A four-day event to celebrate Nomadic cultures is under way in Galway.
The Misleór festival features discussions, exhibitions, cinema and cultural performances, all aimed at showcasing the lives and experiences of the communities represented at the gathering.
Writer and poet Julia Sweeney is among those taking part in the programme of events. She said that in many ways, the festival gives Travellers a chance to rekindle their traditions and pass them on to the next generation.
"Storytelling and song were passed down to us by our parents and our grandparents. We would sit around the fire listening to the older people, while life on the road went on all around us," she said.
Much of that experience has been lost over time and "Misleór gives us the opportunity to remember the old ways" and make sure younger people understand the experiences that are important to Traveller culture.
The importance of safeguarding tradition is well showcased through the Songs and Stories of the Road element of the programme. It features cassette tape recordings from the 1980s and 1990s, in which Travellers detailed their lives and recited songs and poems that had been passed through the generations.
Niall Ó Murchada who made the recordings, said they also give a deep insight into the Traveller Cant language, which was used to describe all aspects of life.
Through his research over more than three decades, Mr Ó Murchada said language is one of the key ways in which to trace the history of Travellers, as "not much was written about them for a thousand years". Instead, the oral tradition played a vital role in cataloguing events and marking occasions.
The use of words and phrases is also central to Lizzy C, a rapper who will also feature in the festival.
She feels her inclusion, as a Traveller who is also a member of the LGBT community, speaks volumes about the way in which attitudes are changing and becoming more accepting of differences.
She said her use of rhyme to convey her "experiences, hopes and dreams" helps her connect with audiences and is hopeful that Saturday night's musical showcase, at which she will perform, will help show that there are no barriers to creativity, when one is determined and focussed.
The Misleór Festival continues at venues around Galway until Sunday, with an outreach event scheduled to take place at next month’s Ballinasloe Horse Fair.
Full details are available at misleor.ie.
