One in five Irish people would deny citizenship to a member of the Travelling Community, a frightening new study has found.
The study’s author, Fr Michael Mac Greil SJ., described the report’s findings as “frightening” and said that the results were evidence of “a growing polarisation” in Irish altitudes towards members of the travelling community.
The troubling new findings mark an increase of 10 percent over the last twenty years of the numbers of people who would consider taking such a step justified. The survey’s results were announced at the launch of Emancipation of the Travelling People which monitors changes in public attitude towards Travellers over the past 35 years.
Another survey - conducted in 2007-2008 fuond that three-quarters of people would be reluctant to buy a house next door to a Traveller. That survey was conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute.
The survey results were indicative of a “negative mood” in Irish society towards having Travellers in the immediate area, said Fr Mac Greil. A change in the main reason for this answer moved from “not socially acceptable” in the 1988 survey to “way of life” in the 2008 survey.
Fr Mac Greil said there needed to be a pluralist approach by the State as the policy of “settling” Travellers had not succeeded.
The two positive findings from the report were that firstly three-quarters of people felt that Travellers were competent to sit on a jury, while secondly 60 percent would be willing to employ a traveller.
Those working unskilled jobs and from poor backgrounds were most sympathetic to the plight of the travellers, which the author said pointed towards a “solidarity” factor, while those from high education backgrounds and from upper social classes were least tolerant and sympathetic towards the group, which the author also called “disappointing”.
Minister for Equality Pat Carey has previously said that conflict resolution in the Traveller community would be his priority during his term as Minister.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.bogsidebunny | Apr 22, 2011, 10:34 AM EDT
"I don't think shooting people is just classed as racist!"....Then let the cull begin, Sparklet!
Sparklet | Jul 12, 2010, 11:44 AM EDT
I don't think shooting people is just classed as racist!
jimmy12003 | Jul 11, 2010, 05:49 AM EDT
knackers here in this country, are just like the blacks of america! they are only 12% of the population, yet 99.5% of the crime! and in both countries your not aloud to shoot them, as it would be racist!
Southernpride | Jul 10, 2010, 09:55 AM EDT
Travellers are honest, conservative and hard working, industrious people. Travellers kids score high in Irish schools because of their parents disipline in making sure that they study hard after school. They are role models for a perfect society with their strong work ethic and honesty
rpmschevy | Jul 10, 2010, 12:51 AM EDT
Hey Naill where is your hate speech article. 40 percent of the Irish would not be willing to hire a Traveller? Wow. Sounds like Arizona "discrimination". Wait these people are not ILLEGAL, they just travel about the country? Yet Irish do not like them? Come on Naill where is the Hate?
jacersisityourself | Jul 09, 2010, 04:21 PM EDT
Many of the New Age Travellers, those who travel around the country in luxurious caravans living as carpet or furniture door-to-door salesmen etc. also have luxurious fixed homes – in Limerick and Kerry for example. I’ve met them enjoying weekend breaks in hotels in Galway. So they are not short of money – even Travellers are entitled to Irish Govt Social Welfare payments. However, these New Age Travellers always leave their illegal temporary ‘halting sites’ – a mid-week empty church car park or an open ‘green’ area by the sea, in total shambles with discarded human waste, junk and litter when they move on. Tax-payers’ money is used to clean up after them. It does not surprise me that local mainstream communities have little sympathy for them and, as Fr. Mac Greil found, that there’s a pronounced polarisation. Their lifestyle and culture is too different from mainstream that integration is going to take more effort, education and a lot more of fresh ideas. Let's hope that happens.
jacersisityourself | Jul 09, 2010, 04:14 PM EDT
On other aspects of Travellers, they tend to be very religious Catholics (witness the thousands who turned up at the promised Visions of Our Lady at Knock Shrine recently). They always have ‘Holy Pictures’ of the Sacred Heart, Our Lady, the Statue of Prague or Padre Pio in their caravans and homes. I have met many on aircraft bound for pilgrimages to Medjugorje or Fatima for example. When Travellers ‘stop over’ in a parish, the Sunday Mass collection plates are hugely fuller than normal, proving they can be generous despite a history of being known for begging door-to-door and on the streets. They are also excellent musicians and songsters (eg The Furey Brothers), artists, tradesmen and crafts people. They do have a unique culture in Ireland.
