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IT’S HARD TO visit children living in a dump. But that’s what I have to do when I visit friends of mine at Carrowbrowne site, just outside Galway City.
I have to remind myself that I’m not in some slum in Africa or Asia – places that we sometimes see on the telly and think it’s awful that people have to live like that. I have to remind myself that this is Ireland – one of the world’s wealthiest countries (we were ranked 7th globally this year by Global Finance Magazine).
This is Galway, where I live. This is 2017 – more than 20 years after the Traveller Taskforce report was published with all its wonderful and hope-filled recommendations.
Carrowbrowne site
This site, sitting beside the city’s sprawling landfill, is the last site ever built in Galway. As a mother living here with her young children said to me: “this is an example of what they really think of Travellers. That of all the land that they had to give, they gave us the place beside the dump.”
Her daily routine is horrendous. She has to protect her children from rats, from picking up vermin droppings, from playing in stagnant and contaminated water, from touching sewerage, from the choking effects of the dust and dirt from the trucks that trundle by every hour with their loads of rubbish.
She has to get them to school, washed, fed, and ready to learn, bringing them the 6km there and back because her home is in a wasteland, far enough from the city to ensure that the gentle citizens don’t have to be disturbed by the reality of the discrimination that her little family is enduring every day.
This young, beautiful mother is a proud member of the Traveller community in Galway like me. She wants her children to know that they are proud members of our community too. That they can have dreams and ambitions. That they can have a future. That they can start that future living in safe and healthy accommodation that reflects our culture and our long traditions of home, family and nomadism.
There’s nowhere else for us to live
Trapped beside a dump doesn’t quite do it. Neither does living in emergency accommodation or hotel rooms. Last summer, more of my friends and family were forced to leave their homes and relations overnight because Galway City Council said Cultrá Halting Site in Salthill was overcrowded.
Of course it was overcrowded, there is nowhere else to live for us in the county or across the country. Nearly one quarter of our community throughout the country (7,000 people) are living in overcrowded or shared sites, bays or houses, according to the Irish Traveller Movement. It’s a fact of life when adequate accommodation has not been provided for 20 years or more.
Our community has gone through very hard times. We know what it feels like to be seen as outsiders, in our own city, in our towns, our villages. Right up to the highest levels of local and national government, those with a duty to recognise, protect and promote our human rights have failed to honour Travellers’ basic right to a home that is culturally appropriate.
We are blamed for their failures
We are blamed for their failures. We are shunned for their broken promises. For many of us it is becoming harder to keep our hopes alive.
But we are not broken. This week in Galway, Travellers are saying enough is enough. We launched a new campaign #TravellerHomesNow to ensure that our right to accommodation is heard and delivered on by Galway City and County Council, for once and for all.
#TravellerHomesNow, is a resilient response to the nearly two decades years of broken promises, failed targets and tokenistic interaction with the Traveller community that has defined local authority Traveller accommodation planning here in Galway, and indeed across all local authorities.
There is a better way to live as equal citizens. That way starts with the establishment of an independent Traveller accommodation agency that is removed from local politics with its votes, nods, winks, discrimination and lies.
And there definitely has to be a better place to live than beside a dump.
Joanna Corcoran is a member of the Traveller community in Galway. She attended the Traveller Accommodation Enquiry: Real Stories in Galway earlier this week.
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HERE’S A Good One ! How About They Build And Pay For Their House Like Everyone Else.
@Robert Treston: typical sympathy attempt from this author. Travellers need to take responsibility for themselves.
@Robert Treston: she won’t get much sympathy in the comments section here.
I wonder will she read the comments?
@Robert Treston: spot on. And how about getting if they got up off their backsides in the morning and went to work instead of scrounging off the taxpayer
@Kevin Moylan:
Sure employers are queuing up to employ travellers and therein is part of the problem.
@Etherman: Great Post, also worth mentioning that the pics shown are all of the free accommodation provided by the state, Did this accommodation look like this when it was handed to the Travellers? Also wouldn’t mind seeing the Vehicles on this site to see what they are driving?
