Irish Traveller Movement


The Irish Travellers Movement is a national organisation for members of the Travelling community and Traveller organisations in Ireland.

History

The Irish Travellers Movement was founded in 1990, with the chairperson Catherine Joyce. They represent 40 local and national Traveller groups from the island of Ireland.

Core Activities

The ITM collects and publishes data and reports relating to living conditions, educational prospects, and other aspects of the lives of Irish Travellers. They advocate for:
The Movement has been one of the groups, alongside Pavee Point, who have partnered with groups advocating for the Roma community. They have partnered with organisations such as St Stephen's Green Trust on programmes such as Travellers in Prison Initiative. They have held initiatives such as Traveller Focus Week from 2004. ITM was one of the groups which submitted recommendations to a Seanad Committee on the inclusion of Travellers in Irish public life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ITM highlighted the difficulty the Travelling communities have relating to access to clean water, toilets, and the cramped sites on which many families live. In response to the protests and demonstrations after the death of George Floyd, ITM joined with other Traveller groups in calling for an "end to racism".

Traveller Pride Week

The ITM is the coordinator of the Traveller Pride Week, which hosts the Traveller Pride Awards. They established the awards in 2009. Awards are given out across 7 fields: community, enterprise and employment, sport, education, intersectionality, youth, arts/culture, and music. Past winners have included Laura Angela Collins and Oein DeBhairduin.