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PAVEE POINT SPOKESPERSON Martin Collins said he is confident Traveller ethnicity will be recognised by the Irish government in a matter of weeks.
In November last year, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the State would support the Traveller community’s formal recognition as an ethnic group.
Today, the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality published a report on the issue and called on the State to formally acknowledge Traveller ethnicity.
The report finds that Travellers are, de facto, a separate ethnic group.
“This is not a gift to be bestowed upon them, but a fact the State ought to formally acknowledge, preferably by way of a statement by the Taoiseach to Dáil Éireann,” said Sinn Féin’s Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin.
Collins said he is “quite confident” there will be a “historic” announcement made in relation to Traveller ethnicity in the coming weeks.
“We are on the cusp of something truly historic for our community,” said Collins.
TheJournal Politics / TwitterPavee Point says it expects 'historic' announcements by govt on Traveller ethnicity in the next few weeks pic.twitter.com/K3rgA28IDF
— TheJournal Politics (@TJ_Politics) January 26, 2017
He said the campaign had been hard-fought over the last number of decades, adding that there have been numerous reports published over the years.
However, he said formal recognition of the community will go some way in dealing with the “internalised shame” that many Travellers feel.
Maria Joyce of the National Traveller Women’s Forum said recognising the Travelling community is about “respect and inclusion”.
She said it will help address some of the issues being experienced by Travellers, particularly young Travellers, who she said are dealing with a lack of self-esteem and a lack of pride about who they are.
Joyce said she is rarely surprised, but that last week’s ESRI report which found that Travellers were worse off, education-wise than they were in the 1960s, shocked her.
Highlighting the committee’s cross-party support, Ó Caoláin strongly encouraged recognition be given at the earliest date possible in 2017.
The Sinn Féin TD said being recognised as an ethnic group will not be a “magic wand” over all the issues the Travelling community deal with, but he said it is a first step.
The report, which follows on from a similar committee report published in 2014, also calls on the government to conduct a review, in consultation with Traveller representative groups, of any legislative or policy changes required on foot of the recognition of Traveller ethnicity.
Ó Caoláin said the committee was very keen that this issue would remain firmly on the political agenda.
It is given greater poignancy by the Carrickmines tragedy of 2015 that resulted in the death of ten members of the Traveller community.
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Animal cruelty, drunken violence, thievery, welfare system abuse, ….etc. – in general, these are the only things I can think of that makes them different to the rest of us…
@Charles Martel: All of which can be related to anyone in society!
Give it another few minutes now and the comments section will be closed.
According to the CSO Asian population is the fastest growing ethic group in the country followed by Travellers with a population of 29,573. This means our Asian population are currently the largest ethnic population in the country, and growing, not Travellers.
But its their culture you being racist lad
@Jed. Except the Asians are hard working, self sustaining, non criminal types who grow and prosper with time and are welcomed in any society throughout the world. Travellers are totally reliant on our tax money and we will be facing the same problems in 100 years time. That’s the difference !
Politicians,Guards,Revenue and Customs are not prepared to take on the travellers because it’s too much hassle, The settled community are a much easier target for obvious reasons, Watch the Late Late Show if you want to get sick and throw up on Friday night.
Well I for one won’t be recognising it
Living in caravan now makes you a separate ethnicity?
The two TD’s that championed this in the last government are not TD’s anymore. Just saying.
They are Irish, same as the rest of us.
Eithnicity will used to the excuse the absence of social responsibility by not all but a significant number of this particular group of travelling white Irish Catholics that want to recognised as a ethnically different in what is still largely a white Irish if lapsed catholic country . Also looking forward to the official statement from pavee point on the upcoming channel four investigation into modern day slavery and its ” alleged “key perpetrators . I trust my specifying of alleged will permit journal not to censor comment
@Crocodylus Pontifex: Great, they can start paying their taxes so.
I lived in a mobile home for a year, dies that make me ethnically different? What a load of crap!
@Gus Sheridan: I identify as traveller, can I go around pulling up my caravan anywhere I like, littering all over the place, sulky racing on national roads, bare knuckle fighting, robbing the vulnerable etc etc and then scream discrimination when my kids don’t get educated by the settlers after i take them out of school to go doing all of the above?
Load of ball ocks
How much will this cost the rest of us ?
Ffs how can anyone even entertain such notions. They have the exact same rights as the rest of the citizens of Ireland but that’s simply not good enough for them and they use the failures of their own ‘culture’ to claim for more rights, assistance and leeway for their carry on. Anyone who brings up their lack of education should be immediately smacked down, they have the same as everyone else in the country in relation to receiving an education then cry of their disadvantage when they never attend or drop out at 14. They have kept themselves isolated from the rest of the country with their carry on under ‘ethnicity’ and ‘cultural differences’ which all hinder them from receiving the same as every one else in the country while they call discrimination. They shouldn’t be excused for their own bad behaviour while seeking special rights to continue them.
