30 years of

88 Pages·2012·36.98 MB·English

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No communities in Ireland have been as consistently tarred and feathered as the v 30 years of
Travellers and the Roma. If a lie is repeated often enough it becomes the “truth”. e
One of the true triumphs of Traveller and Romani life in Ireland in recent years e Pavee
is the culture’s ability to be tremendously resilient in the face of naked racism.

P
Critical to the ongoing success of Pavee Point is the fact that for 30 years the
organization has had the ability to look from both within and without, clearly o
identifying the issues confronting not only Irish Travellers but amongst wider i
Irish society too, from the top of the political echelon to the smaller, more n
anonymous corners. Here are the the facts: the Travellers and the Roma are ethnic t
Point
minorities. They are, and have been, subject to intense racism in Ireland. For us
to move forward – as a thinking, vibrant democracy – we must acknowledge those
two essential pillars and open the gateposts from there.
Colum McCann
Photographs by Derek Speirs
€20.00 Edited, written and compiled by
Ronnie Fay and Caoimhe McCabe
Pavee Point Publications

30 years of
Pavee Point
Photographs by Derek Speirs
Edited, written and compiled by
Ronnie Fay and Caoimhe McCabe
This book is dedicated to the memory of John O’Connell, our
inspiration, founding member and first director of Pavee Point
1985-1999, and to all the Travellers, Roma and supporters who
have shared our journey through the years.
We fondly remember those with whom we travelled and who are no
longer with us, among whom are: Nellie Joyce, Kathleen McDonnell,
Colly Power, Chrissie Joyce, Annie Maughan, Julia Collins, Sheila
Keenan, Mary Lawrence and Martin (Keenan) Collins.
We acknowledge and thank all the staff, Board and Trust members,
funders and the many others who have stood in solidarity with us
through the years.
This publication has been made possible through the legacy of
the late Margaret Gleeson, formerly of RTE, who was a supporter
John O’Connell 1949-1999
of our work in struggling for Travellers’ human rights.
“Open up our minds, and more importantly
our imaginations, take another look at the
notion of nomadism in the lives of Travellers,
and see it not as an aberration, but as a
fulfilling and humane form of existence”
John O’Connell, ‘Pavee Pictures’ 1991
Preface
It is hard to believe that it is over 31 years since cluding racism, poverty and official neglect. And
I started working with Travellers and Roma. despite the official neglect and discrimination
From early days, Travellers opened their homes the hope that can still come from the support
and hearts to me and always made me feel most from some individuals who may be civil serv-
welcome. The trailers and housing they live ants, teachers, politicians, journalists, health
in may have changed through the years; the workers, employers, or Garda but who share an
Traveller’s ‘kettle of tea’ is something you rarely anger and compassion for the conditions faced
see now and the hairstyles and dress style may by Travellers in 21st century Ireland.
be different, but the nature of that initial warm Shortly after I first started to work with
welcome remains the same. Travellers I remember being appalled when a
It has been my privilege to get to know Traveller woman told me that in her children’s
Published 2015 Travellers the length and breathe of Ireland. school there was a white line drawn across the
Copyright © text Pavee Point My relationship with Travellers has shaped my playground and the Traveller children had to
Copyright © photographs Derek Speirs adult life. My work with Travellers has afforded play on one side of the line, while all the ‘coun-
me opportunities that I would otherwise never try’ (settled) children played on the other side.
Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre, have had. I hope in return, that working with That her children were given a shower every
46 North Great Charles Street, many others, I have in some way contributed morning when they went into school and fre-
Dublin 1 to the positive developments in recent years, in quently returned home in different clothes from
email: [email protected] particular the emergence of the voice of Travel- what they had worn into school. She was angry
www.paveepoint.ie lers themselves in a way that would been rare and frustrated about both the attitudes in the
in the mid 1980’s and before the emergence of school and the dreadful conditions in her halting
Design and layout Pat Pidgeon Pavee Point and other Traveller groups. site and wanted something done about it.
