The TEJP is made up a consortium the School of Law's Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights, Traveller rights organisations in Cork & Kerry and FLAC (The Free Legal Advice Centre).

The six Traveller projects involved are:

• Travellers of North Cork
• Kerry Travellers Health and Community Development Project
• West Cork Travellers
• East Cork Travellers
• Traveller Visibility Group
• Cork Traveller Women's Network.

This unique partnership between a Law School, Traveller community groups and the Free Legal Advice Centre creates a strong and inclusive approach to the issues, through legal service provision from experienced lawyers and robust academic research creation through participatory community-engaged research by Travellers and key experts in the field of Traveller rights.  

Ancillary to the core partners, TEJP has also worked closely with the IHREC legal team in 2022-2023, who have provided legal information and support to TEJP service-users through their 'Know Your Rights' project. 

About The CCJHR, UCC: 

The Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights is an established research centre based in UCC's Law School with a focus on teaching, research and advocacy on criminal justice and human rights issues. It has been at the forefront of research relating to social justice and human rights and has an established track record in working with the Traveller Community in Munster.  

It has previously worked on a project funded by the Irish Research Council through which academic and research staff have provided discrimination workshops for Traveller groups and have submitted to public consultations on Traveller rights for the Oireachtas and Local Authorities. This groundwork forms the starting point for the TEJP project.  

In addition, the members of the CCJHR bring extensive experience of carrying out high quality impactful and Community orientated research as well as delivering training, event planning and social media dissemination.  

The UCC Staff (Core Team):   

• Dr Fiona Donson, Director. 
• Dr Samantha Morgan-Williams, Coordinator.  

Traveller Group Engagement: 

The TEJP is proudly fully-community engaged and designed. The project objectives, supporting Travellers in responding to day-to-day discrimination were informed by the six Traveller community development projects in Cork & Kerry. 

Under the European Union’s Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020) Grant Agreement number: 963353 — TEJP — REC-AG-2020 / REC-RDIS-DISC-AG-2020 the TEJP built upon existing research produced by the School of Law, UCC with the Cork Traveller Women’s Network into best-practice formats of Traveller-specific legal clinics. This research was completed with funding from the Irish Research Council New Foundations Scheme focusing on the need of the Traveller Community regarding legal clinics to challenge discrimination in accessing goods and services (2019). This small research piece was created in partnership with local Traveller groups and identified the need for Traveller-specific legal assistance in light of the barriers Travellers face in accessing representation.  

Under the EU REC Grant, the TEJP partnered with the Traveller groups, operational in Cork & Kerry:

• Travellers of North Cork
• Kerry Travellers Health and Community Development Project
• West Cork Travellers
• East Cork Travellers
• Traveller Visibility Group
• Cork Traveller Women's Network

In creating Munster’s first Traveller specific legal service, in March 2021, the TEJP sought to build capacity of Traveller Community and to allow them to action their right to equal treatment under both domestic and EU legislation. The TEJP also provided equality law and rights training to the above groups, while also supporting their legal advocacy and human rights campaigns work.

About FLAC: 

FLAC is a human rights organisation which promotes equal access to justice for all. It has a well-established track record of providing legal supports to the Traveller Community through targeted legal clinics. It brings legal practice expertise along with extensive understanding of the key legal institutions, practitioners and practice barriers. It also has extensive expertise in providing legal training, report writing, policy development and event planning. 

FLAC will therefore provide legal expertise in relation to specific cases, legal and Community training and building capacity for the development of a panel of pro-bono lawyers who can provide legal services for Travellers in Munster. UCC will provide legal research, Community engagement, training and dissemination experience to the project. FLAC is based in Dublin and has to date, carried out many of its key interventions in the capital, including through involvement with JUSTROM 1 in Tallaght.  

FLAC Staff:   

• Eilis Barry BL, Chief Executive, FLAC.  
• Sinead Lucey, Solicitor. 

FLAC and the TEJP bring together a shared commitment to developing access to justice supports for the Traveller Community. By combining these complimentary experiences, the project partnership can achieve effective and sustainable interventions to support Travellers who, to date, are largely excluded from the anti-discrimination legal system.