Anne-Marie Stokes of the Galway Traveller Movement speaking in Ballybane Library at the opening of a photographic exhibition celebrating the culture and joy of life of the traveller community.'The history behind each photograph tells its own story. There is a very close family bond within each family and I think Derek Spiers has really captured this in these photographs.
Religion is a big part of Traveller culture. Our faith and our belief in God has kept us strong in spite of all we have come up against in the past.
We are very proud of old customs and traditions, but now some of our traditions are dying out. Travellers no longer seem to travel as they did in bygone days; we now look forward to meeting up with old friends and relatives during the summer.
Travellers have many skills; they are creative people. Poetry, drawing and story telling are just some of the skills that Travellers possess.
These photographs show many aspects of Traveller life - happiness, sadness, faith. We are very proud of our identity and culture and I think these pictures capture this. I hope you will enjoy the exhibition and hopefully we answer any questions you may have.'
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