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Travellervoice of the

Summer 2009 Issue 704.25

Shadesof

BlueLookingbeyondtheuniform

GlamGran scoopsaward

WrittenOfflookingatliteracy

ShayneWard- Everyonescousin?

thebigdebate

ShouldTravellersstilltravel?

win

50

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Submissions for inclusion in the next edition ofVoice of the Travellermusbe with us on or before Friday, August 7, 2009.Contact the Voice of the TravellerteamJenny (Editor): jenny.mcardle@natc.ieDavid (Reporter): david.lynch@natc.ieJulieanne (Reporter): julieanne.doorley@natc.ieOlga (Design and Development): olga.curley@natc.ieLaura (Sales and Marketing): laura.greene@natc.ieMichael (Sales and Marketing): michael.power@natc.ie

Voice of the Traveller, NATC, Unit 1, Monksland Business Park,Athlone, Co. RoscommonEmail: voiceofthetraveller@natc.ie

Please note print outs of photographs are no longeraccepted. All photos must be emails as jpegs or posteddirectly to us at the address above. Voice of the Travellerassumes that the full permission of anyone featured ina photograph has been secured prior to being submitted.Views expressed in Voice of the Travellerdo notnecessarily reflect policies of the editor or the NationalAssociation of Travellers Centres. Some photossubmitted to the magazine may be used on our website.

Helloagain,

WereyousurprisedtoseeGarda

onthefrontcoverofthesummer

editionofVoiceoftheTraveller?

Thankfullytherelationship

betweenTravellersandAn

GardaSiochanahasgreatly

improvedinrecentyears.

Tensionsstillexistbutalotof

progresshasbeenmade.Turnto

page18tohearwhattraineeGarda

CathalMurphythinksofTravellers.

WitheveryissueofVoiceoftheTrav

ellerIlearn

moreaboutTravellerculture,histo

ryandheritage.

Itsmademethinkaboutmyowni

dentityasan

IrishpersonandhowproudIamof

ourcustoms

andtraditions.Areyouproudtob

eaTraveller?A

FootinBothCampsisafeatureab

outourreporter,

JulieanneDoorley.Shetalksabout

herownidentity

andwhatitsliketobeaTravellerm

arriedtoa

settledman.Itcertainlygaveme

alottothink

about!

Weliketoprofilethesuccessstorie

sintheTraveller

community.Weoftengetcallsabo

utTravellers

whohavedonewellintheirLeavin

gCertor

universityexams.Wehearofothe

rswhohavetried

somethingdifferentandareworkin

gasdoctors,

teachersorsolicitors.Welovegett

ingthesestories

soweresharingthemwithyouon

page24.

Asalwayswevepackedourpagesw

ithnews,

photosandstoriesfromaroundthe

country.

Finallyletmesayamassivewelcometoallourne

w

subscribers,feelfreetogetintouc

hwithusandlet

usknowwhatyouthinkofourmag

azine.

Summer

sizzler

Voice of the Travellerisfunded and supported bythe following:

SUBS AD

WHY NOT

SUBSCRIBE?6 issues a year costs only35Call us on 090 6498016 or

visit us on www.natc.ie

Travellervoiceofth

e

February2009Iss

ue67 4.25

FinbarFureyLookin

gbackonfou

r

decadesofmu

sicfrom

oneofIreland

sgreatest

musicians

win

350

BackinBusines

s:NewDVDlaun

ched

GerryRyanspe

aksout...Newsr

ound-up

Iftheshoefits:T

heworkofafa

rrier

thebigdebate

Whoistheboss

ofthehouse?

FrancescoAlesi

sexhibitionof

Travellerlife

TheItal

ianPerspective

Final.indd 1

26/03/20091

1:51:42

2

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Regulars4 Photo of the Month

5 Beanz on living with horshes

6News Round-Up

10Memory Lane

12Ellen

22The Big Debate: Should Travellers still travel?

26MABS: Marriage and money

28Dear Annie

29 Letters

30Wedding Profile

32Out and About

76

oldphotos,newfacesMemoryLanefeaturestheSweeneys,Delaneys,Mongans,HartysandDohertys.

NavanwomanNellieJoyceearnshertitleasaglamgranny...photosandstoryonpage6.

10

shayneward Is

herelatedtoyou?Turn

topage7tofindout

more!

Inthisissue

Features

14 Finding a middle ground inmixed marriages?18Changing times with An Garda

Sochana

24 Written Off - Looking at literacy25Following their dreams-stories of

success

On the CoverAcross the blue line

3

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Photoofthemonth

Thismonthspho

to:

TheDelaneysistersw

iththeirmother,visitingMartinKeenanscampatDrumcliffCrossonChristmasDay,1970.

25.12.70.Co.Clare

PhotocourtesyofEnnisCommitteeforTravellingPeopleCollection,ClareCountyLibrary.

Emailyourphotosto

voiceofthetra

veller@natc.ieorpostto

VoiceoftheT

raveller,NATC,Unit1,

MonkslandR

etailPark,Athlone,Co.

Roscommon

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ThERE ShE IS MICK, my uncle said to a

man rom te country.

16 ands se.

I took one look at te beast and said to

mysel heres to ands tat are going

nowere near tat ting.

