Publications

All Ireland Traveller Health Study (AITHS, 2010)

The All Ireland Traveller Health Study (AITHS) is the first study of Traveller health status and health needs that involved all Travellers living on the island of Ireland, North and South. This comprehensive study arose from a recommendation in the Department of Health and Children’s National Traveller Health Strategy – 2002- 2005 (Department of Health and Children, 2002): ‘A Traveller Needs Assessment and Health Status Study to be carried out to develop and extend the indicators collected in the last survey of Travellers’ Health Status (HRB, 1987) and to inform appropriate actions in the area of Travellers’ Health’.

Findings from the AITHS provide a clear evidence basis for identifying and documenting the extent of Traveller health inequalities in Ireland using a ‘social determinants’ approach and how they are linked to inequality and poor health outcomes for Travellers. The National Traveller Health Action Plan (NTHAP), published in 2022, is underpinned by this approach.

All Ireland Traveller Health Study: Our Geels (AITHS, 2010)

Roma in Ireland - A National Needs Assessment (2018)

Roma in Ireland - A National Needs Assessment is a thorough report for Roma, about Roma, and with Roma. This important piece of research by Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre and the Department of Justice, identifies a range of steps that need to be taken across a number of areas of activity to ensure the full and fair participation of Roma people in Irish life.

Romani researchers participated in all stages of this study, from design to implementation. Information was gathered nationwide for this research in the areas of education, health, housing, employment and child welfare with a view to making recommendations regarding key priorities across Departments and current levels of service provision for Roma and access to such services. This document is an important step in addressing those issues and improving both access to services and the standard of living for the Roma community in Ireland.

Roma in Ireland - A National Needs Assessment (2018)

Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI)

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) produces independent, high-quality research with the objective of informing policies that support a healthy economy and promote social progress. Some of the ESRI publications and research reports related to Travellers and Roma are below.

Understanding attitudes to Travellers and Roma in Ireland (December 2024)

The distribution of Traveller students across education settings in Ireland (July 2024)

The representation of Traveller students across different school contexts in Ireland (June 2024)

A Social Portrait of Travellers in Ireland (January 2017)

EU Roma strategic framework 2020 – 2030

The EU Roma strategic framework 2020 – 2030, adopted by the European Commission, is a 10-year plan to support Roma in the EU. There are seven key areas of focus: equality, inclusion, participation, education, employment, health, and housing. For each area, the Commission has put forward new targets and recommendations which will serve as important tools for State Members to monitor progress and ensure that the EU makes more headway in providing the vital support that so many Roma living in the EU still need.

EU Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion and participation 2020 - 2030

Additional information on the EU Roma Strategic framework can be accessed at here.

European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)

In 2019, FRA conducted a survey on Roma and Travellers in six European countries, with the overall aim to support and contribute to the efforts of EU institutions and Member States towards putting an end to the exclusion of Roma, which the European Commission has acknowledged as ‘one of the most serious social challenges in Europe’. Its findings provide evidence for a list of core indicators used to monitor the implementation of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020. They also provide a basis for developing new indicators, as a baseline for post-2020 EU initiatives on Roma equality and inclusion. FRA’s input responds to the need for strengthened data collection and the development of monitoring and reporting systems, which the same evaluation report identifies in its conclusions.

The survey collected information from 4,659 respondents in Belgium, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom and concerning 8,234 individuals living in the respondents’ households. It was the first time that FRA directly surveyed Travellers in Ireland. Roma were not included in this survey as the size of the Roma population in Ireland was too small to protect anonymity.

Travellers in Ireland - key results from the 2019 Roma and Travellers survey