Travellers Demand Government Intervention for Southside Traveller Action Group After Closure

Travellers in south Dublin are urging the Government to intervene and save the Southside Traveller Action Group (Stag), comparing it to the support given to the Peter McVerry Trust. Stag, which has aided over 100 Traveller households since the 1980s with accommodation, education, and healthcare, closed on February 17th following a board announcement.

The organisation faced accusations of unfair worker treatment and financial mismanagement last year. An independent finance and governance review, commissioned by Stag’s funders—the Department of Children, HSE, Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board, and Department of Social Protection—began in October. However, the review was unfinished because the board announced its decision to place the company into voluntary liquidation due to insolvency.

More than two months later, no liquidator has been appointed, and former staff, numbering over 20, have not received owed wages or redundancy information. Traveller households in south county Dublin have lost critical support services. Former staff demand an intervention similar to the €15 million bailout approved for the Peter McVerry Trust in November 2023, which required governance and financial reforms.

Stag was founded in 1984 by Sr Colette Dwyer. Its closure risks the loss of its premises, secured by Dwyer in 1982 on a 250-year lease. A former worker reported not being paid since January. The Department of Children stated that officials are reviewing the situation and expect actions to comply with the Companies Act, adding that funders should make alternative arrangements for Traveller families.