Join us for the launch of Not yet with the ashes this ragged thing / Ni a gye a sloha a turpog inox, a new poem by Oein DeBhairduin. This poem was written in response to Oein’s experience of rereading the Commission on Itinerancy Report (1963), a report which sought to eliminate Travellers from Irish society. The destructive impact of the report is still being felt today. The poem has been printed on scarves in English and in Cant — the indigenous language of the Traveller community — and will be available for sale on the day. For this launch event, Oein will be joined by Traveller activist and educator Anne Burke as he guides attendees through the National Botanic Gardens, culminating in a reading of the poem under a Hawthorn tree.

This event is part of a broader conversation curated by Oein with the Traveller community, which will be recorded and broadcast later this year by Skein Podcasts.

In partnership with Skein Press.

Oein DeBhairduin is a writer, activist and educator with a passion for preserving the beauty of Traveller tales, sayings, retellings and historic exchanges. Oein is the author of the award-winning Why the moon travels. His other works are Weave, The Slug and the Snail and Twiggy Woman. He is the Curator of Traveller Culture with the National Museum of Ireland and seeks to pair community activism with cultural celebration, recalling old tales with fresh modern connections and, most of all, he wishes to rekindle the hearth fires of a shared kinship.

Anne Burke is the Coordinator of the Southern Traveller Health Network and the chair of the Cork Traveller Education Unit. Anne has dedicated her career to advocating for human rights and equality of opportunity for Irish Travellers. She is especially committed to breaking down barriers and eliminating the discrimination that is still endemic in many parts of the education system in Ireland. Anne was awarded the 2025 Adult Continuing Education Annual Bertram Windle Award at University College Cork for her groundbreaking work in this area.

Please note we may be capturing candid imagery at this event for use on our social media and website.

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