To mark the close of Recovery Month, Pavee Point hosted its annual celebration of recovery on Thursday evening, highlighting that recovery from addiction is possible for Travellers and their families.
This year’s gathering brought together Travellers in recovery, those currently in treatment, family members, service providers and community workers — with speakers sharing their personal journeys of recovery and offering reflections on their paths towards recovery.
Josie Flynn talked of the deep impact intergenerational drug use can have ,and of her journey of getting clean and choosing a new life for herself. Josie’s daughter, Teresa Ryan, spoke of her mother’s bravery and of her own personal recovery journey. Teresa recently organised the first local Traveller recovery event with Kildare Traveller Action, telling those gathered that long-standing silences around Travelers struggling with addiction are finally breaking, where Travellers speaking about their recovery is becoming a powerful movement.
John Collins and Michael Collins, of Pavee Pont’s Men’s Health Programme, presented on their recent experience working with Traveller men in recovery on the Camino de Santiago in Spain: what it meant to walk alongside other men in recovery, and being able to work together to collectively address issues. He also spoke about the important role of Traveller organisations in working in partnership with services.
Two of those men on the Camino, Joseph McDonagh and Eddie Power, reflected on their own long and challenging journeys towards recovery, and how vital spaces like the Camino walk are for finding strength and resilience in their recovery journeys.
John Boland of Get Up Adventures, who helped organise the Camino walk, spoke finally of how deeply inspired he was walking alongside the group to Santiago de Compostela, and how the experience resonated with his own journey of healing.
Many thanks to all who contributed and made this event possible, and many thanks goes to Joe O’Reilly for the song and singalongs throughout the evening.
If you would like any further information on addiction or services appropriate for Travellers please contact our Drug and Alcohol Programme – johnpaul.collins@pavee.ie
Photos: Tommy Clancy