Mayo woman feted at Irish Traveller Pride Awards for 'outstanding campaigning'

Mayo woman Rose Marie Maughan has been feted at the Irish Traveller Pride Awards.

Rose Marie, a native of Ballinrobe, was presented with the Intersectionality Award by ASiAM’s Adam Harris.

Ms. Maughan has been at the forefront of Traveller activism for many years with the Irish Traveller Movement and she has been a helping hand with so many initiatives within the community over the past 18 years in relation to accommodation and other areas of discrimination experienced by the community.

One particular focus of Rose Marie’s work – which has led to this award – has been in relation to autism.

Within that campaign she has worked to build solidarity between the Traveller community and the settled community, and she has raised awareness and gathered allies for not only Travellers but for non-Travellers too.

One highlight of her campaigning work was when she presented to the Oireachtas and ensure that – for the first time – the issue of Travellers with autism was addressed in the National Traveller and Roma Integration Strategy (NTRIS).

Rose Marie added to the west’s good standing at the awards with Galway natives John Pio Browne and Jason Sherlock winning for Entrepreneurship and Community work, respectively.

The Traveller Pride Awards are one of the highlights of Traveller Pride Week which provides an annual focal point for celebrating Traveller culture and life in Ireland – both nationally and locally.

The awards highlight and recognise individuals and groups who have made a particular contribution to the community and to wider society and they also serve to challenge many of the racist stereotypes that are unfortunately still too common amongst many members of the settled community.