When I grow up I would like to travel around. I would like to pull to Mayo with my friend Larman. I would like to get married. I would four children and their names would be Michael, Josie, Larry and Bridie - two girls and two boys. My wife’s name would be Bridie. I would to live in a bungalow. It will be a four-bedroom house with a kitchen, sitting room, and dining room. I would like a bathroom and a shower in the master bedroom. I would like wooden floors in the bedroom, hall and sitting room. I would like tiles in my kitchen, dining room and bathroom. I would like wainscoting going up halfway on the walls and the top half of the wall painted. I would like fancy blinds on all the windows. I would like cut glass chandeliers in my hall and dining room and sitting room. I would like my wife to collect Mason pottery for the sitting room. I would like to collect cut glass for my dining room.

In the garden, I would like a pathway to the garden shed. I would like a patio and a conservatory so that I could sun myself in the Summer. I would like a little barbecue place in the corner of the garden. I will have loads of flowerbeds. I will have a parking space for a car or a caravan in the back. I would like a wall around the backyard and a fence around the frontyard. I would like a drive way up to my house. I would like my house painted yellow. I would like to have big flowerpots at my front door. I like fancy houses. I would like my mother and father to live near me.

I would like to drive a Mercedes van. I would like for the Travellers who live on the side of the road to have new houses. I would like the county council to build new halting sites. I would like Travellers children to all start school and get a good education so that they can get good jobs. At the moment not all Traveller children go to school because some families stay travelling around all the time and there is no time for the children to go to school. I would like people in general to respect Travellers and their culture. I hope that people reading this project will learn a little bit about Travellers and how we live.

These are my hopes and dreams for the future. I hope they will come true. (Larry Connors 5th Class)

I would like to be a tool man like my father. I’d like to sell tools to people at the markets. I’d like to have a big bungalow. I’d like to have five rooms in it. I’d like to have baths and showers in all the bedrooms. I’d like to have big chandeliers hanging from the ceilings.

I’d also like to be a salesman selling all sorts of things. I’d rather stay in Ireland than go to different countries.

I’d like to see all Travellers getting houses. I’d like to see better halting sites for Travellers. They could be made better by building high walls around the bays so that it would be easier to keep the bays clean. I’d like to see big high gates on the driveways for their own privacy. (Gerry Connors 4th Class)

I’d like to get married when I grow up. I’d like to live in a house when I get married. I’d like to have a shower in my bedroom. I’d like to have lots of rooms in my house. I’d like to do up the rooms. I’d like to put tiles in the kitchen. I’d put wallpaper on the walls. I’d like to have nice furniture in my house. And I’d like to have a sitting room with a fireplace so that I could light a lovely fire in it. In the bathroom I’d like tiles on the walls with mermaids on the tiles. Outside I’d love tarmacadam on the yard. I’d love to have flowers in the garden and an oak tree. And I’d like a little playhouse for my children to play in. And I’d like for my children to have some friends.

I’d like to see Travellers having houses. I’d like people to be friendlier towards Travellers than they are. I’d like for Travellers to have their own way. What I mean is that they could choose to live in a house or a halting site. The halting sites need clotheslines, sheds to put their stuff in, and places for flowers. (Margaret Connors 4th Class)

When I grow up I would like to work with my Daddy doing tarmac and chippings. I would also like to work in a place where cars are sold. I’d like to live in a house. My favourite house would be a two-storey house. I’d like it to be a big house with lots of rooms. I’d have radiators to heat the house. I’d have nice sofas to sit down on in the sitting room. I’d have nice chairs and tables in the kitchen. The driveway going into the house would have tarmac. I’d like to have a nice car. My favourite would be a BMW I’d build a big shed at the back of the house for putting all the tarmac machines in.

I’d like Travellers to get new houses. For Travellers who live in trailers I’d like to see new sites being opened. It would be nice for them to get new cars. (Michael Connors 4th Class)

I think that when I grow up I would like to be a teacher. I’d like to be a teacher because I would be able to show the children how to do Art, Maths, and English and everything. I’d like doing P.E. with them as well.

I’d like to get married. I’d rather live in a house. I’d like a house with an upstairs. I’d like to have a kitchen, a sitting room a bathroom and four bedrooms. I’d like a playroom for the children.

Outside I’d like to have a nice garden with grass and flowers and a swing for the children. I might like to move to Carlow. I’d like to have children of my own. I’d like to have bikes and tractors and toys for them to play with. I’d like them to go to school. I’d like for my children to be happy and healthy and safe. (Mary Connors 5th Class)

I’d like to live in Bunclody, but be able to travel around until I’m about 30. Then at the end of my days I would like to come back to my own town. I’d like to be on a football and hurling team. I haven’t decided what I would like to work at yet. Maybe I’ll try tarmacadam or spraying sheds. I might get married when I’m 20 and have two kids. When my sisters have grown up and left home, I’ll move back in with my parents. There would be no point in me building another house for myself and letting it go to waste.

I’d like if Travellers were respected more and allowed into shops and pubs. I’d like some Travellers to be more sensible about minding their money and their homes. I’d like people to treat Travellers better. (John Connors 6th Class)

My aunt lives in a halting site. She told me what it was like. My aunt’s bay was number 6. She told me all about it. There were 9 bays in the halting sites. My aunt has 2 children. Their names are Bridie and Billy. The games they played in the site were hide and seek. They also played catch. She had a three bed rooms caravan in the site. The men light a big fire on the green. The women would stay at home. They would go shopping to Tallaght on the bus. Someone would stay at home and mind the children. They would play games. They all stay in the biggest caravan while they were waiting for the Mammies to come back..

Some of the halting sites I visit are in Clondalkin and Tallaght, Co. Dublin, Wicklow, Wexford, and Galway. My favourite site is in Co. Wicklow. I like it because there are slides and swings in it. It’s near the sea. There are houses for Travellers just across the road from the site. I would like to stay in a halting site. And then I would like to move in to a house. I would like if everyone in halting sites had the chance to get houses.

Some halting sites are good and clean, but others are full of scrap cars and things like that. Some sites have a good few showers and toilets and little kitchen. Other sites might only have one or two showers and toilets that everyone has to share, and they might not have any kitchen. The better sites have a little house in each bay area with a little kitchen and sitting room and one bedroom. And there is room for three caravans in each bay. The big children mind the younger children.

There is a new site in Clondalkin. It is very big. There are 12 or 13 bays in it. There is room for lots of caravans in each bay. There are swings and slides in it as well. It is near the shops. A bus comes to collect the children for school. The site has electricity. Each little house in each bay has water and electricity. The families are able to do all the cooking and washing in these little houses. They eat all their meals in them as well. The council provides the site with a skip for rubbish and it is emptied regularly.

Halting sites have improved life for Travellers compared to when they used to live on the side of the road. But lots of Travellers would still like to have houses because they are not any different to settled people so they want to be settled too. Now some councils in some counties are building houses for some of the Travellers. The Travellers are grateful for this but I would like the councils to try to provide even more houses. Larry Connors 5th Class

I would like to see either halting sites or houses for all Travellers. At the moment living conditions are bad for some of them on the side of the road. Life is very hard for babies especially those who live on the side of the road. It is difficult for the mother to get clean water to make the bottles. They have no electricity.

I’d like to see Travellers treated with respect and dignity. Larry Connors 5th Class