irische traveller in deutschland 2021

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Irische Landfahrer in Düsseldorf Wer sind die Irish Travellers?

Düsseldorf · Auf einmal waren sie da: Dutzende Wohnwagen standen Montagabend auf den Düsseldorfer Rheinwiesen. Aber warum ziehen sie überhaupt durch Deutschland? Wie leben sie? Was wir über die wandernden Iren wissen.

Irish Travellers ziehen im Sommer 2017 durch die Region

Am Montagabend kamen sie mit etwa 80 Wohnwagen über die Oberkasseler Brücke und ließen sich an den Rheinwiesen in Düsseldorf nieder. Eine Nacht durften sie bleiben — am Dienstag mussten weiterziehen.

In Kevelaer hatten sie sich am Wochenende niedergelassen und mit ihren Wohnwagen einen Parkplatz am Hallenbad eingenommen. Vom Niederrhein zogen sie nach Neuss und dann nach Düsseldorf . Doch wer sind die irischen Landarbeiter eigentlich?

• Woher kommen die irischen Landfahrer?

Die irischen Landfahrer, auch Irish Travellers genannt, sind eine soziokulturelle Gruppe aus Irland , die auch England und den USA lebt. Sie sprechen eine eigene Sprache namens Shelta, die sich aus irisch-gälischen, englischen und romanischen Elementen zusammensetzt. Laut einer Studie der Universität in Dublin leben etwa 36.000 von ihnen in Irland, weitere knapp 4000 in Nordirland .

• Wie heißen die Landfahrer richtig?

Für die irischen Wanderfahrer gibt es viele unterschiedliche Bezeichnungen: Meist werden sie Pavee genannt, gängig sind auch Itinerant oder Irish Travellers. "Tinker" ist ein englischer Begriff, der jedoch abwertend gemeint ist.

• Warum sind sie in Deutschland unterwegs?

Das fahrende Volk aus Irland kommt im August häufig nach NRW. Der 15. August (Mariä Himmelfahrt) ist für die strengen Katholiken ein hoher Feiertag, den sie oft im Marienwallfahrtsort Kevelaer begehen wollen.

• Wie leben die Travellers?

Es gibt nur wenige Studien über die Gruppe — eine Untersuchung des "University College Dublin" aus dem Jahr 2010 beleuchtet das Leben der irischen Wanderer. Die "All Ireland Traveller Health Study" belegt, dass ein Großteil der Mitglieder sich mittlerweile niedergelassen hat: Nur noch 18 Prozent leben demnach in Fahrzeugen, Mobilheimen oder Wohnwagen. Ein Großteil hat dennoch Wohnwagen, mit denen sie auf Reisen gehen.

Der Studie zufolge haben 2700 Travellers keinen Zugang zu fließendem Wasser. Die Lebenserwartung der Pavees ist deutlich geringer als in der allgemeinen irischen Bevölkerung. Männer sterben rund 15 Jahre, Frauen etwa zwölf Jahre früher. Vor allem Atemwegs- und Herzkreislauferkrankungen seien unter den Wanderern verbreitet, ebenso sei die Suizidrate höher als in der sonstigen Bevölkerung.

• Welchen Status haben die Landfahrer?

Wie Sinti und Roma sind auch die irischen Reisenden in der Antiziganismus-Forschung als Opfer anerkannt. Herbert Heuß, wissenschaftlicher Leiter beim Zentralrat Deutscher Sinti und Roma, kennt die Wanderer, die meist in Gruppen von etwa drei Großfamilien unterwegs sind. In Irland gehören sie zu einer der ausgeschlossensten Gruppen der Gesellschaft.

• Wie verdienen Sie ihr Geld?

Nach der Studie der Universität Dublin sind 84 Prozent arbeitslos. Wie sie sich ihre zum Teil luxuriösen Autos finanzieren, ist nicht ganz klar. Laut Herbert Heuß sind die Reisen der Travellers aber auch geschäftlicher Natur: So ziehen auch eigentlich sesshaft gewordene Mitglieder umher und bieten verschiedene Dienstleistungen wie das Asphaltieren von privaten Straßen oder Grundstücken an.

• Gehen die Kinder zur Schule?

55 Prozent der Pavees-Kinder verlassen laut der Studie die Schule vor ihrem 15. Lebensjahr, nur ein Prozent erreicht einen akademischen Abschluss. In Irland gibt es keine Schulpflicht, sondern eine Unterrichtspflicht. Es steht den Eltern also frei, ihre Kinder zu Hause unterrichten zu lassen.

• Wie geht die irische Regierung mit den Pavees um?

Die irische Regierung versucht schon lange, die Reisenden mit speziellen Programmen zur Sesshaftigkeit zu bewegen. Für niederlassungswillige Mitglieder wurden bereits einige Siedlungen errichtet — viele liegen jedoch abgelegen am Stadtrand. Als Hochburg der sesshaften Travellers gilt ein Randgebiet von Limerick.

Mit einem Gesetz namens "trespass law" will die Regierung verhindern, dass die Pavees ohne festen Stellplatz weiter durch Irland tingeln und in Wohnwagen am Straßenrand nächtigen: Parken sie ihre mobilen Heime länger als 24 Stunden auf privaten oder öffentlichen Plätzen, müssen sie bis zu 3000 Euro Strafe zahlen oder sogar ins Gefängnis.

• Haben sie Gemeinsamkeiten mit Sinti und Roma?

Kulturell, historisch und sprachlich haben die irischen Wanderer laut Herbert Heuß keine Verbindungen zu den Sinti und Roma — häufig werden sie aber in einem Atemzug genannt und verwechselt.

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New research shows Irish Travellers were racially abused and marginalised following controversial Channel 4 Dispatches programme

New research by charity the Traveller Movement, shows Gypsies and Irish Travellers were racially abused and criminally stereotyped following a Channel 4 programme which first aired in April of last year.  

Dispatches: the Truth about Traveller Crime first aired on the 16th of April 2020 and was roundly condemned by activists and leading anti-racism campaigners as racist and  dehumanising . Ofcom, the broadcast regulator received nearly a thousand complaints, including a  statement  from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.  

The report published Wednesday the 12th of May aims to highlight some of the damage caused to Gypsies and Irish Travellers in the aftermath of the programme. The report entitled Travellers and Crime? Reflections on the Channel 4 documentary and criminal stereotyping aims to centre the voices of those directly impacted by the Channel 4 programme and by anti-Traveller stereotyping more widely.  

The report provides ample evidence of the pervasive discrimination Gypsies, Roma and Travellers face and the ways in which this discrimination is created and perpetuated by the media. 68 responses in total were received and explored everything from the immediate fall out to the programme, the everyday experience of anti-Traveller racism, as well as Travellers’ experiences of reporting crime to the police.  

Of the 74% of respondents who watched the programme, many expressed disbelief, feelings of unfairness, and fear.  