@Robert Treston: they choose to not pay a hefty chunk of the money they earn over to filthy politicians to put in their pockets or give to their mates. Fair play to them. If our rotten society wont support them and give them what they need they have every right to take it
@jon-boy55: You’re full of shiate, boss.
@jon-boy55: “” they choose to not pay a hefty chunk of the money they earn over to filthy politicians “” Where do they earn this money Jon-Boy??
@Robert Treston: Even when Travellers buy their own land they rarely get planning permission for a site. It is complex and not that easy.
I’ve seen a lot of “halting sites” built all over Dublin for travellers. Without exception they are turned into dumps by the people who live there. No one else to blame but themselves.
@Darren McCormack: They turn a large area around the ‘camp’ into a dump aswell and often only move on when they are forced by the council.
@Darren McCormack: if you’re traveling the m50 heading south after the firhouse junction, have a look to the right where you will see the back of a halting site (there is a sign saying “don’t pay water tax”). The land behind is starting to fill up with rubbish being dumped by the lovely residents. It was only cleaned up about 6 months ago because so much rubbish had accumulated there. It’s all about their rights and nothing about their responsibilities.
@kevin: Every citizen of this country has the same rights and entitlements, the rights to health, education, housing etc. They also have the same responsibilities, principally don’t break the law.
When I was a wee lad we made fun of Kerry men, we told jokes about them, then it was Cavan men, to be fair Niall Tóibín played a major part in much of this. It didn’t mean we genuinely believed all Kerry people were mentally deficient or all Cavan people miserly, there was no evidence to suggest this.
However when people describe Travellers sulky racing on main roads, sometimes killing the horses, or having violent feuds between families that requires the intervention of the riot squad (something I’ve witnessed) or a penchant for violent robbery, this is fact. All of these things can be backed up with evidence.
When 0.6% of the population demand what is described as “culturally appropriate housing” that is not asking for equality with the rest of the population but rather demanding to be treated with favouritism. A demand likely to be ignored.
I won’t say where but earlier this evening I saw a business premises plagued with thefts, as soon as their security staff opened their gates and accompanied a delivery van inside a van load of travellers pulled up and made off with thousands of euros of equipment. There’s no point in ignoring things like this, and until the Traveller community face up to their many ‘self made issues’ instead of pretending they don’t exist there will always be a rift between them and the settled community.
I view (right or wrongly) is that a significant portion of the traveling community do not pay tax, drive UK registered cars to avoid car tax, insurance and VRT. Furthermore, my view is that they are cowboys and conmen. Until they start contributing to society and paying their way then I have very little sympathy. Yes my view may be wrong but until I am proven otherwise that’s the way I feel.
@Nick Allen: You’re not wrong.
@Nick Allen: I don’t think your view is wrong at all.
@Nick Allen: How in general are the houses kept? They regularly destroy anything given to them and have no respect for property. Why are rats drawn there? I am not against travellers and I know there are many decent ones, but in generally they show scant regard for anything they are given. I would like them to take ownership of their own surroundings and contribute to the greater community.
@Nick Allen: your view is spot on. They should be make clean the streets or something along that line to justify the taxpayer funded welfare they get
@Nick Allen: what is revenue law enforcement and cab doing when it is so obvious that their 171 vehicles were got through lawful means.
Surely they know someone who could tidy the site up a bit. Do a bit of block paving even lay a bit of tarmac, fix a broken tile on roof. Get a bit of carpet and some nice furniture on the cheap. Do the place up lovely that would, if only they knew someone with all those skills.
@David Staed: they don’t really. And they are working all the hours god sends so don’t have Time themselves. They need the government cleaners to come in.
@Jayo Breathneach: that needs to change as well. And pay the LPT – council tenants use services too.
@Jayo Breathneach: Sorry jayo. I didn’t realise they pay rent. How much rent do you think each family on a halting site pays. Hope it’s not much on this one as it’s looks like a right s*ithole. Then again it probably didn’t look like that when they moved in and that shower at the council allowed it to fall into disrepair and because of this I doubt they have to pay any rent ever again and they all lived happily ever after. I love a good fairytale, don’t you jayo?
