Better questions.
A fuller picture.

Research led by better questions

For too long, research about Irish Travellers has started with problems: poor outcomes, service use, accommodation, crime or school attendance. Those subjects may need study, but they cannot become the full story of a people.

TraVision starts with different questions. What knowledge survived? What does the evidence say about origins? How did colonisation reshape mobility and identity? What happens when culture and environment are changed by policy? Which strengths have been ignored because institutions were looking only for deficits?

Fields we bring together

• History and archaeology
• Genetics and population history
• Microbiome science and public health
• Psychology, trauma and identity
• Law, public policy and human rights
• Language, folklore and oral knowledge
• Sociology and community development
• Arts, film and public communication

Our research principles

• Irish Traveller communities should help decide the questions before research begins.
• Participation is not ownership. Communities should also share power over language, interpretation, data and publication.
• Technical findings must be explained in language people can use.
• Research should look for continuity, knowledge and strengths, not only harm and deficit.
• Genetics must never be used to police identity or decide who is Irish Traveller.
• Scientific claims should be careful, open to challenge and clear about what the evidence cannot prove.
• The benefits of research should return to the community.

Working with TraVision

We welcome partnerships with researchers, universities and public bodies that are willing to work with Irish Traveller leadership from the beginning. We can help shape questions, connect fields, explain research publicly and ensure that community knowledge is not stripped of its meaning.