ROSALEEN McDONAGH,
Sir, - I wish to convey my solidarity to the families in Clare, Cork and throughout the country who face eviction or who have already been evicted as the legislation begins to be enforced.
Yet again we're experiencing such a backlash of conservative policies regarding Traveller accommodation and nomadism, although as a Traveller I have to remind myself that our predecessors all through history faced similar struggles. We survived and our survival was about solidarity with settled people.
I firmly believe that the Trespass Act and laws and policies influencing Operation Hyphen would not have been passed by the Oireachtas if a Traveller, or another ethnic minority representative, had been involved in the parliamentary debates about the ramifications of such legislation and practices.
I would like to thank all those who voted for me in the recent Seanad Elections. I was overwhelmed by the level of support and good wishes from people throughout the country. When deciding to contest the election my greatest fear was knowing I was relying on settled people's votes. To my great surprise settled people responded in a way that lifted the morale of my community. - Yours, etc.,
ROSALEEN McDONAGH, Herbert Lane, Dublin 2.