‘Quite worrying that a mainstream TV channel can get away with awful stereotyping of the most marginalised and vulnerable communities in the country. Total sensationalism and racist.’ 

Another respondent remarked on the direct harmful impact the show had on their relationship with a neighbour:   

‘Since the filming my neighbour’s have started giving me abuse again, and my windows have been smashed in.’ 

When discussing the criminal stereotypes forced upon Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people most respondents discussed scapegoating and the negative portrayal of Travellers in the media. 

‘They hear bad stories in local press and spread rumors. Folks love a bogey man!’ 

The report makes wide ranging recommendations for the media, the police and for Ofcom.  

Ofcom’s ongoing investigation    

Despite Ofcom receiving nearly a thousand complaints, including a letter signed nearly 8,000 times, it has yet to publish the findings from its investigation.  

 In response to a parliamentary question about what was causing the delay, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport John Whittingdale MP stated "Ofcom is the UK’s independent regulator of television. Decisions on broadcasting regulation, including the duration of their investigations, are a matter for Ofcom" 

 Commenting on the report, CEO of the Traveller Movement Yvonne MacNamara said: t his report shows the immense distress and hurt caused by the Dispatches programme to Gypsies and Travellers. Ofcom opened its investigation on the 29th of May 2020, yet here we are twelve months later and still without a clear indication of when that investigation will end. Where’s Ofcom? We are losing faith in our broadcast regulator and its ability to do its job.  

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Traveller health 'not being prioritised' despite 'shocking' outcomes for children

“WE ARE WORKING with young women who are leaving maternity wards post-pregnancy onto the street, homeless.”

Mary Nevin, a community development worker with Longford Traveller Primary Healthcare Project, told Noteworthy “it’s important for our children to be healthy [and] to be safe” but for the Travellers she works with, this is often not the case.

Hidden homelessness is often to blame for health problems in children, said Nevin, with families living in inappropriate accommodation such as a caravan in a relative’s yard or sleeping on the floor in a sitting room.

“As a result of homelessness, women and their families will not engage with services. It has a huge impact physically, emotionally, and mentally.”

Nevin, a Traveller herself, said she regularly helps mothers who are coming home with a new baby to a “house packed with other family members” and “if someone gets sick, everyone’s going to get sick”.

This year more than any other, due to both the damning Children’s Ombudsman report on overcrowded and unsafe conditions at a Cork halting site as well as the terrible impact of Covid, issues with housing in the Traveller community have hit the headlines.

However, the health implications of living in poor conditions, often with no access to sanitation, electricity and running water, as well as issues including discrimination by health and education providers, have been known by authorities for decades.

These are revealed in the stark health statistics facing Traveller children in every study and piece of Census data available: almost four times higher infant mortality rates than the general population, increased levels of disability at all ages, poor mental health with six to seven times higher a rate of suicide in the Traveller community. The result – a decade lower life expectancy compared to the general population.

At Noteworthy , over the past number of months, we examined supports for Traveller children as part of our TOUGH START investigation. In this part of the series, we looked at health outcomes and spoke to Traveller health workers across the country.

We can today report that:

• The long-awaited Traveller Health Action Plan will be published “soon” but has taken years to develop
• Travellers have the highest rate of perinatal deaths – the number of stillbirths and deaths from 22 weeks’ gestation to seven days after birth – out of all ethnicities
• There was no documented internal discussion that mentions Travellers in relation to the National Maternity Strategy in the months leading up to its publication
• There is no mention of Travellers in HSE hospital staff induction training , in spite of a recommendation in the All-Ireland Traveller Health Study over a decade ago
• Ethnicity identifiers are not being recorded as part of numerous HSE reports, health statistics and, most recently, the Covid vaccine rollout
• Travellers are missing health appointments due to having no postal delivery service
• High rates of Covid in the Traveller community were the “tip of the iceberg and may not reflect all cases”, according to the National Social Inclusion Office
• Systemic issues with housing and education issues are impacting the health of Traveller children

In part one , Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman told Noteworthy that “there’s ingrained institutional racism against the Traveller community”. Over the next two weeks will also be investigating systemic issues facing Traveller children in education and housing. 

‘Not getting a start in life’

Travellers face an uphill battle even before birth as Ireland’s perinatal death figures reveal that they have the highest rate of perinatal deaths out of all ethnicities measured.

Perinatal mortality is the number of stillbirths and deaths from 22 weeks’ gestation to seven days after birth and is an important measure of maternity care, with the  World Health Organisation (WHO)  stating it can be used to “assess needs and develop programmes that will reduce avoidable child deaths more quickly”.

Mary-Brigid Collins works with a lot of young mothers through maternal health initiatives run by Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre. She is the assistant coordinator of the Primary Healthcare Project in the Dublin-based organisation. 

There’s a huge amount of young babies not even getting a start in life – as soon as they’re born, being taken away. 

The National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre produces a report on this each year – the most recent in 2017 – and each year since 2013 it stated: “While the numbers involved were small, Irish Traveller, Asian and Black ethnicities were overrepresented in the mothers who experienced perinatal deaths.”

Out of these ethnicities, Noteworthy analysis found that Irish Travellers are by far the most overrepresented for the years 2011 to 2017, with Travellers having an average of more than four times more perinatal deaths than expected for their population size.

This trend continued into recent years with seven deaths recorded in Travellers in 2018 and 10 in 2019, from unpublished HSE data obtained by  Noteworthy  through a freedom of information (FOI) and press request.

Other measures relating to maternal and neonatal health are also poor in Travellers, with Collins recently highlighting the low breastfeeding rate in the community – just 2% in comparison to the national average of 56% – at a Pavee Point event for National Breastfeeding Week.

The All-Ireland Traveller Health Study in 2010 – which compiled most of the statistics still used in relation to Traveller health, found that infant mortality – children who die under one year of age – was almost four times that of the general population. One of its key priority recommendations was that: 

All sectoral aspects of mother and child services merit top priority to reduce infant mortality, support positive parenting outcomes and break the cycle of lifelong disadvantage that starts so early for Traveller families.

More recent data show that Travellers are also experiencing more trauma around birth. Irish Travellers are overrepresented in experiencing  severe maternal morbidity  which measures unexpected outcomes of labour and delivery that result in significant short- or long-term consequences to a woman’s health.

Traveller babies are overrepresented in infants undergoing therapeutic hypothermia – a treatment for those exposed to reductions of oxygen or blood supply before birth. 

The latest report on planned home births reported no Traveller mothers were intending to have home births in 2016 or 2017 – both of the two years reported.  

Lack of actions in Maternity Strategy  

Despite all of this, Travellers received just one mention in the National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026 in relation to the “lower average age of mothers giving birth”. No mention of higher infant mortality, no mention of lower breastfeeding rates, not one other mention. 