@Derek:
“They have the exact same rights as the rest of the citizens…!
Sorry, but that is blatantly untrue. They have extra rights in the Equal Status Acts.
I try not to bash travelers but they certainly don’t do themselves any favors. I was in my GP’s waiting room yesterday when a teenage traveler and his mother entered the room having just seen the doctor. The young lad was extremely abusive saying the doctor was a useless c%nt as she refused to prescribe whatever he wanted. It was a very disturbing situation as there were children waiting to see the doctor. It’s very hard not have negative feelings towards them when you witness this sort of antisocial behaviour.
@Brian MacCarthaigh: I had a lad offer to fight me for a consultation
Great…now how about some justice for the monghanese bog people.
Let’s celebrate our diversity and equality by separating everybody with different labels and giving certain groups special privilege!
What could possibly go wrong?
Do Pavee Point ever release statements about the traveller gangs marauding around the country terrorising mainly elderly people in their rural homes…..No !
With them it’s always about the travelling community been the victim. It they showed some respect and actually contributed to society instead of playing the victims all the time then they might be accepted a bit more.
I never heard so much nonsense. This chaotic lifestyle would not last one decade but for taxpayers money being used to maintain it. What about my rights as to how my tax money is spent ? This cost to fund this way of life is madness and not one politician has the courage to challenge it ! We will never learn !!
“Maria Joyce of the National Traveller Women’s Forum said recognising the Travelling community is about “respect and inclusion”.
You don’t demand respect, you earn it!
When does a traveler not become a traveler? Because I’m sure we all have a bit of the same blood somewhere running around our bodies. Time to buy a caraven and put it my back garden me thinks.
Finally…. they will be recognised as an ethnic group…. This means an end to the bare knuckle boxing, thieving, forgetting to go to school, drinking and mess around campsites…. It will all be over soon as was all caused by this
@Emma O’Neill: And when they do attend school they cause all sorts of disruption and you can be sure when it comes to school yard bullying our ethnic minority are top of the pile.
William I take it you are not a school teacher. I was for 36 years. I had Traveller children in my classes and they behaved at least as well as any other child in my school. If anything they were more likely to be bullied by the majority than the other way round. Unfortunately the Traveller parents did not value education once they had received their Confirmation and so many of their children then did not finish second level. Yes their culture should be respected but only in the context that they respect the law of the land. It is a two way thing.
Emma O’Neil. Perhaps they will start behaving in an orderly fashion for a change.
@Micheal S. O’ Ceilleachair: No but I had major problems with my son been terrified to come home from school because of a gang of traveller kids who bullied him relentlessly among others.
Once there are more than one cue their fighting nature reveals itself.
@Paul Whyte: Why don’t we all live off the grid and see how Ireland fairs . . A culture that cannot support it’s own existence is an extinct one.
*Grabs popcorn and scrolls to comments*
@John Shea Hen:
That’s original.
Oh, thank you.
Can caiomhin get his magic wand to stop the thieving, fighting, littering and civil disobedience. Ethnic, my a…
Good, now when will workers and their rights be recognised by government, as in ” carrying the can for everyone” which has to be discrimination !
I actually don’t see the issue here with the Travellers being recognised as a separate ethnic group. Ethnicity is not the same as citizenship, nationality or race. They already seem to get plenty of special treatment. What I don’t understand is why they seem to be exempt from their responsibilities as citizens of this country. Grant them a separate ethnic status, yes. But stop exempting them from the same responsibilities as the rest of us. They should pay their taxes like the rest of us. They, like everyone else, should be punished for their crimes. They should be forced to ensure their children complete their education. No more tax exemptions on vehicles. No more excusing criminal behaviour because of any “cultural differences”.
Brian? You say that “ethnicity” is not the same as race but the word derives from “ethnos” the Greek for race. It has been shown that genetically the traveĺers are an Irish sub -group so I don’ agree.
Yes, Brendan, ethnicity does derive from the Greek word for race. But words change over time. Most people would assume Scottish is an adjective to describe someone from Scotland, yet it derives from an old Latin name for Irish people. Welsh derives from an old Saxon name meaning foreigner, and not a native of Wales. Excitement today typically means an extreme feeling of happiness, yet that’s not its original meaning. An ethnicity today is defined as a group of people who share a common heritage (nomadic), language (the Travellers had one until recently, known as Shelta. Now they only really have English and a pidgin English known as Cant), culture (their religious beliefs, rituals and customs are slightly different to those of the standard Irish Roman Catholic Church) and a shared history. The Travellers meet all the requirements for the modern definition of an ethnic group. In fact, I’d say Irish people have more in common with the Scots and the English than they do with Travellers. None of what I said, however, is justification for the rampant lawlessness and anti-social behaviour within their community. So, as I said, grant them their status, but clamp down on their responsibilities too.
