Culture, connection and community
Wednesday, June 25, saw the official launch of the Nenagh Traveller Women’s Quilt Project. The launch took place in the Nenagh Arts Centre, where the symbolic quilt will be on display until October.
Members of the Tipperary ETB, and the North Tipperary Development Company joined the Nenagh Traveller Women to celebrate the powerful opening of this momentous craft project.
The project was formed in September 2024, after a local group of Traveller women had seen other similar groups making national headlines.
Ann Pratt, affectionately known as the Nenagh Traveller Women’s Group Leader, said: “We decided that we wanted our voices heard in the community. We want to tell our stories and make our children proud, and help non-Traveller people to understand our fight, as we honour our past.”
The group of 13 women met every Tuesday to work on the project, which involved the crafting of a large quilt, featuring six pockets, each representing important pillars of the Traveller community, including faith, hope, music songs and stories, style and beauty, crafts and traditions, and remembrance. “Each pocket contains a photograph to illustrate our culture” as detailed by Siobhan Pratt, such as poems, memory cards and religious medals.
PROUDLY DISPLAYED
The gorgeous quilt features layered felt flowers emerging off the flat canvas, surrounding the various pockets and titles to create a more textured final project. Fringe and tassels hang off the edges of the quilt, giving it a more interesting shape. The Nenagh Traveller Women title is proudly displayed in a bright orange colour at the centre of the piece, symbolising the pride and strength at the core of the project. Each pocket on the quilt is filled to the brim with memories and cultural symbols.
The inspiration from the pockets came from stories of ‘Beady Pockets’, which were accessories that older generations wore around their waist that looked like flat, decorative handbags, each decorated unique to its owner. The pockets on the quilt were designed for people to open and find some bit of the Traveller women’s story.
The launch featured a slideshow of images, background music, and various speeches by those involved in the quilt project.
Opening the ceremony was Mary Jo Kennedy-Deegan, an Adult Literacy Organiser with the Tipperary ETB, who worked closely with the women’s group throughout the course of the project.
She described the launch as a very proud day for all involved. Following this Eoin Costello, Tipperary ETB Community Education Co-ordinator, who shared a meaningful and powerful speech.
He described the event as “a celebration not just of craft, but of culture, connection, and community. What you see before you is much more than a beautiful patchwork quilt. It is the result of months of creativity, collaboration, and care by a group of very talented Traveller women who took part in a course run by the Tipperary ETB. Each piece stitched into this quilt carries a story, a memory, a voice, a tradition – woven together into something truly powerful.”
DISCUSSING THE PROCESS
The women involved in the quilt-making gave individual speeches, discussing the process of the craft work, and further describing the symbolism of each pocket. Mary Casey spoke about the faith pocket, which holds a “pronounced significance in our daily lives”. She highlighted the red and white St Philomena’s cord, which Traveller women wear around their waist when pregnant.
They then place a similar piece on their baby’s wrist when they are born, as it is believed St Philomena will protect both the mother and baby during pregnancy.
Sabrina Casey focused on the hope pocket, declaring “we will never give up hope. We hope that our children will not experience the discrimination we experience in our lives. We hope for change in the future.”
Pearl O’Reilly showcased the remembrance pocket, stating “we have a deep respect for our loved ones that have passed on. We remember them with dignity and honour.”
Finally, Pamela Quirke, a Tipperary ETB Resource Worker who worked closely with the women’s group, shared the impact this project had on her. “As the Family Learning lead for the quilt project with the Nenagh Traveller Women’s Group, I am filled with immense pride and gratitude. Working with this incredible group of women has been a journey of mutual learning and growth. Their dedication and creativity have brought this project to life, transforming scraps of material into a powerful narrative of their experiences and heritage.”
This beautiful quilt can be viewed in the Nenagh Arts Centre until October.