The Mayo News

Fr Micheál Mac Gréil has claimed the position of Travellers in Ireland is one of ‘informal apartheid’.
Priest calls for an end to Traveller apartheid

A leading Mayo-based sociologist has claimed that the position of Travellers in Ireland today is one of ‘informal apartheid’.
Speaking at a seminar, ‘Celebrating Traveller Culture’, in the National Museum of Country life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Fr Micheál Mac Gréil said public attitudes to Travellers indicated a level of intolerance which makes it difficult for local authorities in Mayo and other countries to implement a policy of pluralist integration based on equality. In such circumstances the State may be forced to defend travellers’ rights against public opinion.
Said Fr Mac Gréil: “Hopefully, when Travellers are treated adequately, their conditions will improve and, in turn, change the attitudes to more reasonable and just dispositions. This will reverse the negative vicious circle of antagonistic attitudes leading to cynical behaviour, resulting in deprived conditions. When conditions for Travellers are improved, the attitudes of the settled people will become positive and this will, in turn, lead to supportive behaviour and further improve the conditions for Travellers.”
While acknowledging the many good developments which have taken place over the years, thanks to statutory and voluntary agencies and initiatives of Travellers themselves, Fr Mac Gréil said the overall position of Travellers had not improved sufficiently.
He suggested that the following measures be implemented:
(a) The establishment of a Commission to carry out a comprehensive review of statutory and voluntary policy with the aim of enabling the pluralist integration of the Travelling community in Irish society.
(b) A concerted effort on behalf of the State and the voluntary organisations to support Travellers in their efforts to put an end to the ‘culture of poverty’, in which many Travelling families have been trapped.
(c) Substantial support for the degree of institutional duplication (ie separate schools, etc) is required for the preservation of cultural traits and the handing on of the Traveller tradition to the young.
(d) Improvements in the media’s communications about the Travelling community should place more emphasis on positive traits and achievements. “The current negative stereotyping of Travellers is, in my opinion, largely due to continuous reporting and commentary on negative behaviour of a minority of Travellers,” he said.
(e) Within the Travelling community, the young should be made aware of the norms of settled people and urged to respect those norms. The young of the settled community should also be made familiar with the culture of Travellers and encouraged to respect it. A greater degree of mutual understanding between Travellers and settled people is urgently required.
(f) Opportunities of favourable contact between members of the settled and Travelling communities should be fostered at local level, eg Church services, sport, informal entertainment, join projects, etc. Favourable contact is the most effective way of reducing prejudice.
(g) Anti-discrimination legislation should be applied and enforced with great diligence in relation to Travellers. A special Ombudsperson for Travellers would be a worthwhile investment, at least in the medium term.
Fr Mac Gréil said the implementation of these measures was essential for the pluralist integration of Travellers, on the basis of total equality in relation to housing, work, education, religious practice, health, community support, recreation and cultural development.
He added: “The current overall situation of this minority is very serious and calls for urgent attention at national and local level. The arrival of non-Irish minorities to live in Ireland also deserves attention and the necessary support, but this is not a reason for us to neglect our indigenous minority, whose members are part of what we are. Ireland could well be judged as a fair and just society by the manner in which we address in a radical way the challenge of the pluralist integration of the Travellers.”

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