Today we celebrate the ninth anniversary of the State’s official acknowledgement of Irish Travellers as a minority ethnic group.
The 1st of March — Traveller Ethnicity Day — marks a powerful and historic moment for Travellers across the country community. Travellers have always recognised and taken pride in their ethnicity, and official acknowledgement by the State came after years of tireless lobbying by Travellers and Traveller organisations, including Pavee Point.
Acknowledgement of Traveller ethnicity was not just a statement, it was a recognition of Traveller identity; culture; history; traditions; language; resilience; and right to equality. Nine years on, we need to ensure that the momentum of March 1st 2017 carries into the full realisation of rights and equality for Travellers.
Words: Eoin DeBhairduin – ‘Mo geels, minʹúrt a nurt a lesk’art a lesko, A min’urt an donadu lesk dil ur gochlins’ [‘My people, today is a day of history. A day in which we will tell our children’]
#travellerethnicityday
Photo: Derek Speirs