Boxer (14) and twins win Traveller awards

A FOURTEEN-year-old female boxer and twin college students were among the winners of the first Traveller Pride awards, which were held in Dublin last night.

The event was organised by Traveller groups as part of Traveller Focus Week to celebrate achievements, and to highlight obstacles experienced by members of the community.

The lack of recognition of Travellers as a true ethnic minority creates barriers to their progress in education, Catherine Joyce of the Irish Traveller Movement said as she presented the education award. Traveller parents traditionally saw school as for the sacraments and basic education but this was slowly changing, she said.

Twin sisters Eileen and Sally Flynn from Ballyfermot said it was a challenge to live on a halting site and to be in education.

“But it was good to break the mould and we supported one another,” said Eileen Flynn who is taking a pre-nursing course.

“It would be hard when some of the girls were dolled up and going to weddings and you have to do an assignment. But it’s good for women to get out and to work,” she said.

Her sister is studying youth and community work. Olympic boxer John Joe Joyce presented the sport award and said he hoped to go to London in 2012 so his family could see him perform and “please God, maybe I’ll get a medal”.

Much of what he achieved was down to his family, “as they drove me all over the country when I was no one,” he said. He presented the award to boxer Hannah Carthy (14) from Kilkenny.

In a statement, President Mary McAleese said the event was as “valuable opportunity to celebrate the Traveller identity, highlight Travellers’ contributions to Irish society and raise awareness and understanding of the position of Travellers in Ireland”.

The overall award went to Julie Nevin, a community development worker in Co Laois for over 20 years and the enterprise award was given to Galway Recycling Co-operative.