Growing up wit my serious condition wasard enoug but being subjected to te

torture o being witin kicking distance

o it is nervous work. Mick was walking

around te poor orse like it was a car e

was about to buy. I almost expected im to

kick te orse as i e were cecking tyres.

Aye se will do Jon, a ne ors

A ors, wat te ell is a ors? Im

sure teir unique trading dialect was tting

in te art o equine marketing, but to a lad

still in scool it was someting tat needed

correcting. O course me being me wit my

big stupid academic ead on me ad to

correct te two lads on teir mistake. Now

it wouldnt ave been so bad i I corrected

in a nice way but wen I turned around

and said

A ors, are ya tick or someting,

wats a ors? Its a orse, .o.r.s.e,

Te Mick turned to my uncle and asked,

Wos te scolar? I dont know, said

my uncle, but e would want to be getting

out o my S.I.T.E. I ten remarked on tis

mis-spelling, well lets just say it wasnt te

ors tat kicked me tat day.

So Mick loads up is new amily member

in te back o a ors box and cecks

is itc. Im looking as tree snotty

nosed kids get out o te back o te van to

inspect te animal. Tese kids looked like

tey came rom a amily tat could barely

aord to keep a dog, yet ere was Jon

Wayne paying over a

grand or a ors

tat looked like it

was two gallops

rom te knackers

yard.

I oten wonderabout tese people

tat buy orses.

Like wat do tey

do wit tem? Do

tey ride tem? Or

just breed tem? Like

we ave all see tat lm Into te West. I

ave tis comical image in my ead o a

couple o Traveller teens riding in to Tesco

or te sopping or te drive troug at

McDonalds or te dinner.

I make all tese jokes about te tings

I nd unny witin te Travelling

community, but to be air te biggest laug

to be ad is on me.

Im wat you migt call certied as

petried o any our legged animal bigger

tan a dog. To Travellers tis is te unniest

ting you could imagine. I used to wake

up in te middle o te nigt and ceck te

room or intruders, not te boogie man like

most normal cildren. No, I used to ceck

te room or piebalds.

I told my moter tis and all I got back

was, Well i you didnt keep your room

like a stable tey wouldnt come visiting

ya.

I ope tose words are not true because

te oter day se said it was a pigsty, and

te last ting I need is saring te bed

wit an epidemic on legs. So we ave te

old piebald pony as te mascot or te

Travellers, tats great except tey look

noting more tan ast cows to me.

I suppose i ever tere was a minutecance tat Travellers would want a

separate identity and wis to brand a fag,

Im sure our long legged riend wit cow

spots would be on it.

So ay to te ors.

MartinBeanz

onhorshes

I used to wake upin the middle of thenight and check theroom for intruders,not the boogie man

though, I used tocheck for piebalds

5

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NELLIEJOYCEfromNavancameth

irdinthe

recentGrannyoftheYe

ar2009whichwasor-

ganisedaspartoftheSpecialOlympicsIreland

fundraisingcampaign.

Shewasdescribedasanexceptio

nallady,who

hasalovelypersonality,akindhe

artanda

wonderfulattitudetolife.

Nellieisalongtimememberofth

echoralgroup

oftheThirdAgeFoundation.

WhileNellieneverhadformaleduc

ationher

friendspraiseherbeautifullybri

ghtandbub-

blypersonalityandagentleandw

armnature.

Nelliehasabeautifulsingingvoic

eandhas

sungforPresidentMaryMcAleese

atArasan

Uachtarain,intheEuropeanParli

amentBuild-

inginBrussels,tonamejustsome

.

Nellieisveryinvolvedwithherlocalcommu-

nity.Shewaspraisedattheawar

dsforshowing

thevalueoflifelonglearningand

community

spirit.

News

TRAVELLERHEA

LTHworkersattendedtheOireachta

sCommitteeon

HealthandChildrenrecently.They

highlightedtheissuesofTravellers

poorhealthcaresituation.Themee

tingalsoinformedmembersofthew

ork

undertakenbyTravellerPrimaryHe

althcareWorkersinfortyprojectsa

cross

Irelandandtoldthegoodnewsstory

oftheAll-IrelandTravellerHealth

Study.Travellers,particularlyTra

vellerwomenallacrossIrelandhave

been

workingforyearstoimprovethehe

althofthecommunity,butithasbe

en

hardwork,saidMissyCollinsfromP

aveePointpriortothemeeting.We

re

comingtotheOireachtastodaytot

ellthepoliticiansofthegoodwork,

and

alsotheproblems,inthehopethey

candowhattheycantomakethej

ob

easierandstopTravellersdyingso

young.

HealthyprogressintheD

SingingGrannys

praises

ANYONE INTERESTEDingoing

withtheParishoftheTravelling

PeopleontheirLourdesPilgrim-

ageisurgedtogetincontactas

soonaspossible!

Thepilgrimagetakesplacefrom

Thursday17,Septemberuntil22,

September.

Totalcostofthetripis729per

personsharingor904forsingle.