@Don Shavago:That’s part of our culture boss, All funds go for gambling and drink —-Everything else must come from the state(the working taxpaying population)
What exactly is a culturally appropriate home?
@Chad Rockett: Probably a free 6 bedroom house with a garden and the whole thing has wheels so they can still move from place to place.
@cortisola: Stables and a tarmac drive so they can park their culturally appropriate wheelie-bin of a house.
It is, of course, the least they deserve and they shouldn’t have to queue up like others in society to get it…apparently.
As much as people think these days that everyone has a right to everything. The simple truth is you don’t. You have to provide these things for yourself. If you can’t support children then don’t have them. The only right you have in this world is that your life is worth the same as the next person. What you make of it is up to you. Bit don’t take the easy option all the time and then dmabdcthe rewards of the harder option that brings those rewards. If your culture leads you to a slum then change your culture
@domas1507:
Was ‘dmabdcthe’ your covfefe moment?
@Avina Laaf: demand the, auto correct and big thumbs
@domas1507: This is an example of the neo-liberal mindset that has, unfortunately, become all too prevalent in Ireland. This mentality promotes individualism, which makes people selfish and unwilling to help others. It must be remembered that a society is only as strong as it’s weakest members, and the travelling community can be regarded as the most disadvantaged community in this State. This has many knock-on consequences, which are too numerous to mention in a short comment, but includes an inability to find employment and daily stigmatization. As a society we must protect the most vulnerable, which unfortunately this State has failed to do since independence.
@domas1507: agreed. Too many groups in society demanding free everything at the moment. Parents need to instill a work ethic in their children and not to sponge off society. Social protection is a safety net not a lifestyle. Get out an work.
@Darren Gray: But the travellers do not want to integrate with society. They have their own ‘society’, and they want us to pay so they can keep living like that.
If they wanted to become part of society they would firstly need a real education, which is difficult for most as they are constantly moving.
@Darren Gray: That is nonsense from beginning to end.
@Darren Gray: I agree we should as a society look after our most vulnerable. But that theory has been hijacked by those that can’t be bothered. If you are an able bodied person of sound mind then you do not qualify as our most vulnerable.
I never said I wanted to decide. I am speaking about the article you presumably just read. Travellers don’t want to participate in our society but want our society to provide for them. Cam you give me some valid reason why we should
I’m an Eskimo. Could the auld government build me an igloo?
“What exactly is a culturally appropriate home?” – is brand new great home given to them every year after they vandalize, torn down and burned previous one.
So Joanna, who do you expect to pay for all of this? I’d love to see the total collective tax paid legitimately by the travelling community towards the services we all share… My gut says it wouldn’t be much!
@Paul Beggan: White heterosexual males abused and xploited everyone else for centuries – now is the time for them to pay !!
We are all entitled to a house but we have to work & pay for it . The word “entitled “ is abused by the traveler. How about live like the rest of us: we have as many children as we can afford & not have children for the sake of children’s allowance . If they sold their posh jeeps, caravans & gold jewelry & have approx 2 children they could possibly be mortgage free on a house .
I use to be disgusted by other people writing off travellers in what I felt was really racist but after seeing the speed and the degree to which they destroyed a row of houses given to them near me it’s getting really hard to defend them. There is still a huge amount of racism directed at them, but they do themselves no favours by confirming some of the stereotypes about them.
@Seán J. Troy: Racism? They’re Irish!
@Seán J. Troy: Racism?
@Seán J. Troy: Surely if their CULTURE is to abuse and destroy everything they can reach, we should respect that !!
@Seán J. Troy: Another bloody Fracker! False Racism ACuser ! They are Irish just like me!
If you want to live like a traveller then live like one and dont complain because people legally own property you want to squat on in your caravan. You are entitled to nothing except the dole. Which people who work and pay mortgages or rent actually fund with their taxes. You are the most self entitled people on the this island, a complete and total anchor on society who only take and take and take and give nothing back. How this government even allows you to “raise” children in a caravan on the side of the road is beyond me.
Ah… the new landed gentry. The working people expected to clean their houses on a regular basis.
“What exactly is a culturally appropriate home?” – is brand new great home given to them every year after they vandalize, torn and burned down previous one.