@Brian Ó Dálaigh:
Once granted special status, they will be demanding special rights, privileges and entitlements. Can no-one see that coming?
They already get them, Buster.
No stopping them now
If travellers can claim separate ethnicity, then so can Irish language speakers and virtually every county and religion can claim their separate ethnicity on similar spurious basis. What`s behind this is obvious but politicans will run a mile from it for fear of the racist card.
Sirry but this is all bollox, travellers and the settled community are from the same gene pool!
Well, people from Galway are more similar to Basques, genetically, than they are to Dubliners. So, maybe it’s good that gene pools are not a marker of ethnicity.
Paul they are doing this for another welfare allowance. Minority allowance will be introduced along with free house and top health care
Perhaps now a new law giving them more money too?
What happens if they get ethnic minority status? I honestly don’t know. Not a fan of anything that gives them stronger status with rest of society when they contribute so little back to it.
Let’s give them Monaghan, build a wall around it and they can be a “separate ethnic minority” all day every day then.
:@tony galvin:and get monaghan to pay for it
#Trump101
What’s your problem with monaghan?
Can’t wait… Roll on traveller lives matter.
Good to know Sinn Fein are standing behind such a worthy cause. Mind you in saying that they would appear to be the party for every bleeding heart story so long as there’s a vote in it.
Any right thinking person who thinks giving this shower any official recognition needs their heads examined, alternatively take some time to visit Mullingar and see what goes on daily. They run amoke in most retail outlets, have destroyed Evey bar they were permitted into, drive around, in taxed, insured and unlicensed. Even when their given an opportunity (no boxer names mentioned) they can’t help themselves. Even the local cemetery is not immune from their thuggish behaviour. It will be lock down for communion and confirmation season, no clothes or shoe shop is safe. And before the do gooders get on their high horses (excuse the equine Pun), it not just a small element, it’s the lot of them.
Can we cocgnise someone else who contribute to society instead? Like smurfs?
Can working, law-abiding educated taxpayers have special status please?
Crumbs – even the SJWs can’t bring themselves to defend the travellers!
NO, No no.
There should not have any special status.
That will lead to special rights, special entitlements.
No No No!!
What has the Carrickmines fire got to do with their claim for special ethnic status?
Gardaí are going to be afraid to touch them despite travellers spearheading crime in Ireland.
So if this goes through will any constitution amendment take place? If so it should be put to the people. This is my Country so I want a say.
If CAB had any balls they would target all halting sites at xmas for all the bmw, audi, land rover vehicles. They would have a field day.
Shite in a bucket!!!!!!!
Great, does this mean they will start paying taxes, working, improving their behaviour, allowing their children to attend school (even the girls) cease to expect everything to be handed to them when in fact they contribute little. Sure.
@Cathy Carroll: Does this mean they would be able to marry their 10 year old cousin like the Muslims, and if you stop it , its because your a racist
Ya just can’t beat a good traveller story in the journal, comments section is always great craic
More of a f**kyn sub-species than an ethnic group.. Let the red thumbs commence but it’s how the vast majority of the normal public see it and how they (for the most part) make themselves out to be through their actions
Disgraceful decision. They are not an ethnic minority, and they should not be afforded any special, protected status.
Have a few travellers beside me, the Gardai never leaves them alone… Is that part of ethnicity???
The Gardaí most probably have a good reason to do so.
@Rebecca De Stanleigh: The joys of ethnicity… A man went to the Gardai to say he saw the sons stolen bike at their house, the Gardais advice was to steal it back… Bloody crazy.
hopefully this wont happen, but if it does it will mean the travelers will have to pay their way in this country and be responsible ie Tax, rent, property tax, and respect settled peoples property, parks, football pitches. carparks. Rivers. stop conning old people with new roofs, driveways. respect other country s property, and tell other travelers to cop themselves on, hand back the medical cards because they cant read, and stop chopping each other on the main streets of ireland. oohh sorry it was a dream wont make a differience!!!
Us Druids have been picked on for centuries,yet are law abiding,tax paying citizens……..
.can we have special status too ?
Can someone tell me how much has been spent by the state on the house in Francis park in Nutgrove which has been burnt down several times because of feuds within the travelling community. If they have a disagreement they tend to do extreme things to each other.
‘Traveller’s ethnicity to be recognized’ and finally being reported upon in the courts. Instead of following Sweden’s example of ignoring ethnic backround as not being a factor in the huge increase of sex crimes there, this is very good news, I think.
Oh ffs
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