Barrel Top Wagon Project

14/11/2018

Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.

Cllr. Charlie O’Connor officially launched the Exhibition of Tallaght Travellers and Brookfield / Fettercairn’s Men’s Shed Intercultural Barrel Top Wagon Project in Fettercairn Community and Youth Centre today. Also in attendance, the men,  staff and management of Fettercairn Youth and Community Centre, Tallaght Travellers Community Development Project and staff and management from South Dublin County Council, local residents, Traveller and local Organisations and management from Roadstone. Cllr. Brian Leech and Cllr. Emma Hendrick were also in attendance.

The exhibition, a photographic and documented journey showcasing the work and relationship developed by the men from the Travelling Community and men living in the Brookfield / Fettercairn areas, was very well presented with the finished pieces – Barrel Top Wagons on display. Patrick Reilly and John Byrne spoke passionately about their experiences with Shay LeStrange (Fettercairn Youth and Community Centre) and Patrick Nevin (Tallaght Travellers CDP) outlining the importance and positive impact that intercultural projects can have on our communities.

Ten Barrel Top Wagons were produced during the course of the project but the relationships built throughout, outweighed the expectations of the group.

The project was funded through the South Dublin County Council Community Initiative Fund in 2017 – the main aims of the project were to:

• To encourage men from the Travelling Community onto the Fettercairn Brookfield Men’s Shed.
• To break down barriers and in turn to promote positive mental health.
• To create an opportunity to share experiences, to challenge stereo types, and to break down the barriers between both communities.
• To increase the number of people from the Traveller Community using Fettercairn Youth and Community Centre.
• And finally to create these show pieces which can be used to promote Traveller Culture.

The main aim of this project was to promote intercultural activities recognising the similarity of experiences of men from the Travelling Community and men from the wider South Tallaght area. The relationships developed and the positive feedback and experience gained through this project highlights the importance of intercultural programmes. The extensive experience and passion of the staff of Tallaght Travellers CDP, Fettercairn Community and Youth Centre as well as the Community Services Department of SDCC working on the ground with Traveller men and men from the wider community was evident throughout the project.

The Men’s Shed has recently received funding from SDCC Community Grants Programme to further develop the project with a Tinsmithing 6 week project – which is due to start in the coming weeks, will give the men an opportunity to further develop their relationships, further creating a platform for best practice in a community development setting by promoting positive intercultural practice.

For the Editor

About South Dublin County Council

South Dublin County is one of four local authority areas in the Dublin region.

South Dublin County Council provides and funds a broad range of services including housing, roads, walking and cycling routes, parks and playgrounds, libraries, sports facilities, litter control, arts centres, enterprise units, fire services, community infrastructure and financial supports. It also serves as a platform for local democracy with 40 councillors spread across six electoral areas.

Bounded by the River Liffey to the North and the Dublin Mountains to the South, the County lies 16 kilometres south-west of Dublin city centre and has an administrative footprint of 223sq. kilometres. The County has nine main villages Clondalkin, Lucan, Palmerstown, Rathfarnham, Tallaght, Templeogue, Saggart, Rathcoole and Newcastle and is bounded by adjoining counties of Wicklow, Kildare, Dublin City, Fingal and Dún Laoghaire.

Images

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  Members of Barrel Top Wagon, Intercultural Men's Shed Project and Fettercairn Community and Youth Centre