@cortisola: Heard ya the first time
@Darren Mulligan: Apologies, I got some sadden urge to copy and paste ;)
I’m 70 . worked since I was 14. Owe nobody nothing. Own my own house. I have never discriminated against anyone. How is this woman’s situation my fault?
@Alex Carroll: you’re not fooling anyone Alex. We know it’s your fault.
This is unusual because the travellers everywhere else create a dump at the site. This dump sounds like its independent of them. A culturally appropriate place from my understanding of it is a 5 or 6 bedroom place with a place for horses etc outside. A lot to expect to be provided and maintained for them most normal people would think..
Anglo-Irish have a right to a home that is culturally appropriate. They deserve to have countryside manors.
@Derek Goulding: To be fair, they are located next to the dump so as to keep council costs down when the halting site, and all land around it, needs to be cleaned up after them.
If the replacement housing isn’t to their taste then they can have a hotel room. Just like all the homeless families and because a modern day traveller.
Up sticks and go somewhere else. Claim your dole in 26 counties. Steal from the good tax payer in this country.
Shame for posting this s##t and more shame on me for reading it
6km to school is hardly something to cry about. Try living in parts of mayo!
If its too far for you, maybe skip getting a brand new car for next few years and buy a house.
@Skimothy: A 171/2 Range Rover on green diesel would eat up 6km in no time.
They have plenty of able body young men and women who have loads of time on hand to roll up theirs sleeves and tidy up the mess. Most settled people learn how to use a paint brush and soap and detergent. If the young lads spent less time in the gym to improve their boxing
@Irish big fellow: A lot of the young lads work nights and would be too tired to clean and paint !
How exactly is their ‘culture’ of any use to modern ireland?
What exactly is their culture.
Do they respect their fellow citizens rights and culture.
Do they support education?
We move in somewhere and then settled people come around dumping washing machines and nappies wherever we live!
Entitled to everything, responsible for nothing. #travellerlogic
A few years ago. Cork county council opened a brand new halting site somewhere near the city that cost a million or so? Within a year it was stripped of all it’s copper piping and electrical cable. They claimed to have no knowledge as to what happened to the materials. The residents took to the airwaves crying discrimination and neglect as the council refused to replumb and rewire the site.
https://www.google.ie/amp/amp.irishexaminer.com/ireland/axe-thrown-at-official-working-on-halting-site-395180.html
A process of gradual, full and voluntary assimilation is required. Traveller culture is damaging to them, results in high crime levels, shorter, unhealthier and more chaotic lives and social alienation.
We all have a social contract. We all contribute to society and we reciprocally benefit from it. Only the super wealthy tax exiles are exempt from this, as are travellers. They need to be part of society, not apart from society.
Traveller culture is damaging to travellers and sometimes damaging to others who are not travellers.
Fetishising Traveller culture has not worked. Fortunately, some young Traveller women are using education to break away from the oppression of Traveller culture and integrating, on their own initiative, into mainstream society. These will be the role models of the future.
Separate ethnicity may have been well intentioned but it was misdirected and a reinforcement of social separation and exclusion.
“Traveller culture” is simply an expression dressing up a very unhealthy and extremely damaging lifestyle.
Travellers are the same as the rest of us, part of us, and they need to be fully integrated, not excluded by us or by themselves. It will take generations to achieve a process of full integration and it will only happen if or when the supposed leaders of the Traveller culture come to accept that living outside of society is what encourages social and other discriminations.
Every social metric shows how damaging social exclusion is.
@Fiona deFreyne:
There is also a huge problem of alcoholism within the traveller community but we can’t talk about that.
I go to work to pay for my own house along with most of the Irish people.
we have quite a few traveller neighbours in our estate,its a private estate for what that’s worth and guess what ,you couldn’t ask for better neighbours,house proud ,very friendly and helpful,so there ya are x
@Larry Roe: that’s fantastic news Larry x
@Hoomanbean: thank you xx
@Larry Roe: You’re very, very lucky so.
Tell your friend to join the long queue of people looking to get everything for nothing.
Their culture is excluding them from society.
Their culture is unhealthy.