Noteworthy  found, through FOI , that there were no memos or correspondence within the Department of Health that mentioned Travellers in relation to the strategy in the months leading up to its publication in 2016.

In addition, Irish Travellers didn’t get any mention in the  National Maternity Strategy Implementation Plan – a set of actions designed to implement the 10-year strategy.  

When asked about this lack of mentions, targeted actions and lack of internal discussion, a spokesperson for the Department of Health said that the pathways within the strategy “are designed to ensure that every woman can access the right level of care, from the right professional, at the right time and in the right place, based on her needs”. 

The Department spokesperson added that consultation, both online and in person, was conducted and as a result of this a number of “key recommendations” were made in the strategy “in the areas of targeted additional supports, tailored information and cultural sensitivity”.

The  consultation summary  reported that “specific groups, such as Travellers, reported feeling stigmatised, which made them reluctant to engage with services for future pregnancies” and also mentioned that “interpersonal skills of healthcare professionals is very important”, using the example of the label ‘Traveller’ and not the care requirement, being put on a cot to ensure appropriate feeding in the context of a metabolic disorder.

“It’s very important that we are included in all these pieces of research and strategies,” Collins told  Noteworthy , but added that Travellers should also be included in the resulting targets and plans. 

Lynsey Kavanagh, health researcher and policy analyst at Pavee Point, said that this type of “one-size-fits-all policy is developed for the mainstream” but “when groups aren’t equal, you need targeted measures to ensure equity of outcomes”. 

There was also no mention of Travellers in any of the following maternity-related reports : National Women and Infants Health Programme Report 2020, Development of Supported Care Pathway Irish Maternity Services 2020 or Irish Maternity Indicator System National Report 2020. 

When asked about this, the Department spokesperson said that these “deal with progress made or reports on specific metrics and were not designed to cover ethnicity issues”.

A spokesperson for the HSE also noted that ethnicity is not included in the Maternity Safety Statements which contain information on metrics covering a range of clinical activities and incidents, including perinatal deaths.

They added that these reports are “reviewed by the HSE’s National Women and Infant’s Health Programme and discussed with the six maternity networks at the regular meeting” and though ethnicity is not included, they “do focus discussion about challenges associated with perinatal mortality and actions that may be required”. 

‘Outcomes-focused approach’ is key

Lack of targeted actions or specific mentions across a range of Government strategies, policies and implementation plans was an issue highlighted by almost all Travellers that spoke to  Noteworthy  over the course of this investigation. 

When we asked Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O’Gorman about this, given many issues disproportionately impact the Traveller community, he said that with the review of the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS) happening this year, a “more outcomes-focused approach” is key. 

NTRIS is the Government policy framework for addressing the health and other needs of Travellers. In relation to health, it contains over 30 actions across four themes.

O’Gorman said that currently NTRIS is focused on actions such as “implement a policy” or “pass a law” but what people really want to see is “tangible outcomes” such as by a certain date, there will be a certain increase in Traveller-specific accommodation. 

These targeted and measurable actions with dedicated funding behind them are what Traveller advocates told us they will be hoping for when the long-awaiting Traveller Health Action Plan is published. 

This action plan was one of the main recommendations made by the All-Ireland Traveller Health Study over a decade ago and there is a commitment in the Programme for Government to implement it.

It is also a key NTRIS action and one that Pavee Point’s Kavanagh uses as an example of the lack of implementation of key parts of the Government’s inclusion strategy. “We’re 11 years trying to fight this battle,” waiting for this plan.

The Traveller health researcher welcomed the plan’s consultation process in 2018, but said Travellers on the ground and Traveller organisations are frustrated because they “just don’t see Traveller health being prioritised despite really shocking [health] statistics, which were exacerbated even more during Covid”.

Michelle Hayes, project manager at the HSE’s National Social Inclusion Office said they will be publishing the action plan “soon” and that it is her understanding that it “will be resourced and that there will be further resources for Traveller health in the coming years”.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health (DOH) said that “consideration of the plan and its resource implications has been delayed by the prioritisation of the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination programme”. They continued: 

The Department is committed to providing the leadership and resources to ensure the implementation of the plan by the HSE.

Noteworthy  sought all DOH records from 2018 to the end of August in relation to the the action plan – including minutes of meetings and reports – but none were released as they contain “matter relating to the deliberative process”. 

However, the FOI response does reveal that over this 2.5-year period there were 23 records relating to the plan, mainly internal interactions or updates and emails between the HSE and DOH. All four in 2021 relate to the DOH seeking comments or sending observations on the draft plan.  

Though the HSE was a “key partner” during Covid, when it comes to Traveller health, Kavanagh feels “there is a block somewhere in the Department of Health” and a “lack of prioritisation”.

In addition to the slow development of the action plan, Kavanagh uses the example of  the National Traveller Advisory Committee not meeting since 2012.

When this was brought up in the Dáil in 2018 then Minister of State at the Department, Fine Gael’s Catherine Byrne, said that ”there is ongoing and extensive engagement with Traveller organisations” in regards to health inequality experienced by Travellers. 

However, Kavanagh said that the advisory committee was “was a mechanism to develop Traveller policy and work with the Department”. She added: “We see his as a huge gap because we don’t have a direct relationship with the Department.”

She also told  Noteworthy that Traveller health has received no new development funding since 2008, following austerity cuts – with the exception of some funding provided by initiatives through the Dormant Account Funds. 

Though this was raised in the Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community in 2019 , when then Minister of State at the Department of Health, Fine Gael’s Jim Daly, stated the Department was “open to suggestions” for new development funding for Travellers, Kavanagh said there was no new funding was in recent budgets. 

When funding is provided, it does work, she added. The health researcher cited primary healthcare projects that targeted cervical smear and breast cancer screening, with uptake in Traveller women almost double that of the general population. 

Childhood trauma impacting health

In addition to stark outcomes facing Traveller babies, older children continue to have poorer health than the general population. For every disability documented in the 2016 Census, Traveller children have a higher proportion recorded than the general population. 

For under 15s, the percentage of Traveller children with a disability increased from 8.6% to 9.2% between the 2011 and 2016 Census, with boys being most impacted by all disabilities recorded. This is consistently higher than the level of disability in under 15s in the general population – 5.4% in 2011 and 5.9% in 2016.

The rate of disability worsens – with a growing gap between Traveller children and the general population – in older age groups. 

One issue that all Traveller healthcare workers brought up with  Noteworthy was poor mental health among all ages, which they said often go back to issues relating to childhood trauma.

The 2010 All-Ireland Traveller Health Study found that suicide represented 11% of all Traveller deaths. It was reported to be seven times higher in men – most commonly in young men aged 15-25 – and five times higher for Traveller women than the general population.

Over a decade later, suicide continues to be a problem in the Traveller community. The HSE gave  Noteworthy  initial findings of a study underway in the National Suicide Research Foundation examining emergency department presentations due to self-harm and suicide-related ideation.

