Traveller rights bill voted down in Irish Parliament – but the fight for ethnic recognition goes on

Traveller rights bill voted down in Irish Parliament – but the fight for ethnic recognition goes on

The Irish Dail last night voted down a Sinn Fein motion pushing for more rights for Travellers, including calling for the State to grant a legal ethnic minority status to Travellers, in the face of mounting anger from a community “traumatised and angry” in the aftermath of the Carrickmines tragedy.

Brigid Quilligan, Director of the Irish Traveller Movement gave her reaction to the Traveller’s Times:

“Traveller ethnicity is a matter of fact and we will continue to put pressure on the government to recognise our people,” she said.

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams launched the Private Members Motion which addressed the discrimination and marginalisation of Travellers in Irish society, soon after the Carrickmines tragedy in which 10 people, including five children, died in a fire at a Traveller site.

Speaking about the motion for more Travellers rights, Gerry Adams said:

“The tragic deaths caused by the fire at Carrickmines has brought a focus to the issue of Travellers rights. That it took the deaths of ten members of the Travelling community to bring this issue to the fore is a tragedy in itself. It is my strong view that we should not let this awful event pass without trying to ensure that some good comes from it.”

The motion was defeated by 39 votes to 58 with the leading partner in the coalition Government – the Labour Party – voting against Sinn Fein. Brigid Quilligan was among forty Travellers who was at Leinster House – the Irish seat of government - to watch the debate and the vote.

“Yet again we had to sit in the gallery and look down on others making decisions about us,” she said. “The point is that there is no Traveller in there representing us, it seems like a closed shop and we have to hear disgusting things being said about our people without having a chance to answer back.”

The vote came amidst increasing political activity and protest from Travellers all across Ireland.

“Since Carrackmines, the level of anger has been unprecedented,” said Brigid Quilligan. “The people on that site had been complaining about the safety and conditions for years before. There is a lot of anger and our people are traumatised by what happened and wanting change. Travellers are turning up to demonstrations, going on social media forums, going on radio shows all across Ireland demanding better living conditions and rights.”

She added that the campaign for ethnic recognition and social and civil rights had been a long one and that she was not disheartened by the set back. “It has put it back on the political agenda with an election coming next year,” she said.

Picture caption: Traveller campaigners outside the Dail

l-r Maria Joyce; National Traveller women's Forum, Brigid Quilligan; Irish Traveller Movement, Patrick Nevin; Minceirs Whidden; Martin Collins; Pavee Point.