Travellers and Roma in Ireland are experiencing severe and persistent inequalities, according to new EU data that shows poverty, housing exclusion, and discrimination remain the daily reality for the community. The survey from the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), released this week, paints a stark picture, and campaigners say the findings demand urgent action from the Irish State.

For the first time, Roma in Ireland were included in the FRA’s Europe-wide survey, which collected responses from 415 Travellers and 106 Roma with support from Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre. The participatory approach saw peer researchers drawn from local organisations carry out the fieldwork, ensuring the voices of marginalised communities were placed at the heart of the research.

The data reveal that child poverty is almost universal: 96% of Traveller children and 97% of Roma children in Ireland are growing up in poverty. Severe material deprivation affects around 40% of both groups, while overcrowded housing is a critical issue, particularly for Roma, with an astonishing 92% living in overcrowded conditions.

Discrimination is also intensifying. Since 2019, the share of Travellers reporting discrimination has risen sharply from 65% to 75%. Employment remains alarmingly low, with 88% of Travellers unemployed. Roma families face further barriers to education, with only one third accessing early years education for their children compared to 95% of the general population.

Speaking at the European Platform for Roma Inclusion in Brussels, Pavee Point Co-Director Martin Collins welcomed the FRA’s work but stressed the need for “urgency, accountability, and ambition” if Ireland and the EU are to live up to their promises of equality. Fellow Co-Director Lynsey Kavanagh highlighted the importance of Ireland’s recently launched National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II and Education Strategy as potential frameworks for progress, but insisted that “dedicated resources with clear targets and timelines” are essential.

The EU data underlines a European-wide failure to meet inclusion goals for the Traveller and Roma community, but the Irish context is especially stark. For queer Travellers and Roma, these inequalities intersect with homophobia, transphobia, and racism, compounding social exclusion and leaving many doubly marginalised. Advocates stress that any inclusion strategy must recognise and address these overlapping inequalities.

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