Though still in progress, the study already found the highest rate of self-harm was observed among Traveller patients aged 50 or older, with Traveller men between 30 and 39 years having the highest risk of presenting with suicide-related ideation.

Patrick*, a Traveller community development worker from Cork City, said “you have to go back to the early days of school, children being segregated, people having childhood trauma, bringing that throughout their lives”.

Segregation policies were present in schools for Travellers throughout the last century, with activists saying that they continue today through the use of reduced school days. This will be the main focus of the next part of our TOUGH START series examining education – out next week.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood and are linked to chronic health problems, mental health conditions, and substance use problems in adulthood. Patrick said he often sees this in the Traveller community:

A lot of community I know of through a personal capacity and through my work would have had issues of childhood trauma and would have never engaged with a service to deal with that. 

He felt that not feeling valued by Irish society plays a huge part in this with “decades and decades of fallout” from the 1963 Report of the Commission on Itinerancy  which framed  Traveller culture and way of life as a ‘problem’. This “has had a generational impact on people’s mental health”, added Patrick.  

Children he works with often have a bleak outlook on life as “from a very young age, they are made feel very different and not wanted”.

Patrick spoke of one seven-year-old he worked with recently who was shocked to realise that Patrick was a working Traveller man as the boy felt he would not be able to get a job in the future. “Imagine all the issues that child will face going forward if that’s their outlook.”

He also said some were left isolated in council estates as “all the settled children were told not to play with the Traveller children”. 

When asked if the HSE has any tailored mental health programmes aimed at Traveller children and young people, a spokesperson listed services and mental health supports for Travellers that it, as well as NGOs, provide – including initiatives in collaboration with Traveller organisations around the country.

The spokesperson added that the HSE has recruited eight out of the nine mental health service coordinator posts “to support access to, and delivery of, mental health services for Travellers in each Community Healthcare area”.

A ‘ceiling full of black dots’

Poor accommodation was also listed by every Traveller advocate we spoke to for problems with mental health as well as other – often chronic – health conditions. 

In the recent Children’s Ombudsman report, it stated that one parent on the halting site “advised that their mental health team told them that their children’s poor mental wellbeing were linked to their living conditions”. 

Overcrowding – according to one of the Ombudsman’s findings – “has resulted in serious risks on the site which present a real and present danger to the safety and health of children”. 

Mary Nevin sees a “very high number of children with asthma and other types of chronic illnesses” in her work as a community development worker in Longford.

She was recently helping rehouse a woman with an asthmatic baby living in damp and cold private rented accommodation. She said that Travellers are looking for the basics and are not looking for luxury.

Missed health appointments

During the course of this investigation,  Noteworthy  uncovered an obstacle to healthcare that is very specific to the Traveller community – access to the postal service. 

Pavee Point’s Collins, who lives in a large Traveller group housing scheme, said that no post has been delivered to the over 60 families living there since 2018. She said there have been similar issues on a number of halting sites as well as temporary sites.

To pick up their post, Collins and her neighbours have to travel to their local sorting office which she said is a 35-minute walk, with no direct bus route. “A huge amount of people can’t even get to their post.”

This has resulted in people missing health appointments – something that can result in them or their children being removed from patient lists due to non-attendance policies in most hospitals. “That’s having a huge impact on people’s health,” explained Collins.

The reason the residents were given by An Post for ceasing delivery was that there were loose dogs in the area, the advocate said, but she felt frustrated that delivery was stopped to all houses – not just those with dogs. 

By law , on every working day, An Post must deliver to the home of every person in the State, except in such circumstances or geographical conditions deemed exceptional by ComReg.

Noteworthy asked An Post if they plan on resuming postal deliveries to this specific group housing scheme and also for figure on the number of Traveller housing units and halting sites they do not deliver to. However, at the time of publication, no response was provided.

We also asked ComReg is they were addressing this lack of service provision by An Post. A spokesperson said that it “is not aware of, nor has there been any complaint to ComReg from any addresses [in the specific Traveller group housing scheme], of disruptions to the provision of the universal postal service by An Post”.

Collins said they are currently trying to sort out the issue with An Post head office.

Literacy a barrier to children’s health

Even if Travellers do receive their health-related letters, low levels of literacy in the community can have an impact on care. 

“Female literacy is a strong determinant of child health and is recognised by WHO,” according to Dr Margaret Fitzgerald, public health lead for social inclusion and vulnerable groups at the HSE National Social Inclusion Office.

When it comes to health literacy, the All-Ireland Traveller Health Survey found that half of Travellers who take prescription medications have difficulty in reading the instructions.

In addition, better provision for those with literacy problems was one of the top actions that Travellers said would improve their health and wellbeing, alongside better accommodation, education and uptake of preventative care services. 

From her work with Travellers, Collins has seen the impact of this on maternal care and breastfeeding uptake. 

One woman who “wasn’t able to read” and “had literacy problems” was given a book with hundreds of pages of information on pregnancy. “She got the book and put it in the bin as it was no good to her.” 

To help with this, the Pavee Mothers initiative – which is funded by the HSE National Social Inclusion Office – published a book and an online resource that “was culturally appropriate and was by Travellers for Travellers”. This month, a new booklet was launched to promote breastfeeding in Traveller women.  

However, when it comes to health, Traveller health workers mentioned trust and fear frequently when they spoke to  Noteworthy . 

Nevin encounters this regularly in her work in Longford and said that “sometimes doctors can use very highfalutin’ words so language can be a barrier”. It can be difficult to build trust, she explained, as “Travellers have been let down so many times”. 

Mothers and families can also be fearful of health services for children “because they don’t have the appropriate accommodation” and worry about social worker involvement.

No mention in induction training

One way of addressing this is cultural training for healthcare staff. One of the recommendations of the All-Ireland Traveller Health Study was that a section on Travellers be included as part of routine staff inductions for hospitals with a significant Traveller catchment population. This was also recommended for GPs with a Traveller list.

Through FOI, Noteworthy asked a number of hospitals that treat children for staff induction training records such as reports, policy documents, presentations and information materials that related to Travellers.

This included CHI Temple Street, Crumlin and Tallaght as well as the paediatric section of the six hospitals in areas with a large Traveller catchment population – Cork, Limerick, Galway, Wexford and Drogheda.  

The response from all Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) hospitals stated that their induction content doesn’t include “any reference to the Traveller community”. All of the other hospitals provided a similar response.

The statement from Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, added that guidelines on newborn screening in the Traveller community form part of midwifery education in the college curriculum and this is “supported with practical education during clinical placements”. 

When asked if any HSE hospitals include a section on Travellers as part of routine induction of staff, a HSE spokesperson said that “Traveller organisations and the Primary Health Care for Traveller projects around the country provide cultural awareness training on an ongoing basis in response to requests from health service providers”.

