Background

• Irish Travellers are defined through the Race Relations Order (Northern Ireland) (1997) as 'the community of people commonly so-called who are defined (both by themselves and others) as people with a shared history, culture and traditions including historically, a nomadic way of life on the island of Ireland.' This legal recognition means that Irish Travellers are included in the 'racial group' category for the purposes of Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

• Travellers are indigenous to Ireland and have a history which can be traced back for centuries. The first Travellers were believed to be itinerant trades' persons and specialists. The Traveller communities in Northern Ireland form a distinct and separate ethnic group. Furthermore, the term Traveller refers to the membership of this group and not just to the distinction between a nomadic and settled lifestyle. Up until the industrialisation in the wake of World War Two, the Traveller Community was an integral part of the rural economy, through tin-smithing, horse dealing, carpentry, chimney cleaning, selling domestic wares, seasonal agricultural labour and some were also musicians.
  
  
• In the 1950s this economic relationship and the Traveller's way of life was changed forever as a result of urbanisation, mechanisation, the introduction of plastic, rural depopulation and increased mobility for the rest of the rural community. The impact was a much decreased demand for the skills and services Travellers had provided before. All of this resulted in a lack of income and directly impacted on the standard of living. In face of this dramatic change some Travellers today deal in scrap, carpets, caravans and tarmacing. The other enormous impact has been on accommodation, where restrictions on camping places and serviced sites has led to extremely poor living conditions in many areas.
  
  
• Just over a third of the Traveller community live in Belfast, whilst there are high concentrations also resident in Craigavon, Derry, Newry and Mourne, Omagh, Strabane and Coalisland.
  
  
• There are numerous Traveller Support Groups who provide direct services for the traveller community. The Traveller Movement Northern Ireland co-ordinates all Traveller support Groups in pursuit of policy change, as well as providing support for them. It is estimated there are around 1500 Travellers in Northern Ireland.