Mr. Martin Collins:

The key message in recognising Traveller ethnicity is to establish the principle and to ensure that this is reflected in legislation or in the Constitution. As a number of speakers indicated, this, in itself, will not act as a panacea but it is a step in the right direction. It needs to be followed up with a policy and legal framework which can, in turn, create the conditions in which our existence and contribution to Irish society can be affirmed and celebrated. Under international law, the right to self-identification is sacrosanct. However, as a result of the hostile environment in which we live, it is easier for Travellers to choose not to be Travellers. We need to reverse that and consider how we can create the conditions in which one's identity can be affirmed and celebrated. There is no doubt that many more people would identify themselves as members of the Traveller community if we created a context in which our ethnicity is affirmed and celebrated and an infrastructure which supports that ethnicity. It is not a question of how many Travellers want to pursue a nomadic existence or wish to research, practice and speak the language, rather it is a question of choice.

However, we do not have that choice because we have not created the conditions that would facilitate it. I do not know how many Travellers want to be nomadic, speak the language or have their culture reflected in the educational curriculum. It is a question of creating the conditions in which people can make these choices, which can only be done by recognising Traveller ethnicity and introducing a legal and policy framework, whereby one is free to choose to give expression to one's identity. We do not have that luxury.

Irish society has made considerable progress in terms of human rights, although we still have a long way to go. It is not that long ago when homosexuality was criminalised. Thanks be to God, that is no longer the case. Recently there was an apology to the victims of the Magdalen laundries. Several years ago the then Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern, apologised to the victims of clerical sexual abuse. We are becoming more enlightened as a society, but we want that spirit of inclusivity extended to our community. Frankly, we have not seen this happen yet.