First Traveller man to earn a PhD in Maynooth University graduates

Thomas McCann today becomes the first Irish Traveller man to earn a PhD at Maynooth University when he was conferred with a Doctor of Social Science. His doctoral research focussed on community work and the Traveller struggle for human rights in Ireland.

Thomas will be conferred this afternoon along with five Traveller undergraduate students who will also receive their Bachelor of Social Science Community and Youth Work degrees at MU’s conferring ceremony. The four-year degree integrates academic coursework with practical experience.

This is the second day of four days of conferring ceremonies being celebrated at Maynooth University, with more 2,300 students receiving parchments.

In 1985, Thomas became the first Traveller student in the University, participating in the first Traveller education programme run by Dublin Travellers Education and Development Group, now Pavee Point. On completing this programme, he secured a place on the first MU undergraduate professional programme in Community Work and Youth Work.

“I was trying to find a coherent framework to support my political activism, and community development work offered this to me. That’s why I started out on this journey,” said Thomas, who went on to found and manage the national Traveller Counselling Service.

After earning a degree as a psychotherapist and studying for a Masters in Clinical Supervision in Trinity College Dublin, Thomas decided to return to MU to undertake a PhD.

“My aim was to stimulate something new in terms of thinking and to go beneath the surface and explore issues such as systemic racism against Travellers, intergenerational trauma and internalised oppression. These are values that are important to me,” he said. “I have strong values in terms of human rights and inclusion and the department in MU shared similar values.”

He plans to continue to build on his research and further develop the areas he has been working on.