The tragedy in Carrickmines in October 2015 It was not just the actions that made me
Printed by Nicholson & Bass Ltd, which resulted in the death of 10 Travellers, angry but it was the mind-set behind the ac-
adults and children who died in a horrific fire on tions: the lack of any interaction by the princi-
ISBN 1 897598 33 5 a temporary halting site that existed for 8 years, pal with the Traveller families whose children
has provided a brief insight into the conditions attended the school; the casual acceptance by
Citation: Fay, R. and McCabe, C. (2015) that continue to be experienced by many Travel- teachers of the segregation of children from
30 Years of Pavee Point. lers in Ireland today. The tragedy demonstrates a young age; the thoughtlessness on the long
Published by Pavee Point. how far we still have to go to ensure Travellers term impact of these policies on all children in
are treated as equal citizens. the school. Worst of all, I was to learn, it was
Photo on cover: National Traveller Art From the early days in the mid 1980’s despite not an aberration, but was undertaken with
Festival Pavee Point May 1992 the levels of poverty, it was the pride in their the sanction of the Department of Education at
Photo on back: Brigid Collins entering Pavee identity, their families, their faith, their com- the time.
Point, November 1993 munity strength and their resilience in face of Ironically this was at a period in the 1980’s
adversity that impressed me and continues to when Ireland was held up as a beacon for the
impress me to this day. If there is a consist- world in the fight against racism and apartheid
ent theme that emerges from this book it is the in South Africa following the brave stance of the
determination of a small minority to struggle Dunne’s Stores Strikers. The reason why such
against the huge inequalities they have faced in- practices in Irish schools have (mostly) found
their way into the dust-bin of history is because we have also challenged these communities to
of the combined voice of Travellers with the sup- address sensitive issues such as drug misuse,
port of bodies such as Pavee Point. conflict, consanguinity, violence against women,
There have been huge, often enforced changes child protection, sexuality and the concerns of
in the Traveller way of life since the 1980’s. The LGBTQ Travellers and Roma.
impact of these changes, featured in this book We have developed and published a range of
have been both negative and positive. The most resources, factsheets, policy papers and research
striking development for me is the emergence of reports throughout the years. We have provided
so many Irish Travellers, both men and women, information to thousands of students, journal-
as strong and effective advocates for their own ists, policy makers and the general public.
community. It is also remarkable what can be We have worked with the media and provided
done when the will is there. We do have exam- speakers to give a Traveller perspective on
ples of beautifully designed halting sites and whatever the current crisis is.
group housing schemes; of positive and intercul- Turning around a situation where Travel-
tural approach to education in some schools and lers could be talked about freely and negatively
wonderful primary health care projects where it on the media without ever being challenged to
is the older Traveller women that often take the a situation where stereotyping would at least
lead. be challenged and where balance was sought
I have also witnessed changes over the last because there was now an organisation who
few decades that have been less positive. The could provide articulate speakers with a differ-
continued high levels of unemployment and pov- ent perspective.
erty and continued shunning of Travellers that I have been proud to work with my col-
has prised open fault lines within the Traveller league and friend Martin Collins as Co-Director
community and has contributed to unacceptable of Pavee Point and before Martin with John
anti-social behaviour. These remain significant O’Connell, the first Director of Pavee Point who
issues that demand the support of the State contributed greatly to my own personal develop-
which continues to gloss over and ignore the ment and for whom I continue to have immense
causes of these fault-lines. respect and who died so much before his time.
I am very proud of the contribution we made To the great guidance, insight and support from
to the development of the local and national Anastasia Crickley as Chairperson of Pavee
Traveller infrastructure throughout the country Point who brought a ‘political’ as well as aca-
and to Traveller policy development. I am disap- demic rigour to our work; to my family and all
May 1988, Avila Park Finglas Ronnie Fay chats to young Geraldine Collins along with Nell Collins Mary McCann, Sheila Reilly and Biddy McDonagh pointed that Traveller ethnicity has still not who I have worked with.
been formally recognised by the State or that I am touched and thankful for the sup-
many of the policies we contributed so hard to port, prayers and encouragement I receive
developing have not been implemented. That is from Travellers and Roma throughout Ireland
why we continue to lobby for the establishment in my battles with cancer. They pray for and
of an independent statutory Traveller agency to with me; bring me to Holy Priests and curing
drive the implementation of policy in the areas places. They send me mass bouquets and Holy
of health, education, accommodation, economic water from all over the world. They encourage
development and culture. me to keep fighting my illness and to show the
In Pavee Point we have occupied a difficult strength and courage they have in abundance in
space throughout the years. As well as chal- face of adversity.
