Travellers

The European commissioner for human rights, Michael O'Flaherty, has called for "firm action" in response to the "shocking" scale of human rights violations faced by Roma and Travellers in Europe. Mr O'Flaherty, who took up the role this week, was speaking ahead of International Roma Day on Monday.

A local authority refused to assess a Traveller couple as homeless and instead told them to engage in family mediation so they could return to the family home, Community Law & Mediation (CLM) has told the Oireachtas. The community law centre and charity highlighted the case study as it gave evid

A hotel has been ordered to pay €11,000 to a family who suffered unlawful anti-Traveller discrimination when they were refused access for confirmation celebrations. Margaret O'Sullivan, her sister and her partner, who were represented by FLAC, made discrimination complaints to the Workplace Rel

Legal professionals, academics and members of the Traveller community came together last week to explore issues faced by Travellers and highlight work to achieve more equitable future for all. The Traveller Equality and Justice Project (TEJP) event at University College Cork (UCC) was an opportunity

The Traveller Equality and Justice Project (TEJP) has won recognition at University College Cork's Teaching Excellence Awards. A partnership between UCC School of Law and legal rights group FLAC, the project operates a clinic providing information and representation to Travellers who have experience

Seven local authorities have been asked to prepare and implement an equality and action plan on the provision of Traveller accommodation and services. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission is making the request of local authorities in South Dublin, Limerick City and County, Tipperary, Doneg

A waste management company which refused to deliver a skip to a halting site has been ordered by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) to pay €2,000 in compensation for discriminating against Travellers. A man had contacted the company by phone in February 2021 seeking to hire a skip fo

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has rejected complaints brought against Ireland by two Traveller women who were removed from a roadside site in Limerick. The applicants, sisters Christina Faulkner and Bridget McDonagh, complained that the orders to vacate the site on which they had been l

Complaints about a refusal to enter a licensed premises should be heard in the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) rather than the District Court, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. In a newly-published review of the adequacy and effectiveness of section 19 of the Intoxicating Liquor A

The Supreme Court has unanimously ruled in favour of a Traveller family who were evicted from land owned by Clare County Council. The McDonagh family, who were backed by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, lived on the site without permission because the council had failed to provide the

Clare County Council failed in its statutory obligations to properly and proportionately assess the rights of a Traveller family before moving to evict them from a site in the county, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has said. The watchdog is appearing before the Supreme Court as amicu

The Law Society of Ireland has reiterated its call on the State to reinstate the Irish Traveller Movement Independent Law Centre to “reduce inequality and advance human rights for the Traveller community” in Ireland. The Law Society has made this call on several occasions in the past, mo

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has been granted leave from the Supreme Court to exercise its amicus curiae function in a case of the eviction of a Traveller family in County Clare. The case of Bernard McDonagh and Helen McDonagh v Clare County Council is being heard by the Supreme Co

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has published an equality review of Ireland's local authorities, focused on their provision of Traveller-specific accommodation. The accounts have been published alongside the Commission's annual report, and includes specific recommendations for action

Children are being forced to live in "deplorable" conditions in a local authority-run halting site for Travellers, the Ombudsman for Children's Office (OCO) has concluded in a damning report. The OCO launched an investigation following a 2018 complaint from a Traveller advocacy group about the condi