A new campaign has been launched to try and get more Travellers around the country to contest local authority seats and vote in May's local elections.
Sixty representatives from Traveller groups met in the midlands today to kick start an education campaign.
The campaign is aimed at increasing their influence and participation in local government.
It is just two years since formal recognition of Traveller ethnicity in Ireland was heralded in the Dáil after years of campaigning, and engagement by Travellers in politics remains low.
Hughie Friel, spokesperson for the organisation Mincéirs Whiden, said Travellers will meet to strategise on political engagement in Athlone over the next two days.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