lenging State inaction on Travellers and Roma, Ronnie Fay
Contents
Foreword 12
Introduction 14
Beginnings 26
Community Development 34
Education 42
Health 50
Economic Activity 60
Roma 68
Accommodation 78
Gender 88
Drugs and Emerging Issues 96
Youth and Children 106
Cultural Action 114
Discrimination 124
Mediation 132
Lobbying 140
Traveller Infrastructure 150
Solidarity and Partnership 158
Pavee Point Publications 168
April 1980, Collins family in their Tigeen, Avila Park, Finglas, Dublin
Foreword
“Let us not look back to the past with anger, nor that was as internally diverse as any other. The
towards the future with fear, but look around crux of the matter when talking about any cul-
with awareness.” ture is that we must recognise that the essence
James Thurber of intelligence is the ability to hold two or more
opposing ideas at the exact same time.
I was at a literary reading a few years ago when Critical to the ongoing success of Pavee Point
a man stood up and asked me why I had both- is the fact that for 30 years the organization
ered to write a book about the “gypsies.” He has had the ability to look from both within and
spoke with the thin accent of a man who would without, clearly identifying the issues confront-
only put a pejorative lowercase “g” on the word. ing not only Irish Travellers but amongst wider
I asked why shouldn’t a novelist write a book Irish society too, from the top of the political
about the Roma or the Travellers? He proceeded echelon to the smaller, more anonymous cor-
to whip a list of adjectives out from the tight ners. Here are the the facts: the Travellers and
collar of his throat, and he applied them force- the Roma are ethnic minorities. They are, and
fully: secretive, immoral, dishonest, uncouth, have been, subject to intense racism in Ireland.
nomadic, rapacious and predatory. I asked him For us to move forward – as a thinking, vibrant
if he would prefer that I wrote a book about the democracy – we must acknowledge those two
good folks at Anglo Irish Bank. Irony wasn’t essential pillars and open the gateposts from April 1993, Biddy and Twin Collins, Avila Park, Finglas, Dublin
his strong suit. He huffed and walked away. I there.
thought to myself that he moved like an adver- Clearly the ability of Irish Travellers and the
tisement for Nama: appropriating all the space Roma to tell their stories is paramount to dig- dle does not necessarily tune itself. The Romani we learn the twin values of telling and listening
around him, ready to sell it to an outsider. nity and survival. Equally it is profoundly im- psychologist does not have to hide her skin. The it is likely that we will remain mired in the very
No communities in Ireland have been as con- portant that the story be heard – otherwise the Traveller doctor is not just a seventh son. That deep ditch of simplicity. This book picks up that
sistently tarred and feathered as the Travellers whole landscape will continue to be gate-locked. person begging on the corner has more resem- dialogue.
and the Roma. If a lie is repeated often enough A story without a listener is hardly a story at blance to a banker than anything else. Let’s not A smidgin of understanding is worth a ton of
it becomes the “truth”. The man at the literary all. The stories must go back and forth: from forget that those who own the land do not neces- judgements. Thirty years ago it began. Pavee
reading had created his own truth and he was Traveller to mainstream and back again. Within sarily love it. Life, as Pasternak has said, is not Point looks to the past as a key to the future:
sticking to it. He, like so many of us, had bought this context, story-telling is the precise crux of so easy as to cross a field. long may it happen. In fact, long may it con-
into the simplicity and ease of cliché. The tar- the matter – the Travellers and the Roma have Young Traveller activists are today making a tinue to begin.
ring brush is so easily applied. a right to absolute self-determination, and they mark. They are less and less afraid to stand up Colum McCann
One of the true triumphs of Traveller and have to be involved in all decisions that affect and say where they come from. They are insti-
Romani life in Ireland in recent years is the the past, the present and the consequent future. tuting a new form of cultural memory.
