Traveller rights group Pavee Point has described Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin’s defeat in the general election as a “huge loss” for advancing Traveller rights.
The Minister of State for Equality lost his seat to Sinn Féin candidate Denise Mitchell in Dublin Bay North.
Mr Ó Ríordáin was a high profile advocate for Traveller rights and granting Travellers ethnic status.
Co-director of Pavee Point Martin Collins said they were disappointed Mr Ó Ríordáin and Sinn Féin TD for Donegal Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, his party’s spokesman on justice and equality, failed to get re-elected.
Mr Mac Lochlainn was the first TD from a Traveller background to get elected to the Dáil.
“We are disappointed of because both Padraic Mac Lochlainn and Aodhán Ó Ríordáin have been consistent in advocating and supporting Travellers rights. Having allies like that in the Dáil means a lot to us in terms of lobbying and campaigning so it’s a huge disappointment,” he said.
Mr Collins said there were advocates for Traveller rights in Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and among independents but “there’s no doubt about it, it’s a huge disappointment that the most high profile and consistent supporter of Traveller rights are no longer in the Dáil.
“Aodhán brought the fight for Traveller ethnicity to a stage where nobody else did. He advanced Traveller recognition as a minority ethnic group,” Mr Collins said.
“I don’t know who’s going to do it in his absence and that’s a big concern we have. I don’t know who’s going to take up the mantle and push it forward now because since he took up office as Minister of State for Equality, he was the main driver for Traveller ethnicity,” he said.
In November, the Government rejected a Sinn Féin motion calling for the state to grant ethnic minority status to Travellers by 58 to 39 votes.
Despite repeated recommendations from international bodies and domestic human rights groups, the state has never explicitly recognised Traveller ethnicity.
The state has argued, at various points, that ethnicity was not proven and granting recognition would prove too costly.
Mr Collins said the organisation will await the composition of the next Dáil and try to identify who their new allies will be. “We will continue to push issues forward ourselves as we always have done,” he added.