They added that with Covid, “they are recommending use of the eLearning module [Introduction to Traveller Health] until this can be complemented with face to face training post-Covid” and this is available to all staff through the HSE’s learning and development portal. 

Cultural awareness builds trust

All Traveller advocates we spoke to felt Traveller cultural awareness training was important in healthcare. Traveller community development worker, Patrick*, said people can “have stereotypical views based on negative media” and assumptions can be made.

This training “works to break down those stereotypes and educate people about who Travellers are and what the needs are in the community” which results in better engagement in services.

Training was also important to Nevin, but she said that alongside it, having Traveller-specific workers integrated across the health services is also needed. “A peer-led support available to a Traveller who may feel vulnerable and fearful to engage with health and nursing staff” would make it a lot easier for Travellers, she explained.

This is particularly needed in maternity wards, she added, where Traveller workers could not only support Travellers but also be able to support nursing staff and doctors. 

A HSE spokesperson said that “the National Social Inclusion office have provided funding for two Traveller specific maternity resources to support Traveller women’s engagement with the Maternity Hospitals”. They said this “is in response to the challenges identified by Traveller organisations on the ground”.

Dedicated healthcare workers for Travellers also enables greater trust, according to Nevin, who has seen this first hand when they had a public health nurse specifically for Travellers in Longford. 

Because of the bond the public health nurse had built with the community, more women were connecting with the nurse and if mothers with small babies had a problem, Nevin said that they felt “they could talk to that nurse about ailments”.

However, their last Traveller specific nurse left for another job in 2018 and wasn’t replaced since. Nevin said because of this young women are being left untreated, and this has been exacerbated more due to Covid. 

The community worker knows of one mother with a young baby who was hospitalised with postnatal depression, but Nevin felt she “wouldn’t have needed to go to hospital if she had been seen a little bit earlier”.

When asked if this public health nurse was going to be replaced, a spokesperson for the local HSE community healthcare organisation said that “the Longford Westmeath Travellers health post will be filled when transfers off the national panel are completed”. They did not give a timeline or date for when this would happen. 

The added strain of Covid

Pavee Point’s Collins also said that Covid has not helped the situation in terms of Traveller health, with isolating a huge problem within the Traveller community. She added: “You knew you had to do it, you wanted to do it, but it was very difficult to do it.”

Collins lives in a four-bedroom house but with eight others living there, when she had Covid she found it difficult to isolate from her children and grandchildren.

She, alongside other Traveller healthcare workers across the country, were on the ground throughout the pandemic helping with the response and distributing information on prevention measures, testing and the vaccine.

Having Traveller primary healthcare projects already running meant the HSE had somebody to bring materials “straight to the doors” by people who were Travellers themselves, according to Hayes from the National Social Inclusion Office.

There was also “huge cooperation” on sites, said Hayes. “Families themselves were brilliant in outbreak situations – before we even get to the point of engagement, they would already have reorganised themselves.”

Travellers were among the hardest hit by Covid, with over 5,200 cases between March 2020 and April 2021 . That was three times the rate of the general population. To put those case numbers in context, there were just over 30,000 Travellers recorded here in the last Census. 

The community was also sicker from the disease, with a hospitalisation rate (4.5%) nine times that of the general population (0.5%).

Outbreaks were a regular occurrence, with more notified in Irish Travellers than any other vulnerable group recorded by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre.  

‘Tip of the iceberg’

“At the beginning of Covid, we were very cognisant of the challenges and we knew that we were going to have problems with some of our vulnerable groups,” the HSE’s Fitzgerald told Noteworthy .

“We tried to put in place quite a significant amount of prevention, awareness and a response,” she explained. “Generally it worked very well. But what we feared did happen, and we saw particularly high rates of Covid in Travellers.”

Fitzgerald said the high rates in Travellers were “the tip of the iceberg and may not reflect all cases”. Though Travellers “weren’t that sick” during the first and second waves, she said that “by the third wave they were”. 

By the end of the latest wave, there were nearly 250 hospitalisations, 28 people in ICU and 15 deaths in the Traveller community, according to Fitzgerald. Those in ICU included young pregnant women. 

Many Travellers were presenting later and sicker in the second and third wave due to, Fitzgerald said, “a combination of culture and social isolation”, including finding it difficult to source medical attention because some “had disengaged from mainstream health services”. 

During the pandemic, the HSE “never had such an intense engagement with Traveller health units” and organisations, with “Travellers themselves looking for HSE involvement and health advice”, she added.

When asked if enough was done to address problems with social isolation and other issues encountered by Travellers during the pandemic, a spokesperson for the Department of Health said that there were “concerted efforts by departments and agencies to protect this group from Covid-19″. 

The spokesperson said that the Department of Housing “acknowledged the constraints facing people who live in halting sites in adhering to public health advice” and that additional accommodation and sanitary services were provided.  This will be covered more extensively as part of our article on Traveller accommodation – out later in this series.

The production of guidance of vulnerable groups, other HSE measures as well as work by the HSE Social Inclusion and Primary Care teams were also listed by the spokesperson, who continued: 

“Overall, the impact of Covid-19 was greatly minimised by an intensive and collaborative response from government, the HSE and civil society. Socially excluded groups were prioritised and received priority action in terms of detection, case management and contact tracing.”

Given the large number of cases that occurred, Pavee Point’s Collins is worried about the future impact of the disease and felt “the long-term effects of Covid are going to be showing up” across the community – one which already has a significant disease burden.

‘Not systematically recorded’

Though the Health Protection Surveillance Centre reported outbreaks in Irish Travellers, ethnic identifiers were not a standard part of the pandemic response and are not integrated into the health service – or many other State systems. 

For instance, it was recommended in the ‘HSE Vaccine Approach for Vulnerable Groups in Ireland’ report by the HSE National Social Inclusion Office in March 2021, that ethnicity be included in data capture to monitor progress. However, this was not implemented in the Covid vaccine rollout.

The HSE’s Fitzgerald said this was due to the “cyber attack and because of the difficulty with recording ethnicity” which she added is seen “across the whole government system” as it is “not something the State gathers, as a routine”. 

Noteworthy asked the HSE about this as well as the vaccine uptake in Travellers by age group but did not receive a response to this query before publication. 

Adding ethnicity to all datasets is something that the HSE National Social Inclusion Office has been advocating for many years, according to Hayes. She felt that once the health system is joined up with a unique identifier, that an ethnic identifier would be included. “It would be ridiculous if not,” she added.  

Lack of ethnicity data collection in Ireland contrasts with the UK  where over 90% of general practices have ethnicity data recorded. Over 80% of acute inpatient and day case records in Scotland also include this data. 

