I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Currie, for coming to the House to listen to the request I am about to make. Rathkeale is the second largest town in County Limerick, the largest being Newcastle West. It is perhaps unique in that it has proportionately more travellers living there than any other town in Ireland. Some 35 per cent of the voting population of Rathkeale is of traveller stock. This poses enormous problems for the town. Travellers in Rathkeale are a trading group. They are extremely mobile and some of them are very wealthy. They have purchased a large proportion of the town's property. In one street formerly comprising 24 county council houses, 20 are now owned by the travelling community. Because there are so many and because they are so strong in their traditions there is a great gap between them and the settled community. Yet, considering the numbers of travellers, there is a great deal of harmony between them and the townspeople. Nevertheless, a huge gap exists between the two communities.
There are two senior training centres in County Limerick, one in Abbeyfeale and one in Newcastle West. Comprising 12 to 13 places, both are smaller than normal centres. The centre at Newcastle West is populated primarily by students from Rathkeale. The number of travellers living in Newcastle West and attending the senior training centre there has been declining over the years as many travellers choose to take up the educational opportunities offered by the town's two post primary schools. The need for the training centre in Newcastle West is, therefore, not as great now as it was when first established. But the need in Rathkeale is great because there is a high population of young travellers there.
Education needs to be promoted among these young travellers because the vast bulk of them do not continue on their education beyond primary school. There is a junior training centre with anything up to 16 pupils, predominantly girls. After completing the junior training centre, some of them go on to Newcastle West, where there is a good record of placing them in employment in local factories. But the number of those who go from the junior training centre in Rathkeale to the senior training centre in Newcastle West is quite small, and this take up is worrying.
A senior training centre in Rathkeale could be used outside normal hours as a community base for older travellers among whom there is a high degree of illiteracy. Literacy programmes are required, in addition to assisting women by providing a great knowledge of health care. In calling for a senior training centre for Rathkeale I am not thinking strictly of a training centre as such, but a resource centre for the travelling population. Such a centre would enable travellers to become more attuned to taking up employment within the town.
Those who do not trade and are not as well off are largely dependent on social welfare, but a training centre would help to break the gap that exists between those who are trading and those on social welfare. For the good of the travellers themselves, as well as the community, a senior training centre is urgently required in Rathkeale, County Limerick.