A documentary filmed over the course of one academic year, telling the story of a group of Irish Travellers as they make their way through university life will air on TG4 next week.
Misneach reveals untold stories of individuals and the challenges they face in their day-to-day lives while capturing zeitgeist moments that holds a mirror to our society and to ourselves.
The second instalment of this award-winning factual series follows the stories of inspirational people who are overcoming enormous obstacles placed on them.
Drawing on their own history and personal experiences, each programme will see our participants undergo personal journeys over the duration of each hour. Honest, insightful and uplifting, this series follows the stories of Travellers breaking boundaries in 3rd level education in Ireland.
Filmed over the course of one academic year, this documentary tells the story of a group of Irish Travellers as they make their way through university life.
The statistics are stark. 13% of Irish Travellers complete school, or the Leaving Cert, compared to 92% of the general population. Today, only 1% of the Irish Traveller population have enrolled in third-level education. A legacy of exclusion and discrimination has had a huge impact on the community, but despite this, the numbers are growing, and more and more Irish travellers are seizing the opportunities afforded by education.
Meet the role models who are leading the way, this is their story.
Jason Sherlock from Westside in Galway was a bright student growing up, and loved learning. However, school was where he first experienced discrimination against his community.
Other students would make fun of Travellers, not realising Jason was one himself. This forced an identity crisis that would take years to overcome. When Jason got an opportunity to study at Third Level, he understood the barriers that many Irish Travellers faced when it came to progressing in education.
With this in mind, Jason set up the Minceirs Whiden Society at University of Galway, a support group for Travellers and anyone interested in nomadic cultures. The group has grown every year and become a model for other universities.
Rebecca Sherlock, Jason’s sister, was inspired by her brother to give third-level education a go. Wanting a better life for her and her son, Tom, Rebecca started in the Access Programme in Galway, juggling childcare and imposter syndrome to get through her first year.
Like many young Travellers, Anna Keane from Westside, left school at the age of fourteen. Having found her way back to education, she is a single mother in her first year studying for her BA. She wants to study psychology so that she can help victims of domestic violence.
In 2019, Anne Marie Ward from Loughrea had a baby and subsequently suffered from post-natal depression.
In order to combat the depression, she decided to take the leap of returning to education, something she had long dreamed of. She is now in her third year studying Community, Youth & Family Studies and has just started in her role as the Ethnic Minorities Officer in her University of Galway, making her the first Traveller ever to hold such a position.
Misneach – Tome Insuirt Grani - Neart San Eolas airs on Wednesday January 11 at 9.30pm on TG4 and on the TG4 Player.