When asked about the use of ethnic identifiers, a HSE spokesperson said that “a number of hospitals and health services” are collecting data as per the ethnic categories in the Census, which includes Irish Traveller. These include the Rotunda Maternity Hospital, CHI Temple Street and other services include the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.

There is a commitment to incrementally roll out the Ethnic Identifier in the National Traveller Roma Inclusion Strategy as well as a commitment in the forthcoming National Traveller Health Action Plan (NTHAP) using the learning emerging from these programs to roll it out further in the health services.

The lack of an ethnic identifier means that much data and statistics relating to Traveller health come from academic research, Census data – now five years old – and the All-Ireland Traveller Health Study – over a decade old. 

When  Noteworthy asked the HSE for more up-to-date information on suicide in Travellers, a spokesperson said that the Central Statistics Office (CSO) is the source of official suicide data and its sources include findings and verdicts from Coroners.

However, the spokesperson added that ethnicity “is not systematically recorded” across the Coroner system. “Therefore official, complete data on suicide rates in the Traveller community is not available.”

Noteworthy was also unable to obtain records of Traveller complaints in the same eight hospitals we sent an FOI to in relation to induction training due to a lack of ethnic identifier in complaint data. 

A whole-of-government approach needed

Though the data may not always be recorded, inequity between the childhood facing Travellers and their peers in the settled community jumps out from every statistic that is available. So, what can be done to close this gap and improve Traveller children’s health? 

The HSE’s Fitzgerald said there “had to be greater investment in primary care and resourcing [of] Traveller community health workers”. She added that “Traveller children need wraparound care and support” with other sectors also needing to take action. 

Pavee Point’s Kavanagh said that “it’s not just the HSE’s role to address Traveller health inequalities, but a role for all government departments”.

Kavanagh added that “the fact that Travellers are a really young population is indicative of health status” which is in turn “indicative of institutional racism, appalling living circumstances [and] severe overcrowding”.

In 2016 , almost 60% of Travellers were under 25, almost double that of the general population (33%), with just 3% aged 65, less than a quarter that of the general population (13%) .

Community development worker Nevin also felt sorting out the bigger picture – including housing and education – is important to “improve the lives of all Travellers”.

“Our children are our future and it’s important they are treated with the respect and dignity, are able to get an education, go to further education and make an impact in hospitals, council offices, right across the board.”  

*Name has been changed. 

This article is part of our  TOUGH START  investigation being led  by  Maria Delaney  of Noteworthy and  Michelle Hennessy  of The Journal. Over the next two weeks will also reveal systemic issues facing  Traveller children in education and housing.  

This Noteworthy investigation was done in collaboration with The Journal. It was funded by you, our readers, with support from The Journal as well as the Noteworthy  general fund  to cover additional costs.

You may be interested in a proposed investigation which is almost funded –  BLIND JUSTICE  - where we want to look at the experience of Travellers in the justice system.

You can support our work by submitting  an idea , funding for a particular  proposal  or setting up a monthly contribution to our general investigative fund  HERE>>

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Joint Committee on Key Issues facing the Traveller Community publishes final report

2 dec 2021, 10:50.

The Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community has published its final report into inequalities faced by the Traveller Community, today Thursday December 02.

The report examines the stark inequalities of opportunity and outcome faced by the Traveller Community in the areas of health, education, employment and accommodation and recommends policy directions to mitigate the effects on the Traveller Community.

The Committee met with a large number of stakeholders including Ministers and Government department officials, state agencies, NGOs and advocacy groups and most importantly, representatives from Traveller organisations, both national and local.  

It is the Committee’s view that Traveller voices must be central in any examination of the issues faced by them, and that no solutions will be found for the serious inequalities faced by Travellers without the engagement and collaboration of the Traveller community themselves.

Launching the report, Committee Chairperson Senator Eileen Flynn said: “It gives me great pleasure, as someone who comes from Labre Park, to be able to chair this committee and open up those opportunities to many more Travellers. Travellers are one of the most studied groups in society. Over the years there have been numerous reports and studies produced which have highlighted the extreme difficulties and challenges faced by the Traveller community. Unfortunately, it is clear that these have not succeeded in improving conditions in Travellers’ lives.”

 “The Committee visited several Traveller accommodation sites around the country, to allow members to see for themselves the conditions Travellers are forced to endure, and to meet with residents and hear their experiences first-hand. Following the publication of the landmark No End in Site report into the Spring Lane halting site in Co Cork by the Ombudsman for Children’s Office – it is clear that such living conditions for Travellers can no longer endure.”

“Deficient and substandard living conditions precarious accommodation and homelessness have severely detrimental effects on both mental and physical health, and brutally impact Traveller children’s ability to thrive in education. Lower educational outcomes have a damaging impact on employment opportunities. Chronic unemployment causes stress and has negative consequences for mental health. These issues will not be solved in isolation and must be tackled through a whole of Government and a whole of society approach.” 

“Despite the dire conditions on the sites we visited, the Committee was particularly struck by the pride and care taken in the homes on site. The Committee offers a special thanks to the residents for welcoming them into their homes and sharing their stories and experiences.”  

“Travellers were particularly impacted by the pandemic due to their unsuitable living conditions. Living in overcrowded conditions prevented many Travellers from self-isolating when required to do so by public health guidelines. The lack of access to running water also made it difficult to comply with guidelines on hand hygiene. It took Covid-19 for some families to get water and portable toilets as a temporary emergency measure. There should be an immediate report prepared in relation to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Traveller community, and appropriate actions should be taken to address all concerns raised in this report.”

“I can’t stress this enough, the recommendations must be implemented. It is no exaggeration when I say that if these recommendations are implemented, they would create opportunities for Travellers that were not there before. This report will mean nothing if the recommendations are not implemented. Most importantly, it would mean a loss of hope for many Travellers who need those actions to be implemented as soon as possible.”

  The full report and its recommendations is available to read on the Committee’s webpage.  

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Census 2022 Profile 5 - Diversity, Migration, Ethnicity, Irish Travellers & Religion

• Irish Travellers

Census 2022 Results

This publication is part of a  series of results  from Census 2022. More thematic publications will be published throughout 2023 as outlined in the Census 2022  Publication Schedule .

The number of Irish Travellers living in the State and counted in Census 2022 was 32,949, an increase of 6% from 30,987 in the 2016 census. Irish Travellers make up less than 1% of the population so, for comparison purposes, it can be helpful to use rates per 1,000 of the population. This shows that in Census 2022, six out of 1,000 people in the State were Irish Travellers. The proportion of Irish Travellers in the population varied from county to county.

In Galway City, 21 out of every 1,000 people were Irish Travellers, in Longford, the rate was 20 per 1,000 of the population and in Offaly, it was 14 per 1,000.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown had the lowest number of Irish Travellers per 1,000 of the population with just under two Irish Travellers for every 1,000 people.

In Kildare and Dublin City, there were just under four Irish Travellers for every 1,000 people.