Contacttheparishon(01)838

8874orcallinat6,NewCabra

RoadPhibsborough,Dublin7.Or

emailinfo@ptrav.ie

AllonboardforLourdes

MattEnglishCEOofSpecialOlymp

icsIrelandwiththewinner

oftheAllIrelandGrannyoftheYear

SallyFagan,Dublin

(winner)andMargaretConnaughto

n,Galway(2ndplace)with

NellieJoyce,Navan(3rdplace)

Weblinks >>www.thirdagefoundation

.ie

6

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Getyourwritingpublished

YOUNGWRITERSshouldreachfort

heirpensoverthe

summer.TheUniver

sityofHertfordshirewantspeopleo

ffull

orpartRomani/Gypsy/Travellerheritageundertheageof25,

towriteabouttheirhopesandfears

.Thewritingcanbenon-

fiction,fictionorpoetry.Deadlineis

31July2009.

ACHANGEintheVisitingTeachers

Servicefor Travellersin

primaryschoolshasbeenwelcomedbythe

IrishPrimary

PrincipalsNetwork.TheDepartmentofEducationisto

establishasingleprogrammefrom

Septemberthatwillmerge

theTravellerservicewiththeHome

SchoolCommunity

LiaisonSchemeandtheSchoolCom

pletionProgramme

underasinglemanagement.

VoiceoftheTravellerwantstohearf

romVisitingTeachers

allaroundthecountry.Weknowgre

atworkisbeingdonein

schoolsandwedliketohearthesu

ccessstories!!

DUBLINS ONLYallTraveller

soccerteam-FCTown,arenow

proudlywearingtheirnewteam

crest.

Theteam,currentlypushingfor

promotioninDivisionTwoofthe

AmateurFootballLeague,were

profiledinVoiceoftheTraveller

lastyear.Arecentcompetition

callingonpeopletodesignthe

newteamcrestwaswonby

TomMcDonaghfromMohill,Co

Leitrim.Tomsexcellentdesign

hasahorseshoeontheoutside,

withanIrishFlag,acrossand

fourfootballs.

Abadgeofhonour

Weblinks >>www.bebo.com/voiceofth

etraveller

GardaMarkGavin,WaterfordComm

unityGardagetsJohnOReilly

toradiobacktobaseasBrigieORe

illylookson,attheTraveller

childrenphotographyexhibitioninW

aterfordLibraryrecently.

YellowFlaggetsthethumbsup!

StudentsenjoyingtheIrishTravellerMovement(ITM)YellowFlag

DebateinTrinitycollege.Thedebat

ewaspartoftheYellowFlag

DiversityinSchoolsinterculturaled

ucationprogramme.The

programmesmainaimistodevelo

papracticalseriesofstepsthat

bringsissuesofinterculturalism,eq

ualityanddiversityintothe

whole-schoolprogrammeandapply

themtothedaytodayrunning

oftheschool.

VisitingTeacherService

allshookup!

Weblinks >>www.herts.ac.uk/uhpres

s

9

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Memory LaneThe wedding ofmattie sweeney, Ballinrobe, Co Mayo,to winnie mcdonagh, Watery Road, Ennis. (L-R)Dave Sweeney (Matties Uncle); Winnie McDonagh; MattieSweeney; Michael Sweeney (Daves son); a Sherlock girl; Mrs

Sweeney (Daves wife).

leroymccarthy&hawleykeaneinsideabarrelwagon. hawleykeanewasamemberoftheEnnisCommitteeforTravellingPeople.StandinginthebackgroundareMrsSylviaMcCarthyandMrsDunne.

>>HERITAGE

martinmonganandmichael

monganoutsideabarrelwagononthe

WateryRoad,Ennis.

alexbrowne, hawleykeaneandmargaret

molloy attheMolloycampsiteoutsideEnnistymon,Co.

Clare.10

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sister ann kirrane with a group of young

Travellers in a Mini at a holiday camp Lahinch.

The photos on these pages are re-produced courtesy of the Ennis

Committee for Travelling People and with thanks to the photographer

Pat Galvin and website editor for Clare County Library, Maureen

Comber. In the coming months Voice of the Traveller will feature more

photographs from this unique collection housed by Clare County Library.

OutsideEnnisCathedralmrsdoherty,holdingbabyannkeenan,marymcdonagh,paddydoherty,mrskeenan.

oldnanny joycewithherdaughteralso

callednanny sentinbyBridgieMcDonnell,

Navan.

MembersofthehartyfamilyatGortRoad,Tulla.

11

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The continuing tale of Ellen, the youngTraveller girl as she has a run-in with a

farmers dog!

Ellen

>>HERITAGE

Ellen went out into the country with her-mother to sell the tin ware and paper flow-ers. It was a misleading day because oneminute it would rain and the next minuteit was sunshine and Ellen could never un-derstand why her mother would often calldays like this A nice fresh day with sunshowers because Ellen hated them.

As they walked down the long lane tothe farmers houses where Ellens motherhad loads of call backs from the farmers

wives and husbands. Ellen would watchtheir old horse Tom as he strolled slowlybehind them and waited outside everyhouse they went into.

Ellen was amazed at how much workher dad would do for the farmers. Theywould give her mother the buckets, basinsand any tin- ware or work that had to bemended around the houses/farm and havethem repaired and returned back the nextweek.

Ellen loved going into most of the farmers

houses because while her mother talkedto the farmers she would go and check outthe hens, ducks, pigs or any other animalthat may be there on the day and whenthey were ready to go Ellen would ask thewoman for few roulmougs (eggs) or dora(bread) or cullens (pototoes) or maybe fewapples.

