Room At The Inn…?

When GG swung by last night to talk to the young traveller couple who have settled in a field just a stone’s throw from the Greystones Municipal District offices, the twosome were naturally reluctant to talk.

For one, they’re currently battling Wicklow County Council, who, in turn, can’t comment on the situation.

Data Protection, Jackie Carroll from the WCC’s housing section informs us.

We reckoned there was little point in trying to get a quote from Johnny Ronan either, about his rumoured plans for a new hotel on the very same spot of council ground.

Even without any kind of court action, travellers know that they’re very rarely welcome guests in any town, despite their long history in this country.

Bring up the subject of travellers, and it isn’t long before someone turns into a Dublin taxi driver, spitting feathers and f-words about how they bring a town down.

Currently running on RTE1, Love/Hate star John Connors – himself from the travelling community – charts the history and the troubles of Ireland’s gypsy population. Arguing that home is where the heart is, Connors says, “Travellers are at a crossroads, and the way we go next will have a profound effect on our future generations.”

For many people, they don’t mind where the travellers go next – as long as it’s not to their doorstep.

That life as a traveller here isn’t easy is borne out by the fact that the suicide rate amongst their men is six-and-a-half times higher than the national rate, and six times higher for their women. Overall, 11% of travellers die from suicide “and a main contributor,” says Connors, “is us walking around and feeling no identity, and getting rejected, and excluded, from the majority of the community, but also that element of your own community, where you feel that you’re dying out as a people. You’re failing.”

At a time when evictions are creating new travellers every day in this country, here’s hoping Greystones proves itself a welcome host to our latest visitors.