The Irish Traveller population increased in most counties, the largest rise being recorded in Offaly, up 30% to 1,174.

The Traveller population also increased by more than 200 in Cork (up 11% to 2,376), Fingal (up 17% to 1,545) and Tipperary (up 17% to 1,434).

There were drops in the number of Irish Travellers in some counties; the largest were recorded in Longford (down 13% to 913) and South Dublin (down 12% to 1,943).

Note: The analysis of Irish travellers is based on the usually resident population. The corresponding de facto figures in 2022 and 2016 were 33,033 and 31,075, respectively.

The figure for Irish Travellers has a pyramid shape as opposed to the hourglass shape of the figure for the total population. This reflects higher fertility rates and lower average life expectancy among the Irish Traveller population than in the overall population.

Children under the age of 15 made up 36% of Irish Travellers compared with 20% of the total population. At a national level, 15% of the total population was aged 65 years and over while for Irish Travellers, the equivalent figure was just 5%.

Marital Status of Irish Travellers

Overall, 45% of Irish Travellers aged 15 years and over were single, up from 40% in 2016. The proportion of married Travellers dropped from 49% in 2016 to 44% in 2022.

Irish Traveller men were more likely to be either single (47%) or married (46%) than Irish Traveller women (42% single and 42% married).

Around 10% of Irish Traveller women were separated or divorced compared with 5% of Irish Traveller men.

Irish Traveller women were also more likely to be widowed (5%) than Irish Traveller men (2%).

Over 85% of Irish Travellers aged 15 to 24 years were single while 13% were married.

The proportion that were married increased to 49% for 25 to 34 year olds.

Among Irish Travellers aged 55 to 64 years, 14% were separated or divorced compared with 8% of Travellers aged 65 and over.

Overall, 25% of Irish Travellers aged 65 and over were widowed; the figure for Traveller women aged 65 and over was 35% and 15% for Traveller men.

Long-Lasting Conditions and Difficulties

There were 8,577 Irish Travellers who reported experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty to any extent, accounting for 26% of the Traveller population. In comparison, 22% of the total population living in the State reported experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty to any extent.

Breaking this down further, 15% of Irish Travellers (4,952 people) reported experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty to a great extent or a lot compared with 8% of all people living in Ireland.

Another 11% of Irish Travellers (3,625 people) reported experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty to some extent or a little while the comparable figure for the total population was 14%.

The overall proportion of Irish Travellers experiencing a long-lasting condition or difficulty to any extent was slightly higher for men (27%) than women (25%). Looking at the total population, women (22%) were more likely to experience a long-lasting condition or difficulty to any extent than men (21%).

Of all children under the age of 15 living in the State, 4% reported experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty to a great extent compared with 7% of Traveller children.

The proportion of 15 to 29 year old Irish Travellers experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty to a great extent (13%) was more than twice that of all people in the same age cohort (6%).

Between the ages of 30 and 59, the proportion of the population experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty to a great extent was over three times higher for Irish Travellers (21%) than the total population (6%).

Among the older age cohorts, the differences were less pronounced, and Irish Travellers over the age of 80 were slightly less likely to experience a long-lasting condition or difficulty to any extent than would be expected in the overall population.

General Health

The question on general health shows that 22,050 Irish Travellers reported their general health as being good or very good (67%) while a further 3,899 Irish Travellers reported fair health status (12%).

There were 1,350 Irish Travellers reporting their health as bad or very bad, 4% of the Traveller population. This is twice as high as the proportion of the total population who reported their health as bad or very bad (2%).

The level of non-response in this question was quite high for Irish Travellers, at 17%, compared with 7% for the total population.

In the overall population, the proportion of people with good or very good health decreased slowly with age, up until the age of 70 when the decrease rate started to accelerate.

In the Irish Traveller population, the proportion of people with good or very good health decreased steadily with age up until the age of 70 at which point, the rate of decrease slowed down.

There were 5,427 Irish Travellers who were daily smokers in Census 2022, or 16% of the Traveller population compared with 9% of the total population.

Just under half of Irish Travellers had never smoked compared with 60% of the total population.

Some 9% of Travellers had given up smoking, compared with 19% for the total population.

Looking at smoking by age shows that one in three Irish Travellers between the ages of 25 and 54 were daily smokers.

Irish Traveller Households

There were 29,900 Irish Travellers living in private households in Census 2022. The majority were living in permanent housing, while 2,286 people were living in temporary housing units such as caravans and mobile homes.

The proportion of Irish Travellers living in private households who were living in caravans, mobile homes or other temporary accommodation was 8% in 2022, down from 12% in 2016.

In Fingal, 18% of Travellers were living in temporary accommodation, the highest proportion in the country in Census 2022.

In Dublin City, Kilkenny and Tipperary, 14% of Irish Travellers were living in temporary housing.

Household Size

There were 9,448 private households containing Irish Travellers. These households had an average size of 4 persons per household compared to an average size of 2.7 for the total population.

Irish Traveller households were largest in Leitrim, Roscommon and Kildare with an average size of 4.6 persons, followed by Clare with 4.5 persons per household.

The counties where the average size of Irish Traveller households was smallest were Dublin City with 3.5 persons per household and Louth, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and Donegal (all with 3.6 persons per household).

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Latest UK migration statistics: The key numbers

Here are the key numbers in the latest migration figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS):

– Estimated net migration to the UK stood at a provisional total of 685,000 in the year to December 2023, down 10% from a revised record of 764,000 for the year to December 2022.

The figure for 2022 has been revised upwards by 19,000 from the initial estimate of 745,000, now that more complete data for the year is available.

Net migration is the difference between the number of people arriving and leaving the country.

Some 1.22 million people are estimated to have arrived in the UK in the year ending December 2023, while 532,000 are likely to have left.

– Levels of net migration to the UK have varied sharply in recent years.

The figure was on a downwards trend immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, falling from an estimated 276,000 in 2018 to 184,000 in 2019.

It dropped to an estimated 93,000 in 2020, when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.

The total then rose to 466,000 in 2021, before jumping further to a record 764,000 in 2022.

The new estimate of 685,000 for 2023 suggests levels are starting to fall once again, though “it is too early to say if this is the start of a new downward trend,” the ONS said.

– The number of people coming to the UK long-term was broadly similar in 2023 (1.22 million) to 2022 (1.26 million).

There has been a marked change in immigration patterns in recent years, following the ending of free movement for people from the European Union and the introduction of a new immigration system in the UK in 2021.

The easing of restrictions after the Covid-19 pandemic, plus external events such as the war in Ukraine, have had a further impact.

Non-EU nationals accounted for 85% of total long-term immigration last year, while EU nationals made up 10% and British nationals 5%.

By contrast, non-EU nationals made up 47% of the total in 2019, with 44% being EU nationals.