One Saturday bright and early Ellen wentwith her mother and her sister and asusual Ellen was very excited because shewas going to one of the houses where there

were a lots of little chicks and new piglets.When Ellen reached the house she jumpedoff the cart and ran towards the farmershouse. Her mother called her back andtold her to wait for her and to be carefulof the dog but it fell on deaf ears as Ellenskipped off.

Everything was very quiet around thefarm then all of a sudden a loud screamrang out. Ellens mother and sister wentrunning towards the yard to see what hap-pened to her but before they got near thegate poor Ellen came running out of theyard screaming and two sheepdogs after

her. Ellens mother threw the mik can atthem and finally they ran back to wherethey came from. The farmers wife cameout to see what all the commotion wasabout but was shocked to see Ellen cov-ered in blood and her mother holding he

Straight away they took Ellen into thehouse to see how badly she was bitten bthe dogs but thankfully they only man-aged to give her a little bite on the thighand a few minor scrapes and bruises.

sobbed as her mother cleaned and washthe blood from her leg with some dettoland then covered the cut with bandage,feeling very sorry for herself.

She explained that when she ran into thfarm she didnt see the two dogs eatinguntil it was too late and ran straight intothem so of course they rounded on her achased her.

Finally when Ellen was all cleaned up anready to go the farmer asked Ellen if shewould like one of the puppies. Ellen was

delighted and said yes please!Not only dshe end up with a new puppy but also twchicks, one duck and lots of brown pen-nies for her pockets!!! What a turn out thday had been! As she looked down at henew pets she thought to herself that it walmost, almost worth it.

Ellen would ask thefarmers wife at the

door for a fewroulmougs or doraor cullens

12

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CAN YOU DANCE, sing, show off yourwagon? Well a month long summer fes-tival across the pond could be the placefor you.

From Cornwall in the south, to Cumbriain the north - Britains Traveller commu-nity will be out celebrating during June.Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month(GRTHM) will see a spectacular range ofevents taking place across the water fromhorse fairs to dancing, to story telling tolectures, the schedule is packed.Britains 300,000 Gypsies, Roma andTravellers have lived, worked and trav-elled throughout Britain for over 500years, yet we have been almost entirelywritten out of British history, said one of

the organisers Jack Bowers.

GRTHM celebrates our culture and his-tory by tackling the negative stereotypingand preju-

dices that have led to this situation.

But it is all about participating- and or-ganisers want you to get involved.If you can sing, dance, carve, tell sto-ries, read poems, play the spoons, showoff your old wagon or horses, or shareyour past in any way contact organisersto help put on an event or join in withanother in your area.

There is also a story telling competitionthat anyone can get involved with.In 2008 the first month was a hugesuccess, with hundreds of schools andorganisations getting involved.Thousands of people attended eventsacross Britain.

The excellent GRTHM website givesplenty of information about how you canget involved.

From Cornwall to Cumbria,Travellers & Roma have talent!

Words: David Lynch

Weblinks >>www.grthm.co.uk

Britain has over300,000 Gypsies, Roma

and Travellers..cultureto be celebrated- Jackie Bowers

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A foot in both camps

Julieanne (J): I come from a very strong Traveller culturalbackground and have always felt very proud of it. My fatherwas from Sligo and my mother from Galway. We stayed inan unofficial site in Ferbane, Co. Offaly for years and thereI got most of my schooling. My father had many skills, tinsmith, farriery and he could design and make wagons. Hehad great literacy skills whereas my mother was completelyilliterate. During the seventies we moved to Tullamore,eventually we got a house and I started to work in two of thefactories in Tullamore.

David Lynch (D): When and where did you meet your hus-

band?

J: In 1992 I met my husband in the Bridge House and we gotengaged the following year and were married in 1994. Weve

lived in Tullamore for the last eleven years. We have fivechildren two boys and three girls. My husband being a set-tled boy made no difference to my parents or family. It wasno shock because my older sister is also married to a settledlad. My parents never judged or made comments on us mar-rying settled boys.

D: How did your Traveller friends and family react to youmarrying a settled man?

J: There was no reaction at all, when I told my parents I wasgetting engaged they congratulated us and wished us luck,

the same as his parents and family. I suppose in all com-munities you will have the few people who will always makecomments.

Travellers involved in relationships withsettled partners have a unique insight intoboth communities. To find out more DavidLynch interviews Voice of the TravellersJulieanne Doorleyabout family, discrimination,identity and her own position in bothcommunities.

Julieann

epictu

husband

Bria

daughte

rsS

Leeane,s

ons

Pa.This

fam

atBrian

P

McDo

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D: Were you concerned or worried about marry-ing into a settled family?

J: Not a bit in the world, because I knew hisparents well before we got married and I knewthey were very aware of Travellers beforehand.I never thought myself different than them.Maybe I was very comfortable with myself andwho I was.

D: Were there any major cultural differences thatwere difficult to overcome at the time?

J: I suppose thinking back now I would have tosay there were a few but they were not difficultto overcome. My husband soon became awarethat my family didnt have to ring before theycame to visit with all their mad kids. Or theyjust might turn up anytime of the day or nightand beds would be made for them. After we gotmarried my mother taught him Cant because shefelt it very important for him to know because hewould be mixing with lots of Travellers.

D: What do you think of the term settled Travel-ler? How would you describe yourself?

