Travelling Community Visits Trinity College

Posted on: 22 March 2007

On March 1st last, a group of 80 travellers visited Trinity College as part of the University Access for Travellers Programme. The University Access for Travellers Programme is a collaborative venture between the Trinity Access Programmes (TAP) in TCD and the UCD New Era Access Programme, in conjunction with Visiting Teachers for Travellers Service (VTTS) at the Department of Education and Science. The programme aims to foster positive relationships between TCD, UCD and the Travelling Community, assisting Traveller families to be more supportive and open to the idea of their children attending higher education. It also aims to highlight to Travellers the existing alternative entry routes into higher education which they can avail of.

The University Access for Travellers Programme launched in UCD on 6th December 2006 and was attended by 40 Travellers from the City Centre, Tallaght, Ballyfermot, Crumlin, Bray and Arklow area. The second stage of programme took place in Trinity College on Thursday, 1st March and was attended by 80 Travellers. The group was welcomed to College by TCD Chaplains Paddy Gleeson and Katherine Meyer, as well as by the Access staff from TCD and UCD. Two members of the Travelling Community, John Cash (a 5th year student in St. Mark’s Community School in Tallaght, a TAP link-school) and Lilly Cash (currently completing an internship with the Civil Service), also addressed the gathering and spoke about the importance and value of higher education for Travellers. The group also visited the Book of Kells and the Long Room, and then took part in a series of clinical workshops, organised by 4th Medicine students. The day ended with lunch, after which the participants went home. In the afternoon, interested members of the college community joined TAP, New Era and VTTS staff to discuss the development of the programme in the future, particularly in terms of its design, format and programmatic content. A working group has been set up and any TCD staff interested in becoming a member should contact Kathleen O’ Toole at 896 3590 or kotoole@tcd.ie.