Our Journey | Our Voice

OUR JOURNEY - OUR VOICE

THE BEGINNINGS OF A STORY TELLING PROJECT

DONEGAL TRAVELLER PROJECT

THINK EQUALITY DONEGAL Facilitated by artist Julie Griffiths

OUR JOURNEY OUR VOICE

Delivery of a 6 week series of conversation starters

Orientation

Introduction

Life stories

Common threads

Challenges

Meaning

Heritage and Future

Methodologies

Deep listening

Conversation

Empathy for Understanding

Story telling

Cultural Tree

Visualisation

List poems

Participants

Women from Donegal Traveller

Community

Thoughts…

This short series of workshops set out to produce a piece of artwork which would emerge from the stories that the women told of their own lives.

After slow beginnings, a core group met, and tentative conversations started. Attendance was patchy and it was hard to establish momentum and a flow of ideas from one week to the next. However, trust was slowly being fostered, through presence, and through deep listening to the real and urgent issues that the women brought and shared.

A ‘cultural tree’ exercise was created as a means to think about the roots, strength and visual elements of the Traveller community. An extra category of ‘cross winds’ was added, to input things which are shaking the community to it’s roots, causing deep distress and anxiety, and making it hard to hold onto a sense of collective understandings.

There were serious discussions about the damaging and pervasive effects of things such as social media, drugs, and loosening family ties; as well as harrowing conversations around family breakdown, mental health and intimate partner violence.

In the space of a short number of weeks, vital conversations were begun, and the foundations of a project were put in place.

The women wrote list poems which are shared in the following pages, as a way to think about who they are and what is important to them on their own individual journeys through life.

The project moved at the pace that the women found possible and it would be fantastic to see these beginnings unfold into something of worth; giving the women a sense of agency, empowerment and wellbeing.

Their input and generous sharing is gratefully acknowledged.

Poem 1

I am travelling around and hometown. I am country music, reggae, sound of rain.

I am cleaning, out for walks, getting hair, nails, beauty.

I am looking after my baby.

I am getting away to travel for the summer to England.

I am Christmas and summertime.

I am my baby, family, friends.

I am praying, seeing healers and festive times, St Patricks Day, things like that.

I am looked up to.

I am a role model.

I am the person who’s always there when you’re down and out.

I am teaching about the important things that matter in life.

Adapted from exercise by Denise Blake poet

Poem 2

I am Rossnowlagh Church and beach, I am at home.

I am birds singing in the morning.

I am reading books.

I am family days out.

I am Christmas.

I am family.

I am the older people stories, prayers, healing masses, rosaries.

I am mother.

I am strength.

I am loyalty.

I am love.

I am role model.

I am teacher.

I am carer.

I am determination.

Adapted from exercise by Denise Blake poet

Poem 3

I am going to mass; I am at home.

I am the wind, the sound of my grandkids, peaceful music, rain.

I am there for my children, doing my wordsearch.

I am going to visit the graves.

I am summer and autumn.

I am Bernie, my sons and their wives, my daughter and her baby, people that listen.

I am all my family.

I am lighting my candle, saying my prayers.

I am a good listener.

I have a good sense of humour and listen to people when they have a problem.

I taught my family right from wrong.

I give my family strength to go on when things go wrong.

I am amongst the group of Traveller women. I am getting us out and about to meet other people.

Adapted from exercise by Denise Blake poet

Poem 4

I am Rossnowlagh, Knock, mass, Medjugorie and Lourdes, holy places.

I am the rain hitting on the windows, music in the background.

I am cleaning, going for a walk, partying. I am going on holidays, going to holy wells. I am summer.

I am my husband and our families, healing people, friends.

I am the rosary, healing people, mass. I share what I know, cooking and cleaning, how to help others in any way. I respect others.

I am a very nice person, soft hearted, good natured.

I have a good sense of humour.

I always love to pray and go to holy places. I love to crochet.

I am asked for advise when people are struggling with anything.

I am a very nice person and would help in any way I can.

I am someone to talk to and a shoulder to cry on.

Adapted from exercise by Denise Blake poet

Poem 5

I am a holiday in England, in Bundoran by the Rogey, in the kitchen.

I am a bit of music, kids playing in the park, the rain on the roof of the caravan.

I am getting a blow dry on a Saturday, getting brought out food, meeting with friends.

I am going on holidays abroad, travelling in the caravan to England.

I am summertime, weather good and the kids happy out.

I am my family and friends around.

I am novenas, mass every Sunday.

I am love for family, putting others before me.

I am strength in hard times.

I am surviving.

I am getting through.

I am looking positive.

Adapted from exercise by Denise Blake poet

CULTURAL TREE

List poems reproduced with kind permissions of participants