J: I personally dont know why most Travellerscall themselves settled Travellers in my opinionliving in a house or halting or on the roadsideyoure still a Traveller. Living in a house doesntnecessarily mean you are different from theTraveller living in the halting site or the road-side. I believe Settled Traveller is a term usedby officials for Travellers who have been settledin a permanent accommodation. I would not callmyself settled Traveller. I am a Traveller whois settled and does not go travelling anymore,

except on holidays.

D: Were relationships between settled peopleand Travellers rare when you got married? Arethey more frequent now, or are there less ofthem?

J: Absolutely, nowadays it is more frequent.I have nieces and nephews also married tosettled people and I know in Tullamore and Birrthere are lots of Travellers and settled peoplemarried and living together. I personally believethat it makes no difference who youre marriedto as long as you are honest from the beginning

of your relationship and not hide your identity.

thher

ley,her

Zoeand

andBria

n

otwasta

ken

ddingto

Albie

astsumm

er.

MY MOTHER is a Traveller and my father is settled.Even though everyone knows my mother is a Travellerit makes no difference. We are who we are and thats it.My family and I were basically reared as settled peoplein town. When my mother told the family she was aTraveller it didnt make any difference to us and nothingchanged.

Fifty years ago my parents met while working in a fac-tory in Tullamore, they fell in love and married We werelike every other family in Tullamore, a middle class hardworking family. I have three children for my first hus-

band and I have twochildren from mysecond marriage. Myown children knowthat I am a halfTraveller and theirgranny is a full Trav-eller and they dontmind at all. My second husband has a very strong Travel-ler surname and I find it very difficult to get interviews orjobs because of his surname. I have handed my C.V. intolots of places for jobs and the minute I say my marriagename they always makes excuses and I dont even get tothe interviews.

Even though I am half Traveller I knew nothing aboutthem. It was only when Travellers moved in beside us nextdoor that I became aware that they were different thanus. They had a completely different lifestyle than us.There are of course differences between Travellers andsettled people, Travellers stand out a lot. Especially inpubs because when Travellers go into pubs the womenmostly sit together and the men sit on their own at theother side of the pub so you can always identify a groupof Travellers.

I personally never experienced any descrimination.I was once attending a course and Travellers were men-tioned but I noticed that when I mentioned that I was

half Traveller they looked at me and said Well you dontlook or talk like Travellers. I smiled and said I wouldnever deny who I am.

Frances Bracken livesin Tullamore and is themother of five. Shewas brought up asa settled person anddidnt know until laterin life that her mother

was a Traveller.

We are who we

are and thats it.

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Were out and about again withLaura Green from Voice of theTraveller. This time she headed Westand met some interesting charactersalong the way..

VOICEAROUNDTHE COUNTRY

ThisstatueattheentrancetoBangor

marksthespotwherefamiliesstopped

towaveofftheirlovedonesasthey

setoffonfoottoleaveIrelandintheh

opeofabetterlife.Duringthe

faminetimesandafterwardsthewom

enandchildrenwouldwalkas

farasthisspottobidfarewelltothem

enastheylefttofindwork.Itisa

beautifulbutmelancholysetting.

16

I started my trip to the West in Belmullet. En route I came across the

Musical Bridge which crosses over the Owenmore River and is a local

tourist attraction. Tradition says that if it is your first time crossing the

bridge, you must take one of the stones lying around and go from one end

of the bridge to the other tapping the stone on the top cap stones of the

bridge as you go. It really is true that the capstones on the bridge havedifferent tones and sounds like an old fashioned music box!

Next Stop America!Arriving in Belmullet, I went to meet with Rose Conway-

Walsh at the offices of Iorras Le Cheile Community

Development Project (CDP) This group provides support

and facilities meeting the needs of disadvantaged

groups in the community.

Next stopI moved on to Ballina and called in to see the

learners at St. Catherines Centre of Education and

Training. Many of them are studying for the Junior

Certificate exams and are getting on great.

YoungLearnersinSt.CatherinesCET

JohnMaughanandBrianLawrence

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My final stop in Mayo was a meeting with Neil Sheridan, Mayo Travellers

Inter Agency Forum. Neil is a big fan of the magazine and said I think

the magazine is a wonderful publication, bright and colourful and the

covers are excellent. I would like to see more community based articles

profiling local projects, how they have worked or not and the difficulties

highlighted as this would help other organisations in their endeavours.

One of the events Neil is involved in is the annualTraveller/Gardai Soccer Tournament which

takes place every year in July. Supported

by the FAI, the tournament has been a

great success and has a great social

element for everyone involved.WehopetomakeV

oiceAroundthe

Countryaregularfeaturesoifyouwo

uld

likearepresentativefromtheVoiceof

the

Travellertovisityourcentre,please ge

t

intouchwithLaura.Emaillaura.greene

@

natc.ieorphone09064 98017.

Salmon & Mardi GrasI met with James Maughan and Imelda Christy, Youth Workers at Parkside CDP next and

got a tour of their new premises in Ballina. James feels that education is of the utmost

importance and has made a huge difference in my life.He told me that preparations are

well underway for the Ballina Salmon Festival, a weeklong festival held in July ending with

the spectacular Mardi Gras Parade. Children in the 10 to 12 year old group from Parkside

are in full swing rehearsing for the event. Their Hip-Hop Dance Troup are taking a six week

dance course to perfect their routine as well as designing and making their own costumes.