jacersisityourself | Jul 09, 2010, 04:09 PM EDT
I have worked directly and indirectly with people of the Irish Travelling Community in many different ways, mostly as part of projects to improve their ‘lot’. Sadly, I found that no matter what efforts are made to do this, they are wasted for the most part. There are two groups of Travellers today – the old ‘gypsy’ kind and the New Age Travellers. Most Travellers, but not all, imho, are beyond redemption of being integrated into mainstream Irish society. The old travelling-the-roads lifestyle is too far ingrained in the families. Unfortunately, alcohol and drug abuse, family feuds, violence, a seemingly innate inability to adopt or adapt to basic hygiene standards or use of fixed houses, facilities and utilities are all parts of the problem. We offer the best to them but they can’t deliver even when they receive it for free. That is heart-breaking from my perspective and probably a lot of other Irish people.
jacersisityourself | Jul 09, 2010, 04:04 PM EDT
The comments below re ‘NINA’ etc have nothing to do with the article above and I suggest that discussing it further should be left to another article to be written on ICentral. I’ll post a few realistic comments on the topic which hopefully will make it on screen – so many have not that I’ve refrained for a long while!
pat52rk | Jul 09, 2010, 03:38 PM EDT
fargobarbi, do a google search and you will find many good site's that explain the origins of' no irish need apply 'and you will see that it was a myth..
Liamkeyes | Jul 09, 2010, 02:59 PM EDT
It's no myth. Not only did it appear in Windows but the Newspapers. It became so widespread that they simply put"NINA".
fargobarbi | Jul 09, 2010, 01:58 PM EDT
I teach a Contemporary Issues class with three weeks of study of the Irish Travellers. There is much work to be done on both sides. I agree with the respect issue in re: to cleaning up. One other point; my great grand da has several old, photos with signs of No Irish Need Apply in shop windows in NYC. So not a myth as many photos also appear in U.S. History books.
pat52rk | Jul 09, 2010, 12:45 PM EDT
siobhain. the ' no irish need apply' never appeared in store windows in the usa.it's just a myth...
pat52rk | Jul 09, 2010, 12:42 PM EDT
siobhan39, 'irish need not apply ' never appeared in store windows in the us ..it's just a myth...
Siobhan39 | Jul 09, 2010, 12:09 PM EDT
Hummm . . . perhaps the Irish should be aware that when their ancestors came to this country (USA) they were met with "Irish Need Not Apply" signs in store windows.
Sparklet | Jul 09, 2010, 10:33 AM EDT
Travellers can be their own worst enemies. Why do they persist in leaving sites in filthy conditions for other people to clear up? I have nothing against them - in fact I'm writing a book atm and the protagonist is a Traveller - but they'd get more respect if they showed some.
Searlit | Jul 09, 2010, 10:23 AM EDT
I think the Minister for Equality is right about conflict resolution being an important aim during his term. From what I've read the Traveller community fight like gangs against each other.
beachline | Jul 09, 2010, 09:51 AM EDT
P.S. The idea that only Travlers or homeless are thieves and will harm you is nonsense. There is good and bad in every level of society>> just think about the bankers and politicians who stole billions and put both of our countries into a recession.
beachline | Jul 09, 2010, 09:46 AM EDT
Here in America they are called "homeless". Many live off the grid in tents set up in the wooded areas, eat from the soup kitchens and shelters around the country. They are not "bums", they are living this way for a variety of reasons. But, because they do not conform to a set of rules imposed by society they are outcasts. I worked the free health clinics and learned many of these people are college graduates; or discharged military who cannot adjust to civilian life; or families who lost their jobs and homes. The research I did on the Travelers in Ireland indicate that they have their rolling homes and prefer them to fixed housing. In both scenarios the children are either home schooled or attend a public school whenever they can. If the Travelers were born in Ireland why is citizenship in question?