Ms Breda O'Donoghue:

Our project has a drug and alcohol programme. At least 50% of Traveller men in our area, Cork city, have turned to alcohol and substance misuse. We have made direct links between that and the loss of Traveller culture. Travellers no longer living on halting sites or within the extended families, Travellers who have ended up in homeless services and felt very isolated, and Travellers who are using our service are telling us that their culture has gone and they have nothing to cling on to. All their norms and traditions are gone and substance abuse is making up for that.

We have a brilliant Traveller counselling service. Thomas McCann is a Traveller man who runs a counselling service. Is that the answer? Travellers in general do not use services. I do not know if it is right to provide more services until we know what types of services are needed.