Their theme this year is Children Against Poverty

CastlebarAt the offices of Mayo Travellers Support Group I was privileged to bump into

one of the founders ofVoice of the Traveller, Philomena Browne. Originally

from Donegal, Philomena is now with the Department of Education as a

Visiting Teacher responsible for 42 schools in the Mayo area. She has seen

many changes over the past ten years in the area of Traveller education: Years

ago, there would have been very few Traveller children staying in school after

primary school, but now almost all are staying in school until Junior Cert level

at least, and attendance would be very good. Asked about her work and how

is has changed over the years, Philomena said most of my work is now focusedon helping individual children and working in conjunction with parents and

resource teachers. I really love my work and I get great satisfaction from it. I

know I have really made a difference in the lives of the children I teach. I feel

that over the years a positive attitude has developed toward travellers in schools

and they do get the opportunity to celebrate their cultural differences and well

as their similarities the magazine is fantastic and should be available in every

school library.

The co-ordinator of Mayo Travellers Support Group, Mona Munyikway said the

Voice of the Travellermagazine is a fantastic resource for them. The support

group are very proud of their achievements in the area of education, especially

the completion of the Culturally Appropriate Parenting Training Programme

which took almost three years to develop. The group also assists with advocacyaround accommodation and works on issues with Travellers Accommodation

Coordinating Committees, reps from Travellers, organisations and councillors. I

am sure we will be hearing more from this venture in the future.

NeilSheridan,MayoTravellers

InteragencyForum

PhilomenaBrown,anoriginalfounde

rof

VoiceoftheTraveller

JamesMaughanandImeldaChristy

YouthworkersatParksideCDP

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Photos courtesy of Derek Speirs>>www.rte.ie/tv

/writtenoff

Weblinks

YOU MIGHT have seen it on the box overthe last few weeks. RTEs Written Offfollows the journey of eight people fromvery different backgrounds as they try andimprove their reading and writing skills.All eight started a six weekend course atMoyvalley Hotel, Co. Kildare, where theymix class-work with personal developmentchallenges.

The TV show is run by the National Adult

Literacy Agency (NALA).This year any viewer can call the NALAFreephone line and get materials posted tothem to help them follow the course. TheFreephone support line is 1800 20 20 65.

NALA has also developed a new websitewww.writeon.ie that allows adults thefreedom to study in their own time toimprove their skills and get a nationalqualification.

In 1997 an international report looked intohow Irish adults could handle differenttypes of reading and numeracy taskswhich crop up regularly in work and indaily life. Things like reading timetables,

the labels on medicine bottles, or calculat-ing and estimating quantities.The report said that one in four (about halfa million) Irish adults have problems witheven the simplest literacy tasks.

Many people have literacy and numeracdifficulties but there should be no stigmor embarrassment about it- because thosands of people are in the same boat.

Many of the people with literacy difficulties in Irish society did not get the benefiof free second level education as it wasonly introduced in 1967.NALA want to show that learning is a liflong process. If you dont use reading an

writing skills every day you can get outof practise. So get in touch and dont bwritten off.

Thousands of Irish adults have difficulties with reading and writing. The everyday thingsthat most of us take for granted such as filling in official forms or reading the label on amedicine bottle can prove impossible for some. However there is plenty of help out there,

and a very successful RTE Show is leading the way, writes David Lynch.

Dont get written off!

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Shades of

BLUE

The relationship between the Traveller community

and An Garda Sochna is changing for the better with

special training initiatives giving Garda better insightinto Traveller Culture. Voice of the Travellerspoke to

one trainee Garda about his fortnight spent in Our

Ladys Centre of Education in Mallow.

WHEN TRAINEE GARDA CATHAL MURPHY

REACHED OURLADYS TRAVELLER

TRAININGCENTRE IN MALLOW HE WAS A

LITTLE UNDERWHELMED.The centre is in an industrial estate on

the outskirts of Mallow town, he said.

When you arrive, from the outside it

looks like just another dull office.

But his downbeat initial impression

changed once the door opened.

You step in and find yourself in this

warm Aladdins cave full of Traveller arts,

Words: David Lynch

Photographs: Clare Keogh

Superintendent Pat SheehDistrict Officer Cobh, Sergea

Michael Kelleher and stud

Garda, Cathal Murp

pictured at Cobh GaStation, Co Co

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crafts, history and culture. I was given

such a warm welcome by everyone there.

As part of phase two of his practical

training, Garda Murphy was to spend two

weeks in Our Ladys centre. All students

have a two week placement, and many

spend time in local Traveller training

centres.

It was to be a steep learning curve- by

the end of the fortnight, Garda Murphy

could speak some Cant, organised a voting

registration drive and on the final day was

literally sung out by the learners.

It was a hugely beneficial experience, for

me, but I hope also for the Travellers in the

centre, he told Voice of the Traveller.

In a relaxed situation like that you

can help take down some of the barriers

that are there, and interact in a more

approachable way.

Garda Murphy, is a little older than the

average Templemore student. The 35 year

old, is a former social worker and studied

Psychology at UCC. Originally from Cork,

he spent time in school in Leitrim. It was

in that county with such a long tradition

of local Traveller culture, he had his first

interactions with the community.

