Traveller Pride Week to celebrate culture and highlight challenges in Cork

A Traveller Pride Week will take place in Cork next week to promote understanding of Travellers and highlight the challenges facing their community.

From June 15 to 19, a series of events will take place, including the screening of the documentary film developed by 34 Traveller families of Spring Lane Halting Site, highlighting their living conditions.

Travellers will also distribute a book to all primary schools in Cork called Paddy — the Traveller Boy, which was written by Spring Lane Traveller Women’s Group and beautifully illustrated by artist Christina Dervin.

Meanwhile, a Traveller Culture Exhibition will be hosted at Cork Public Museum in Fitzgerald’s Park, and the Talk to Me CD, which was written and performed by members of the Cork Traveller community in 2013 to promote positive mental health, will be relaunched.

The Women’s Network will also launch a set of five postcards from artists and photographers such as Leanne McDonagh, Dragon Thomas, George Gmelch, and Derek Speirs to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Traveller Culture Exhibit at Fitzgerald’s Park.

This is the only permanent exhibition on Traveller culture in a public museum in Ireland and has a full-sized barrel top wagon at its centrepiece.

“Cork Traveller Pride Week is a real opportunity for local groups to promote and celebrate the many achievements of the Traveller community work at local level here in Cork,” said Traveller Visibility Group co-ordinator Chrissie O’Sullivan.

“Given the great success of Traveller Pride Week nationally, we are delighted to showcase our local achievements here. It is an occasion which invites everyone to celebrate along with our community a number of events throughout the week.”