Aaron O’Loughlin , who left school at 15, overcame addiction and faced anti-Traveller discrimination, will on Thursday receive the “enterprise and innovation” accolade at the annual Traveller Pride Awards.
“I ended up looking for work. I did up lots of CVs but just didn’t get the interviews. In the end, from age 18, I got a job as a takeaway delivery driver. I loved it. I loved the family atmosphere of the restaurant. The owner was a great friend of my father’s and he looked out for me.
“I love hard work. It doesn’t give you down time to think about negativity... I don’t like having too many reminiscences,” he says. Nadine Cawley from Co Galway is an “outstanding young footballer” and the only Traveller on her team, Ballinalsoe FC, while Cindy Collins from Co Mayo is a young artist and “outstanding advocate for Traveller culture” say their citations.