Irish Traveller Movement
The Irish Traveller Movement is a national organisation for members of the Travelling community and Traveller organisations in Ireland.
History
The Irish Traveller Movement was founded in 1990 and incorporated in 1998, with Catherine Joyce as the founding chairperson. The organisation represents 40 local and national Traveller groups from the island of Ireland.Core Activities
The ITM collects and publishes data and reports relating to living conditions, educational prospects, and other aspects of the lives of Irish Travellers. It advocates for equality for Travellers in all aspects of life, promotes pride in the culture and identity of the Travelling community and promotes and produces evidence based solutions for all issues affecting the Travelling community.The organisation has partnered with organisations such as St Stephen's Green Trust on programmes such as the Travellers in Prison Initiative. It has held initiatives such as Traveller Focus Week from 2004. ITM was one of the groups which submitted recommendations to a Seanad Committee on the inclusion of Travellers in Irish public life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ITM highlighted the difficulty the Travelling communities have relating to access to clean water, toilets, and the cramped sites on which many families live.