And in 2016, the year the UK voted to leave the European Union, non-EU nationals made up just 31% of the total, compared with 60% for EU nationals.

– People arriving long-term on work-related visas is now the most common reason for non-EU immigration (41% of this total), overtaking those arriving on study-related visas (37%) for the first time since 2019.

There has also been a shift in the balance between those arriving on work visas as main applicants or as dependants.

In 2022, main applicants accounted for an estimated 55% of non-EU long-term work immigration, with dependants making up 45%.

In 2023, main applicants accounted for 48% and dependants 52%.

Preliminary analysis by the ONS indicates that those most likely to bring dependants come from Nigeria, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Ghana.

Dependants are a mixture of adults and children, and of the top 10 countries, around 50% of dependants were aged 17 years or under.

– The number of people immigrating to the UK for humanitarian reasons stood at an estimated 50,000 in 2023, down sharply from 160,000 in 2022.

Arrivals from Ukraine dropped from 98,000 in 2022 to 10,000 in 2023.

– The number of people emigrating from the UK long-term rose from 493,000 in 2022 to 532,000 in 2023.

This has been driven largely by increased emigration from non-EU nationals, particularly among those who initially arrived on a study visa.

For the first time since 2014, non-EU emigration is larger than EU emigration.

Non-EU nationals accounted for 44% of the total last year, up from 33% in 2022, while EU nationals accounted for 38%, down from 48%.

The number of non-EU nationals emigrating in 2023, 233,000, is the highest since current estimates began in 2012.

Some 133,000 people left the UK in 2023 who initially arrived on study-related visas, up from 91,000 in 2022.

This can be “partially attributed to the high levels of immigration for study, which we saw post-pandemic, that are now beginning to translate into increased emigration as some complete their studies and leave the UK,” the ONS added.

However, some long-term international students are also likely to be staying in the UK longer and transitioning to other visa types, rather than leaving at the end of their studies.

This is a result of the introduction of the graduate visa in July 2021, which gives students permission to stay in the UK for at least two years after successfully completing a course.

He fell in love with Thailand while traveling in his 20s. Now 40, he's back and has built his dream 'James Bond' luxury villa.

• Johnny Ward, an Irish travel blogger, built a luxury villa in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2021.
• He says he spent about 22.5 million Thai baht, or around $600,000, on the entire build.
• His two-story villa has a pool, a home cinema, and a man cave.

The first time Johnny Ward went to Chiang Mai, Thailand , he was 22.

He paid for his one-way flight with money he earned from participating in a five-week medical-research study. It was the first time he'd traveled anywhere in Asia.

Over the next year and a half, Ward taught English at a local school and fell in love with Chiang Mai's laid-back lifestyle .

When that stint was over, he moved to Australia to take up a sales job. Although the pay was good, he was dissatisfied with corporate life. He decided to quit his job to travel and ended up starting a blog to document his adventures.

"I was living a fun, cool life, and I just wanted to show other people from working-class backgrounds that you don't need to come from a rich family to live a cool life," Ward, now a travel blogger who also runs an online-media company, told Business Insider.

But after traveling the world, Ward realized that Chiang Mai still had his heart.

"If you ever Google things like '10 best places to live,' ' Best place to be a digital nomad ,' 'Best place to retire,' Chiang Mai often features in top 20 of all these things," Ward said. "It's so nice."

So in 2019, he decided to return and build a permanent home.

"I always wanted a James Bond villa — Miami-style, Ibiza-style. So I kind of think that's exactly what I did," Ward said.

2 floors of luxury

In late 2020, Ward bought a 13,000-square-foot plot of land with his wife, Jaa, who is from Thailand, for 6 million Thai baht, or about $160,000.

He said the land is located in a gated community about 15 minutes outside the city center. Chiang Mai, which is surrounded by mountains, is the largest city in northern Thailand.

Ward found a local luxury developer to help design his home and they broke ground in early 2021.

"The entire process was very smooth," Ward said. "He's like a one-stop shop. He did everything from the architectural drawing to the actual design. He's got a team of interior designers."

Thailand has strict criteria for foreigners who want to take out property loans . Ward was self-employed, which made it difficult for him to get financing, so he paid for the entire project in cash.

Ward said he spent 13 million Thai baht building the home and another 3.5 million furnishing it, or about $460,000 in total. Including the land, the entire project cost around $600,000, which was about 22.5 million Thai baht.

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The two-story villa has a pool and seven bedrooms, three of which have been converted into an office, a home cinema, and a man cave.

Ward grew up on welfare in Ireland and it had always been his dream to own a large house.

Growing up on welfare in Ireland, it had always been Ward's dream to own a large house.

"When I was like 12, I used to watch all those real-estate shows in Ireland," Ward said. "I thought, 'I'm going to build myself my big dream house one day.'"

Ward said it would've been difficult for him to have all the things he wanted if he had bought an existing home in Chiang Mai.

"And finally, most important of all, I couldn't afford to buy what I want," Ward said. "It's much cheaper to build. The final product that I have here, I couldn't have afforded to buy that off the shelf."

For instance, a fully furnished seven-bedroom home on a similarly sized plot in Chiang Mai is listed for 85 million Thai baht, or about $2.35 million, on the property platform Elite Homes Thailand . Six luxury homes with five or more bedrooms are also listed on the luxury marketplace JamesEdition with asking prices between $600,000 and $11 million.

A dream come true

Ward said building his own luxury home would've been impossible if he hadn't started his blog all those years ago.

"The key to happiness and a fulfilled life in 2024 and beyond is to make money online, whether that's remotely for a company or, even better, if you can make your own from your own business online," Ward said. "I know it's a very fortunate position to be in, but anyone can have it."

Since he paid for his home out of pocket, he's free of housing debt.

Although there are some exceptions, he says the cost of living in Thailand is generally lower than in Ireland.

"I'm from Ireland, so a pint of Guinness is double the price here. And while something like a 90-inch TV can also be slightly more expensive in Thailand, the day - to-day costs are just a fraction of back home," Ward said.

According to data on the user-contributed database Numbeo , the cost of living in Thailand is, on average, 50.9% lower than in the US.

Ward said he will still have to consider some bigger costs in the future, especially if he has kids and they attend international schools in Thailand.

Ward is also building a house about a half mile away for his mother.

"She's got Parkinson's disease," Ward said. "In the future, if she needs to have a nurse or something, there's the affordability of having a lovely, kind nurse who could live in the house with her and also for me to be able to take care of her."

Ward, 40, says he's proud of achieving his homeownership dreams in his 30s.

"People want to say like, 'Oh, it's not what you have. It's all about your mentality.' I'm a positive guy; I love my life regardless. And my life, on top of that, got better in my lovely house," he added.

Have you recently built or renovated your dream home in Asia? If you've got a story to share, get in touch with me at  [email protected] .

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