In truth I had limited experience with

Travellers before my time in Our Ladys,

he said.

When I was in school in Leitrim there

were Travellers living on the edge of town.

As a young lad I would have had a certain

fascination about their nomadic lives and

the mystique around it.

There were a few Traveller lads in our

class, and I noticed that they were absent

in second level. I learned during my time

at the centre, talking to the Travellers

there, that absenteeism from school was a

problem in the community.

The highlight of his time in Our Ladys

was a game of football organised between

Garda and local Travellers.

I put the call out and trainee Garda and

others came from as far away as Middleton

and Cobh to get involved. I think a small

thing like that shows there is a real desire

to meet in positive ways.

A match is informal and it is probably

good for both Garda and Travellers to meet

in those settings.

These meetings are seen as beneficial by

many involved in training centres across

the country.

We have been taking Garda on

Therewassuchwarmththere,andsuchapassionforlearningandalsoaprideintheirculture.

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Changing Times

placement for the past two years and it

has been a very positive experience, said

Michael Brennan from St. Canices Centres

of Education and Training in Portlaoise.

Among the learners the reaction has

been really very good. By meeting the

guard in the centre, getting to know them,

it shows they have a human face.There are currently few Travellers among

the ranks of An Garda Sochna. When

Travellers interact with Garda it can often

be in confrontational or stressful times.

National Traveller organisations have

raised concerns that the community often

feels over policed.

But some believe that interactions

between individual Garda and Travellers

outside a policing setting can help to

improve relations.

It is also beneficial for the Garda

themselves, they get an insight intoTraveller culture, and also they meet

Travellers as individuals, said Michael

Brennan.

Garda Murphy certainly agrees that

his placement in Mallow deepened his

knowledge of the community. He speaks of

his time there with obvious fondness and

warmth.

In particular it was interesting to talk to

the older Travellers. I think I got an insight

into the richness of Traveller culture, I

learned some words of Cant. Glimmer forfire stuck in my mind, as well of course as

Lackeen and Subla for girl and boy.

I now know how very important faith,

family and institutions such as marriage

are in the community.

I wasnt in uniform during the first

week. There can be a barrier there with the

uniform, and I wanted to ease that at the

start and make it easy going.

Earlier this year elections were in the air

and Garda Murphy set about helping to

broaden the electorate in Mallow.

I found out that most of the Travellersdidnt vote or were not even registered. So

with the help of the local Garda community

officer Liam Doyle, we helped to register

most of the learners in the centre.

I think it was important, because for

some Travellers they would be reluctant

to go to the Garda station to do something

like registering to vote- because the station

can be associated with being in trouble.

One Traveller lady in her 60s came up to

me, and she said she was so thankful that

she got registered. She said she had nevervoted in her entire life.

Even if the older generation did not

vote, just by registering, it might make

their sons and daughters more likely to.

Will the experience help in his future

career?

I really like to think so; I will keep in

touch with Our Ladys. There was such

warmth there, and such a passion for

learning and also a pride in their culture.

* Garda Murphy wanted to thank Bernie

OLiathain at Mallow training centre, and histraining Sergeant Michael Kelleher.

* Shade is the Cant word for Garda

Contact

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Some of the kids were surprised to see Gardathere. But we thought it was important to invitethem in. Its all about trying to break down some ofthe barriers.

That is according to youth worker Patricia Cawley,

who recently invited localGarda to make a certificatepresentation in Ballinasloe youth project. Shesaid its important that the kids see the Gardai asapproachable. Kids can sometimes find the Gardaintimidating so it was nice for them to meet a Garda

for a good reason.Local community Garda, John Scully was on handto present the certificates to young students whocompleted a multi media course.

Its important that thekids see the Garda as

approachable

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Contact

Voiceo

fthe

Traveller

withyou

r

storie

sandph

otos

ofsuccess!W

edlove

tofeaturethe

m

BernieWard,brotherofLyndseyWard

(picturedbelow)fromTuamwhoisam

ember

oftheFCPermanentDefenceForces

Lyndsey Ward with her proud parents John and Mary and sisters Jacquie and Jane pictured on

her graduation from NUI Galway with a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree.

RecipientsofExchangeHouseEducatio

nAwardspicturedfollowingtheirprize

givingcermony

withtheMayorofDublin,EibhlinByrn

e

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MOnEy aDviCE & buDGETinG sERviCE (Mabs)

The cost of tying the knot

The big dressWe all know people who got their

wedding dresses online. There aresome great bargains on new dressesto be ound on the likes o eBay. Youno longer need a credit card with Topup Cards and Cheque Payment options

available.

Use your headSet yoursel a budget or everything. Doa bit o research to nd the best deals outthere. Shop around! Once you have yourbudget set, make a realistic list o what

you actually need the dresses, suit hire,shoes, accessories, cake, fowers, transport,entertainment and catering.

FootwearShoes can be a massive expense or

your wedding day. You only wear themonce so why not borrow them rom arelation that got married beore you or

buy an inexpensive pair on the high

street. Remember you barely see themunder the dress

Does the big day mean a big hole in your pocket? MABS have put together

some cost cutting tips to help you out. For more advice on money matters

contact your local MABS office.

