Traveller group hosts 'Supporting Identity' gathering in Monksland

Travellers and guests from across the country gathered at Involve CLG in Monksland, Athlone, recently for what proved to be a very successful community regional event on the theme of 'Supporting Identity'.

The event on Wednesday, March 25, was organised by the Athlone-based Minceirs Whiden, an organisation set up to promote understanding and recognition of Travellers as a minority ethnic group in Irish society.

The group's name means "Travellers talking" in Cant, the traditional language of Irish Travellers, and the event saw Minceirs Whiden interim co-ordinator Maureen Ward welcome guests to celebrate, share and explore various ways to support identity.

The day featured a diverse programme of contributors, including a powerful 'spoken word; performance from LGBT+ Ireland, facilitated by Oein DeBhairduin and Collette O'Regan with two brilliant actors, Samantha Joyce and Johnny Collins.

Spoken word is a performance-based art form focusing on the aesthetics of wordplay, intonation, and voice, often blending poetry, rap, storytelling and theatre. It is rooted in oral traditions and frequently addresses social justice, politics and personal experiences, with an emphasis on authentic and engaging delivery.

After lunch, the schedule included valuable insights from Patrick McDonagh, facilitator of the No Shame Mental Health Project, which delivers youth mental health activities to young Travellers aged 15 to 20 years nationally.

This is done by promoting and assisting the voluntary participation of young Travellers through delivery of a range of innovative mental health programmes, events and workshops.

This was followed by a presentation from Cathy Lynch, facilitator of the Status Toolkit, which was developed based on comprehensive research that revealed that the participation, engagement and retention of Travellers were critical factors impacting the effectiveness of youth services throughout Ireland.

The final presentation was given by the National Traveller Men’s Forum facilitators John Paul Collins, David Collins, Paddy Sweeney and Chris Stokes, who spoke about the supports available for Traveller men’s health and wellbeing, followed by an in-depth discussion about the origin and significance of the Traveller ethnicity flag.

Maureen Ward closed the event by praising the strong turnout, the pro-active participation and community spirit.

"It was fantastic to see so many Travellers from all over the country coming together. 'Supporting Identity' is about acknowledging every part of who we are, and the contributions from all the groups involved made it a truly special day," Maureen said.

Minceirs Whiden thanked the staff at Involve Youth and Community Services for its assistance in hosting the event, and to everyone who travelled to attend and made the day a success.

Minceirs Whiden is based in the ACT Business Development Centre at Parnell Square in Athlone.