Schoolboy, Paddy Flynn, has brought Traveller issues very much to the fore in recent weeks. In this edited extract from his PhD project, Trinity student and author Frankie Gaffney, argues the Irish 'state' has and continues to be a 'cold house' for Irish Travellers and it is time to remedy that before making any exhortations to pride in our nation. 

STARTING life in Balbriggan, Frankie moved to inner-city Dublin at 12. He mitched from school, and in his early 20s, working in nightclubs, saw Dublin’s underside.

STARTING life in Balbriggan, Frankie moved to inner-city Dublin at 12. He mitched from school, and in his early 20s, working in nightclubs, saw Dublin’s underside.