Mr. Martin Reilly:

I ask the committee to bear with me as this is my first time here. I thank the committee for this opportunity. I am part of, and one of the vice chairpersons of, the National Traveller Mental Health Network. This network was set up to work around mental health issues within the Traveller community. As stated in our statement, we are Travellers led by Travellers for Traveller organisations who deal with the mental health issues of Travellers.

We were established in March 2019 and since then we have seen issues regarding Traveller mental health become bigger and worse. However, I am here to speak about my personal experience of mental health.

Almost three years ago, my son-in-law committed suicide and left a young wife and a daughter of three years of age behind. It had a mental effect on me, my wife and my family. The services are not providing enough care for mental health among Travellers nationwide. We had nowhere to turn to and no one to talk to. Where did we go? We basically leaned on each other for support. For me, it is a deep hurt that no services are available for Travellers. That is where I am in my own mental state. I was literally torn to shreds because I had nowhere to go, no one to talk to and no one to look at except to lean on the support of my wife and children.

This does not just affect me; it affects the island of Ireland and the Travellers within it. I would like something to be done by the committee to act on the policies and procedures that will deal with this. It is not just about me personally because everybody in Ireland needs it.