Mr. Patrick McDonagh:

Thank you for the question. In regard to the parents, I think they should be brought in and be very closely involved. One idea that should at least be considered is a focus on Traveller children in primary and early secondary school, perhaps by some kind of external mechanism would bring in the parents. Both of my parents supported me for my educational route, and I went a long way. I always asked if I was doing something, what was going to be the result? Given that many Travellers do not have secondary educations never mind a completed third level qualification, there is not the same awareness of what is going to be the point of something or what one will achieve out of it. If one includes the parents and career advisers who can explain that if one wants to be an accountant or a school teacher one has to do a certain thing - one needs at least a leaving certificate or one has to do an apprenticeship or one needs a particular degree. We must at least provide the steps to show them how it is meant to be done. For some Travellers, they feel like they cannot do that or that is really not their place. This is about showing people this is how they can do it. If there was a route that could be shown to them, that would help and encourage them that their children can do it. It is very important to bring that in because, obviously, it is very hard for a child or teenager to do anything without parents' support. This will help a lot to bring them in and, also, it is about being proud. I was quite lucky in that regard but I cannot speak for everyone in that sense.

Culture was mentioned, people marrying young and that still exists today. My own parents married quite young. I am 23 years of age and I have not married, which is quite old in some sense depending on one's point of view, but I am doing a PhD. If people are doing degrees, by definition they are probably not going to get married until afterwards. That does not preclude people marrying before or during, but there is less of a possibility. It depends on the educational route a person takes and obviously personal choice, so that is something that probably will change if there are more Travellers going onto higher educational routes, but that will be a generational change rather than an overnight one.