Young camogie champion among recipients of Traveller Pride awards

A 14-year-old girl who captained her local GAA club to All-Ireland success was among those honoured at an awards ceremony on Tuesday for members of the Travelling community.

Catherine Reilly led St Brigid’s in Castleknock, Dublin, to under-15 All-Ireland Féile camogie championship success in June and triumphed in the sports category at the annual Traveller Pride awards.

The Castleknock Community College student said captaining her team “to both the Dublin and All-Ireland Féile championships in camogie was really special and somewhat unusual as many don’t associate Travellers with sporting success”.

“Winning the Traveller Pride award for sport was a massive surprise for me and caps off what has been a brilliant year. It has definitely made me even more determined to continue playing for my club in both football and camogie and we’ll see where the journey takes me in future years.”

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Her father, James, thanked her mentors and managers at St Brigid’s. “I’ve been with them for 30 years and they have been very good to us,” he said.

The awards provide an annual focal point for celebrating Traveller culture and life in Ireland — both nationally and locally, recognising individuals and groups who have made a particular contribution to the community and to wider society.

Nine awards were presented at a ceremony in Dublin, with Mary Connors from New Ross, Co Wexford, winning the lifetime achievement award. She has devoted her life to Traveller rights, including accommodation, education, women’s rights, conflict and the recognition of Traveller ethnicity.

She said the award “will give a real boost to all of those who have been working with me in Wexford and Waterford over the years and help sustain them through the many struggles to come to achieve proper accommodation as well as education and training for Travellers”.

Latisha McCrudden (17) won the education award. From Castlerea, Co Roscommon, she achieved nine A grades in her Junior Cert exams. Having just finished fifth year she hopes to study law at third level.

Brian Doyle won the youth award (19-25 years category) for his work with Involve Meath, showing considerable commitment to young people in his community in Navan and Trim during the Covid-19 pandemic. He created fun activities such as an online cooking programme and dressed up as the Easter bunny to deliver gifts.

The Involve Youth Project Meath won the youth award (12-18 years age category) for creating their own mental health board game, No Shame Game. The activity aims to help young people develop coping abilities and break the stigma surrounding mental health.

Limerick rapper and spoken-word artist William (Willzee) Casey won the music, arts and culture award category. He lost both parents at a young age, and two brothers, one to the violence that once plagued Limerick, but used his pain to create music and released his first full-length album, Kuti Gris, in April this year.

Jason Sherlock picked up the community award. From Westside in Galway city, he set up a safe space for Travellers on the campus of NUI Galway, the Mincéirs Whiden Society, which is the only Traveller society in Irish third-level institutions. He has also worked on social justice and human rights issues from LGBTQIA+, anti-discrimination and anti-racism.

The intersectionality award was won by Rosemarie Maughan, who has been to the forefront of Traveller activism for many years with the Irish Traveller Movement.

John Pio Browne, who left school before sitting his Junior Cert exams and set up his own toolmaking business six years ago, won the enterprise and innovation award. The Galway man is a minority within a minority, as a Traveller business owner.