Travellers involved in criminality are a disgrace who have shamed their own community and shown disrespect to settled people, Sinn Féin TD Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, who is half- Traveller, has said.

Some of the “mistrust” felt by the settled community has been justified by “very poor behaviour and worse” by some Travellers, said the Donegal TD, who has urged the State to recognise Travellers as an ethnic group.

“There is criminality within the Travelling community. They are a disgrace, those involved in criminality, they let down their own community and they shame their own community,” he said.

“I’m not in denial that there have been some in the Travelling community that have let down their people by criminality and by disrespect for the settled community. So it’s a two- way street. This is not about hugs and kisses.”

The first TD from a Traveller background, Mr Mac Lochlainn was born in Leeds in 1973 and brought up in Birmingham by “two strong Traveller women”, his grandmother Lizzy Gavin and mother Mary Mac Lochlainn.

His father, Réamonn Mac Lochlainn, was in the Provisional IRA and was jailed in England for nine years. The family moved back to Donegal in 1983. His father died in a swimming accident two years later.

Traveller ethnicity

Mr Ó Ríordáin did not read his official script but suggested the Government was slow to grant ethnicity because of the response from focus groups.

“Aodhán’s speech was very courageous because he set aside the Civil Service script and spoke from his heart, and it was a great speech. And he meant it, I know he means it. On this issue we’re colleagues and we’re allies and we’re friends,” Mr Mac Lochlainn said in an interview with The Irish Times.

The Sinn Féin TD said he had been terrified by some “vile commentary” voiced on social media about the tragedy of the 10 people who died in the fire at the halting site in Carrickmines, Dublin, last month.

The next step for society should be to have an honest conversation to address the “quiet prejudice” against Travellers that had grown up among some otherwise tolerant settled people. “That is the slippery slope to bigotry and to racism.”

He stressed those who advocated for Travellers’ rights had no difficulty in saying antisocial behaviour and criminality must be tackled head-on. “It is not Travelling culture to be involved in criminality,” he said.

Deeply disrespectful

“It was a deeply disrespectful thing to have done to another community. I conveyed that to the Travellers who were there.”

Mr Mac Lochlainn said all citizens had responsibilities as well as rights. “It’s not a right-wing thing to say . . . People think it’s Thatcherite to say that. It’s not. It’s Republican to say that,” he said.

“This is one of the last great civil rights challenges in Ireland, the Travellers issue. We’ve buried it under the carpet, we’ve papered over the cracks for too long. And we need to now have an honest conversation, warts and all.

“And everybody needs to accept their responsibility on both sides of the debate for what needs to be done.”

He invited people with concerns about some Travellers’ behaviour to come and speak to him or other public representatives, adding that he had no illusions that advocating for Traveller ethnicity was a vote-winner.