culture’s ability to be tremendously resilient in To be heard and to listen: this is a matter of At the core of all this – and what Pavee Point Colum McCann’s 2006 novel Zoli follows the
the face of naked racism. proper empowerment. To catch contradiction has strived to achieve for decades – is that all life of Marienka Novotna, nicknamed “Zoli”, a
At the same time, the filter of sentimental- and to destroy cliché is part of this transaction. of us have to continue to make a more nuanced Slovak Romani woman, from her childhood in
ity is often invoked and the exoticisation of the Traveller life can be mundane. The Romani argument about ourselves and our relationship the 1930s. Zoli is loosely based on the life of the
Roma and the Travellers is not something that blood laws are not necessarily obeyed. The to one another. What we must do is learn to not Polish Romani poet Papusza. Zoli explores the
can, or should, be taken easily. I had spent the Traveller playwright can carve out the heart of just restore ourselves, but we must “re-story” persecution the Roma faced during World War
best part of three years working on the novel non-Traveller society. The inside of a Romani ourselves too. There are so many contradictory II, as well as the impact of totalitarianism on
and had come to understand that the culture house does not always sparkle. A Traveller fid- perceptions of Travellers in Ireland that unless Romani culture and lifestyles.
12 13
Introduction
For the past thirty years Derek Speirs photo- contribution to Travellers rights over thirty
graphs have provided a vibrant visual record of years. She has turned a great idea into a
Pavee Point’s journey through the programmes, sustainable organisation and worked unstint-
projects, protests, pilgrimages and other pro- ingly also to ensure that consistent and critical
cesses in support of Travellers rights outlined voices for Travellers rights remain resourced
in the text by Ronnie Fay and Caoimhe Mc- nationally
Cabe that accompanies them here. That journey Martin Collins, a leader respected by all sec-
commenced with the start of the first Dublin tors, was also involved from the beginning, has
Travellers Education and Development Group for a number of years now shared the leadership
(DTEDG later Pavee Point) programme in of Pavee Point with Ronnie. Martin’s unique ca-
Meath Street Parish Centre on a snowy January pacity for incisive analysis and for courageously
morning in 1985. taking stands on the issues reinforcing Travel-
From the outset the committment was to lers oppression have been crucial for progress-
Travellers rights as a minority ethnic group in ing Traveller rights. His work has been crucial
Irish society with discrimination and racism also for Pavee Point.
as key obstacles to be addressed at all levels. Martin and Ronnie have ensured Pavee
Traveller women’s rights were acknowledged Point’s contribution both at home and abroad
and discussed. Community development, and ensured also our solidarity with other caus-
through which people become conscious of their es but they and John are not the only people
own power and identity and work collectively in Pavee Point’s thirty year story. Many others
towards their own rights and interests, was the often unsung have made the journey possible.
key method used. Messages which challenged Some are still with us and some gone to their
dominant perceptions of Travellers were consist- rewards, may they rest in peace. Others have
ently repeated in the programme, on the media, contributed as staff, supporters and funders for
to the State, and to any other groups who cared which we are very grateful. Many feature in the
to listen. photographs that follow which I commend to
John O’Connell’s courage, vision and capacity you.
to empower people, successfully changed that The photographs and accompanying narra- April 1993, Jim Donovan, Avila Park, plays his tin whistle
innovative ANCO (later FAS now Solas) funded tive portray clearly the dreadful conditions and
programme into the start of a new organisation inequalities faced by Travellers and the many
which heralded a new era nationally in work aspects of the work of Pavee Point in response
with Travellers. He inspired many, advanced to these. They provide evidence of the way each
much, and created conditions for others to identified need was addressed, of how Traveller possible with fun and friendship too possible and hopefully in another 30 years there
achieve more up to his untimely death in 1999. women’s issues were included from the start, Finally perhaps not as we thought would be will be photos to illustrate this.
Ronnie Fay, who as a founder member had and of ongoing solidarity with others. the case thirty years ago, this is still work in I’m proud to have had a small part in Pavee
shaped Pavee Point with John from the begin- A picture of ambition and determination progress as the tragic fire in Carrickmines and Point’s journey along the road less travelled and
ning replaced him as director. Ronnie’s com- emerges which gained respect from many and some local reactions reminded us. There is still privileged to know, and to have known, those
mittment and determination in good times and was able to win support (sometimes) from policy discrimination and racism to be addressed and who are and have been part of it.
bad, and in spite of her own health problems, makers. But the photographs also show that still Travellers rights to be realised....but some Anastasia Crickley
has ensured Pavee Point’s continuation and real people were involved and that time out was progress has been made and a better future is Chairperson
14 15
December 1984, Kathleen McCarthy and her Grandmother Mattie Joyce, Coolock September 2009, Dublin, Nell Collins and Mary McCann protesting aganist cuts to CDP Programme
16 17