs, the […]

March 1st was a historic and symbolic day for Travellers as their more than thirty year struggle to have their ethnicity fully recognized and acknowledged was successfully concluded by the fullsome  statement by the Taoiseach in the Dail. It also marks an event of historic and symbolic importance for all who support human rights and […]

Statement by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD On the recognition of Travellers as an ethnic group Dáil Éireann 1 March 2017 A Cheann Comhairle, Thank you for making time in the House today for this historic and symbolic recognition of Travellers as an ethnic group within the Irish nation. Robbie is a 17-year-old young man. […]

The 1st March 2017 was an historic and momentous day for the Irish Traveller community and for equality in Ireland Taoiseach’s Statement on Traveller ethnicity here. Our Chairperson on recognition of Traveller ethnicity here. President presented with Traveller Ethnicity pin here. What does ethnic recognition mean for Travellers?  See our leaflet.  

Pavee Point won the National Adult Literacy Association(NALA)  ‘Plain English Award’ for public health information. The awards are given for producing information through language that is easy to read and understand. Inez Bailey, CEO of NALA said the winners had won ‘for thinking of the people who use their service and putting them first’. Our ‘Be […]

Helen McEntee, TD Minister for Mental Health and Older People visited Pavee Point today and heard about the serious mental health issues facing Travellers: ·         A suicide rate that is 7 times greater than the national average ·         Factors contributing to poor mental health among Travellers – unemployment, poor accommodation and discrimination ·         Barriers to […]

In February 2017 we held a series of workshops with SICAP Programme Implementers and reps from Local Community Development Committees on implementing an ethnic identifier in SICAP are kicking off in Dublin. This work follows on from an event in May 2016 whereby Pavee Point was asked to produce support and guidance material to assist […]

Gabi Muntean of Pavee Point’s Roma Project addressed the Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration at Dublin’s Mansion House on Sunday 29th January. “Hundreds and thousands of Roma and Sinti people were rounded up, forced into ghettos and deported to concentration and death camps, ” she said, “They wore an identifying black triangle on their camp uniforms […]