Irish Traveller Movement

The Irish Travellers Movement (ITM) is a national organisation for members of the Travelling community and Traveller organisations in Ireland.

Irish Travellers Movement
Founded1990
Location
  • 4-5 Eustace Street, Dublin
FieldsIrish Travellers
Key people
Bernard Joyce
Websiteitmtrav.ie

History

The Irish Travellers Movement (ITM) was founded in 1990,[1] with the chairperson Catherine Joyce.[2] They represent 40 local and national Traveller groups from the island of Ireland.[3]

Core Activities

The ITM collects and publishes data and reports relating to living conditions, educational prospects, and other aspects of the lives of Irish Travellers. They advocate for:

  • They campaign for equality for Travellers in all aspects of life
  • They promote pride in the culture and identity of the Travelling community
  • They promote and produce evidence based solutions for all issues affecting the Travelling community[3]

The Movement has been one of the groups, alongside Pavee Point, who have partnered with groups advocating for the Roma community.[4] They have partnered with organisations such as St Stephen's Green Trust on programmes such as Travellers in Prison Initiative.[5] They have held initiatives such as Traveller Focus Week from 2004.[6] ITM was one of the groups which submitted recommendations to a Seanad Committee on the inclusion of Travellers in Irish public life.[7] During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ITM highlighted the difficulty the Travelling communities have relating to access to clean water, toilets, and the cramped sites on which many families live.[8] In response to the protests and demonstrations after the death of George Floyd, ITM joined with other Traveller groups in calling for an "end to racism".[9]

Traveller Pride Week

The ITM is the coordinator of the Traveller Pride Week, which hosts the Traveller Pride Awards. They established the awards in 2009.[10] Awards are given out across 7 fields: community, enterprise and employment, sport, education, intersectionality, youth, arts/culture, and music. Past winners have included Laura Angela Collins and Oein DeBhairduin.[11]

References
  1. Bannon Ward, Shaun (2019-12-02). "An Irish Traveller's path to higher education". Trinity News. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  2. Kenrick, Donald (2007). The A to Z of the Gypsies (Romanies). Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 130. ISBN 1-283-63920-3. OCLC 817820579.
  3. "What is ITM?". Irish Travellers Movement. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  4. Hennessy, Mark (15 November 2013). "Irish Travellers' leader warns of a direct action campaign to come". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  5. "TPI Background". St Stephens Green Trust. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  6. O'Rourke, Aisling (4 December 2007). "Social inclusion the focus of Travellers' Week | Magill". magill.ie. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  7. Barry, Aoife. "A permanent seat in the Seanad should be reserved for Travellers, says new Seanad report". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  8. Holl, Kitty; Correspondence, Social Affairs (25 May 2020). "Traveller realities amid the pandemic: 'I thought I'd never see a sup from a tap again'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  9. O'Brien, Tim (9 June 2020). "Travellers urge end to racism as George Floyd buried". The Irish Times. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  10. "Traveller Pride". Irish Travellers Movement. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  11. "Inspiring Winners of 9th Traveller Pride Awards Pavee Point". Retrieved 2020-06-11.
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