>>www.mabs.ie

Weblinks

Flowers, cars etcI you are a parent and nd yoursel

paying or a son or daughters weddingin the uture, remember the ollowing:

borrow accessories rom amily, shoparound in second hand shops or the

buy and sell, use contacts do youhave a amily member who is goodat fower arranging? Can you use a

riends ancy car?

Food for thought

The Cost o Catering has sky rocketedby nearly 100% over the last ten years.

With the majority o weddings now

opting or buet and nger ood itsnot only more cost eective but gets

people mingling earlier in the day..

AccessorisingAccessorising need not cost a bomb.With the launch o designer exchangeshops around Ireland that must have

accessory may only cost a raction othe price.

The Big PictureDont put yoursel under unneces-sary nancial strain. Getting engageddoesnt mean getting married straightaway. Plan and save or the big day

and start your lives together debt ree.Its all about planning.be realistic,

set yoursel an amount, come up witha plan o action and stick to it. Most o

all.enjoy your special day!

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WeddingProfileThismonthsfeaturedweddingisMelissaStokesand

MichaelMcDonnellwhowedinLongfo

rdinApril.

leavinghome

MelissaStokeswithherproudparen

ts.

cuttingthecake

MelissaandMichaelwiththeirbeau

tifulcastlecakein

theweddingpartycoloursofwhitea

ndyellow.

goingtothechapel

ArrivinginstyleMelissaandherfath

erTomintheirhorsedrawncarriage

.

snaphappy

TomStokes,PaddyNevin,TonyStok

es,Martin

NevinwithbabyKieron.

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youngloveGazingadoringlyateachother.

theweddingpartyRitaandOwenposewiththeirproudfamilies.

afewgoodmenMembers ofthe weddingparty.

Photographs courtesy of Bernard Doherty Pro-EventPhotography. Tel: 085-1255222 for details.

dressedtoimpressTonyStokes,DavidNevin,LisaNevinandMartinNevin.

posingforapicOutsidetheirreceptioninEnniskillen

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Out&About

onthebeat!EvanandMartinQuilligankeepingthestreetsofTraleesafe!!SentinbytheirauntieLisa.

VoiceoftheTravellerisdelightedto

printaselectionofourreaderspho

tographs!

Ifyouhaveaphotographathomet

hatyouwouldliketoseeinthema

gazinepleasesenditin

tousbypostoremailvoiceofthetraveller@natc.ie

ThisisapictureofmydaughterJen

nife

Boyle.Sheisfourteenyearsold.She

is

onlychildandIamveryproudofhe

r.

Jenniferisdoingalotofstudyforhe

rJ

Certthisyear.Ijustwanttowishhe

ra

bestinherexamsBestofluckJenni

fer

Lovealwaysmammy(BridgetBoyle

S

CanicesTrainingCentre,Portlaoise

)

EllieMcDonaghpicturedathersup

rise

21stBirthdaypartythrownbyherfa

mi

andfriendsattheTFCastlebarwhe

re

agreatnightwashad!SentinbyEl

lie

sisterMaryandcousinsTeresa,Win

n

Christina&KathleenMcDonagh.

proudaspunch

DaveyJoycefromNavanwithhispa

rentsandgrandparentshelping

himcelebratehisbigday.

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welldone!

JohnDonohuereceivinghisExchang

eHouse,National

ExcellenceAwardfromDublinLord

MayorEibhlinByrne.

paddleyourowncanoe

SouthsideTravellersmensgroup onakayakin

goutingrecently!

saycheese!Lisa,BabyPatrickandPatrickM

cDonaghareallsmilesinDublin.

wedding day memories

Roselena Harty, her brother Johnny and sister Noreenholding a picture of their father Neddy Harty (R.I.P.)

weddedblissMichaelandBridgetQuigley,Letterkenny,renewingtheirmarriagevowsaftertenhappyyearstogether.

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Out&About

topofthecl

assCatrionaStokes,MargaretMcCa

rthy,

ShanicePower,RachelMcDonagh,E

mmaMcDonaghand

ChristinaJoyceproud

lydisplayingtheirmedalsfromExch

ange

HouseNationalEducationalAchievementAwards.

the next generation

Tom McDonnell with his first great grandson

John Christopher Nevinfirstholyco

mmunion

SallyJoycewithherfamilyMaryElle

nandDaveyReilly,Mary,

Joe,John,MaggieandJohnJoyce.

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natc are pleased to announce their

new training schedule commencing

september 2009

UCC Diploma in Youth & Community WorkThis is a two year part-time programme and is open to thosewho are interested in working with young people and/or in acommunity setting as either as a volunteer or in professionalcapacity.

UCC Diploma in Non-Formal Guidance

This is a two year part-time programme. This course aims toprovide training and skills development to participants to fur-ther their work with young people at risk and to provide thenecessary knowledge regarding support systems both withinand outside their community.

The STEPS Forward ProgrammeNATC are delighted to announce that the date for applicationfor this programme has been extended. The programme willstart in September 2009 and applications will be accepted up

to August the 31st 2009.

Travellers & Employment: Facilitation Skills TrainingThis is for trainers, group leaders and those working withTravellers in the area of employment and training. It will enableTravellers to engage more effectively around the area ofemployment.

further information on these programmes can befound on www.natc.ie or call the natc offices on

090 6498016