Travellers are eight times more likely to be unemployed, have a 1 per cent chance living over the age of 65 and are so used to discrimination that they rarely complain, according to a study to be published today.
The study by the Galway Traveller Movement (GTM) is the first of its kind in a city with the highest proportion of Travellers in the State - at 1.6 per cent of the population or three times the national average.
It calls for full ethnic group status to be conferred on the Irish Traveller community, and for the inclusion of Travellers in future anti-racism initiatives.
It also calls on the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to develop a strategy for Travellers and work, and urges promotion of "positive discrimination and affirmative actions" for members of the Traveller community among employers.
The study, entitled Stall Anoishe! Minceirs Whiden (Stop Here! Travellers Talking),is to be presented to Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív in Galway today. Equality Authority chief executive Niall Crowley will deliver a keynote speech.
Ann Irwin, author of the report, said there was plenty of "anecdotal" evidence of Travellers' experience, but a dearth of actual data. The study found that Traveller culture is "strong and vibrant", and parents tend to want to pass it, including the Traveller "cant" language, on to their children.
However, there is also a belief that Travellers are less likely to get employment if their identity is known - a point reaffirmed by Hannagh McGinley, GTM rural development officer, who comes from a Travelling community, and is a qualified teacher with an MA in community development.
The study found that Travellers in Galway city are struggling to see the relevance of an educational system which they perceive to be inequitable and discriminatory, with few opportunities to advance into well-paid employment.
It says that the failure of the Department of Education to develop the notion of an intercultural educational system in a meaningful way means that many teachers are not skilled to cope with the challenge of diversity.
The study found that women tend to suffer the effects of discrimination and racism more than men, and their role as primary carers brings them into more frequent contact with services which may be discriminatory. Many Traveller families are reluctant to use childcare services because of fears that their child will suffer discrimination.