They need to integrate.
deadbeat dads who abandon their wife and children should be put on a register requiring severe garnishing of their income and making it a criminal offense to have further children
This is an abuse of Council generosity:
There were numerous houses built on that site for the travellers and within weeks they were stripped to the bare bones of all copper and roof materials. Should we just leave all the materials on pallets instead of replacing it all so they dont exert themselves too much when they are ripping it all out again. I have rats in my garage do but guess what. I sorted it out myself.
its the goverment again ,no BALLS ,the biggest mistake was giving them there own ethnicity , can anyone say there a traveller?
Let them sell their Mercs and the Four x fours
Rights come with responsibilities….
I sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter. Ever since I was a boy I dreamed of soaring over the oilfields, dropping hot sticky loads on everyone. People say to me, that a person being a helicopter is Impossible and that I’m just stupid, but I don’t care, I’m beautiful. I’m having a plastic surgeon install rotary blades, 30 mm cannons and AMG-114 Hellfire missiles on my body. From now on I want you guys to call me “Apache” and respect my right to kill from above and kill needlessly. If you can’t accept me you’re a heliphobe. The govt should build me a helipad.
@Ros Aodha: I the UK you can get rotary blades installed on the NHS, thanks to Labour.
@Ros Aodha: I know a nice Huey. Maybe I could introduce you and the two of you could practice some auto rotation maneuvers together.
Travellers have they’re own law. Tell them to stop buying brand new €20,000 euro priced cars and that might help. Also getting paid to dump and burn rubbish. I have never heard a politician or a councillor take on the travellers. They seem to be untouchable. #irishmafia
@david dennehy: take it easy with Christmas comin – the Killarney tarmac lads are back on their sulkies after the Cab robbed their mercs and beamers. Rathkeale rovers are eating porridge in some US hell hole after the FBI nabbed their rhino horns. And the childer axxing about their fathers.
Its take take take all the time for the majority of them from what i can see. An absolute scurge.
It’s called paying for your bins like the rest of us. Hence we don’t live in squalor
Why should accommodation be provided at all? No one gave me a home, why makes you think you should get one for free and then moan about how it’s not ‘adequate’.
This is enraging, they destroy anything they touch because they don’t care. They are the ruin of Ireland and should be REDNEDUCATED
Have a google of “operation tarmacadam” during the week in kilkarney.
If its the role of the state to bow to whats culturally appropriate to groups living in this country, why not Sharia law for Muslims, or allow people eat Dogs which is culturally appropriate to some, because its ridiculous . The definition of discrimination is not to treat people equally regardless of wealth culture or race.
It’s easy enough to jump on here with some anti-Traveller sentiment and maybe some of that is true. Maybe they do have the hand out too much and maybe they do wreck sites they get. I’ve no direct experience and suspect many commenters are also repeating what they’ve heard. However it is not right that this family has to live in these appalling conditions and anyone who fails to recognize this lacks basic humanity. If it was happening to the Rohingya refugees the same commentators would be on here saying how terrible it all is. It is without a doubt that Traveller children growing up in this environment will go on to perpetuate many of the negative stereotypes and who could blame them? Let’s choose as a society to break the cycle instead through investment and education.
@Sean: You are absolutely right with one point. You do have no experience of them.
@Sean:” and anyone who fails to recognize this lacks basic humanity” You are right there – they lack basic humanity to keep their sites clean and tidy. Go to specsavers and then take a look at this site..
Chosen to live like this, no right to moan about it.
I also have a right to a home, only i have to pay for it.
Doesnt matter what they get. They detroy it anyway and then look for them to be done up and paid for again by taxpayers
No sympathy done it to yourselves, good luck.
It’s there culture boss
i,ll take it ,how much is the rent
Such a response ,The “Traveller Question “fires us up ,I can see no solution myself.
@Brian O Reilly: I suggest parents who don’t ensure their children attend school have the childer taken into care.
It’s in the childer’s best interest after all.
The indigenous islanders do not want to integrate with the Celtic invaders who have displaced them and stolen their land.
Fact. Rats clean up after themseves where they live. Knackers dont. No sympathy.
have your say