Traveller Culture and Heritage Celebrations Day

The Traveller Living History Exhibition is an educational and cultural initiative developed by Meath Travellers Workshop (MTW) to preserve and share the rich heritage of the Irish Traveller community. The exhibition showcases traditional Traveller life, including a fully restored barrel-top wagon, camp setting, tinsmith display, storytelling, and displays of crafts, tools, and domestic items.. Traveller Beady Pocket workshop and Traditional Traveller soda bread and paper flower workshop.

Designed as a mobile, interactive experience, it travels to schools, community centres, festivals, and public events, offering audiences an authentic insight into Traveller traditions, values, and history. By promoting understanding and challenging stereotypes, the exhibition strengthens cultural pride among Travellers while fostering respect and inclusion in wider society. This project received funding through a joint initiative by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport and the National Monuments Service to support practices inscribed on Ireland’s National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Ireland’s National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage is managed by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport and can be viewed at https://nationalinventoryich.ccs.gov.ie/ . The National Monuments Service is delighted to support this initiative that highlights the strong relationship between tangible and intangible heritage.

Meath Travellers Workshop: Who They Are & What They Do
A Shared Vision: Traveller and Settled People in Partnership
MTW is a voluntary, community-driven organisation based in Navan, County Meath, bringing together both Traveller and settled individuals. Their shared aim? To enhance the social, economic, cultural, and personal well-being of the Traveller community in County Meath and beyond.
Preserving Culture: The Traveller Living History Exhibition
A flagship initiative, the Traveller Living History Exhibition recreates an immersive snapshot of Traveller life in the 1950s. Visitors can explore a restored barrel-top wagon, traditional tent, flat cart, tinware displays, campfire, storytelling sessions, bread tasting, and flower-making workshops. This interactive exhibit has toured schools, communities, and public events—and even earned MTW a runner-up accreditation in the Intangible Cultural Heritage Award during National Heritage Week.
MTW provides a rich array of supports tailored to Traveller families:
Childcare Services: Supervised homework, hot meals, and play during school days
Education Engagement: Support for students, parents, and schools to boost school retention
Family Supports: Counselling, Family Link via Tusla, advocacy on accommodation issues, and information services (e.g., form completion, digital access)
Peer Support: Programs for Traveller men’s health (including Men’s Shed initiatives) and weekly peer support sessions in Wheatfield Prison
Empowerment Pathways: Employment, training, and education supports under initiatives like Mná na hÉireann for Traveller women
Cultural Awareness Workshops: Promoting Traveller identity, culture, and self-determination