HAPPY TRAVELLER FOCUS WEEK 30TH NOVEMBER TO 11TH DECEMBER

HAPPY TRAVELLER FOCUS WEEK 30TH NOVEMBER TO 11TH DECEMBER

Regards

The member formerly known as the Longford Country Woman

hey

wot happened during that week? did u get involved in any of it? Wud be interested to hear about it all ! i did see somet in the press about it coming up but that was it. was it just for ireland?

Traveller Focus Week has it's own website: http://pavee.ie/tfw2009/

There were lots of events going on around Ireland. Nationally, the Irish Traveller Movement, Pavee Point, the National Traveller Women's Forum and Minceir Whiden, National Traveller MABS and the National Association of Traveller Centres, organised the week.

I'm not aware of any events happening in England. There are Irish Traveller groups over there so may be they do celebrate it. Many of the local Traveller organisations in Ireland have events to mark the week/ fortnight. In Longford for example, they held an exhibition in the local library, that Rosaleen McDonagh launched for them. The exhibition was a combination of work submitted for the art/poetry competition and some pieces celebrating Traveller Pride. It was a great launch and terrific to see young Travellers' work on the theme of pride. The work submitted was quite impressive.

The Human Rights Day march in Dublin was brilliant. I think it's important to take to the streets and show our outrage at the ways Travellers get mistreated.

Traveller Focus Week is hugely important for Travellers as it is a rare opportunity for Traveller culture to be celebrated. Hopefully the Week will go from strength to strength and the media will come on board more. From working in a local Traveller organisation I know the press are keen to talk to Travellers about 'problems' in the Community but they are not so available when there is a positive Traveller story. I wonder how we can create demand in media outlets for information about Travellers during the Week.

http://www.longfordleader.ie/news/Celebrating-Traveller-Pride.5872865.jp

thanks for that, i hope 2 meet u in Athlone soon or if i cant jet over, at another meeting soon after!