Ian McDonagh, a 22-year-old from Galway, is a seasoned campaigner despite his young age, having already conversed with national figures such as President Michael D Higgins and King Charles. He has also relayed his experiences to a committee at Leinster House just a few days ago. McDonagh, however, expresses anxiety every time he sets out to socialise with friends, fearful of the humiliation of being refused entry to late-night establishments and pubs.
From the tender age of 12, McDonagh actively participated in political matters, achieving positive results in causes like limiting speed and challenging illegal waste disposal in his locale. The only reason he isn’t on the ballot this coming month’s local election is due to becoming a parent alongside his wife, Ciara, of their newborn son, Martin Joe, only a month ago. However, McDonagh is unshakable in his resolution to run in not only local and general elections, but also to vie for the Áras when the time is right.
McDonagh holds the unique distinction of being the first individual from the Traveller community to work as a funeral director and embalmer. He is hopeful that his example will inspire other Travellers and ethnic minority members to consider joining this line of work, a sector he argues is currently in a state of transformation.
A change, McDonagh suggests, is moving us away from the traditional notion of the local funeral director being the local auctioneer or republican. With fresh talent entering the field, encouraged by new generations seeking education in embalming and funeral directing, he sees this development as a positive shift.
His first taste for the profession came while he was working in a nursing home during the Covid pandemic. At only 18, he would assist in preparing the bodies of the deceased, many of whom he had known well as a healthcare assistant. He reflects on this time saying, “I didn’t mind. I took them on their last journey.”
Following this experience, McDonagh decided to attend the embalming course at the Irish College of Funeral Directing and Embalming located in Co Sligo, which was established by David McGowan, the funeral director, who famously transported a Boeing 767 to a glamping site in Enniscrone back in 2016.
In the course of training as a funeral director with the Irish Funeral Directors Association, McDonagh has expressed his pride in having achieved his Leaving Certificate in 2020. At the Oireachtas Committee meeting on important issues impacting the Traveller community, McDonagh urged for an exploration into the reason why only 13% of Traveller children attain second-level education in contrast to the 92% achievement within the wider population. The percentage of those advancing to college is as tiny as 1%. McDonagh theorises that discrimination may play a part, with numerous parents hesitant to inspire their children’s persistence in education due to an acute awareness of high suicide rates within their community.
Speaking openly, McDonagh emphasized that suicide rates within his community are seven times that of the general population. He expressed the frustration of being prejudged due to his associations with the Travelling community and that any wrongdoing by another member is falsely attributed to him, stating, “the perception is that we’re all the same”.
McDonagh, founder of Grá Funeral Care, has an insightful understanding of the perceived excessiveness of Traveller headstones and monuments, often deemed ostentatious by members of the settled community. McDonagh notes that grandeur in events, including funerals, is a cultural norm within the Travelling community. He stresses the importance of sensitivity and discretion when addressing the grieving, in light of the alarming suicide rates and reduced lifespans among Travellers. Voicing his concern about the harmful impact of public racist comments, particularly online, McDonagh states such negative sentiments could potentially propel someone into committing suicide.
In his line of work as a funeral director, he has experienced being unjustly followed around by shopkeepers despite being dressed in his professional attire and never having stolen anything in his life. He feels that such discrimination prevails until it is questioned and confronted.
He holds a perspective that people should be allowed to erect sizable headstones for their deceased loved ones, as long as they do not invade the space of other families. For him, the size of a headstone should be dictated by the individual’s preference, just like how some choose to live in big houses while others in smaller ones.
Within his Traveller community, they all come together to handle funeral expenses when someone passes away. No single person is burdened with the entire cost. As soon as a loved one is laid to rest, families begin planning and have up to a year to finance a headstone.
The common questioning about how such headstones are afforded, quoting figures as high as €100,000, is deemed as excessive exaggerations. People often speculate about their cost without actually knowing the real price.
He acknowledges that competition may exist in the matter of headstone sizes, but he points out that competition exists in all facets of life, not just in funerary practices.
McDonagh has been lucky to have met supportive and encouraging teachers throughout his life who instilled the belief he could accomplish anything. Among his influences were Colette Connolly, an Independent councillor from Galway, and Ruth Sheridan from Merlin College. He was the first Traveller student to participate in and win a prize at the BT Young Scientist Exhibition.
Despite receiving congratulatory messages from President Higgins on his wedding, and a letter from Buckingham Palace after meeting Charles and Camilla, in his everyday life, he is constantly vigilant of discrimination, even experiencing bouncers refusing him entry on nights out with his settled peers or coworkers.
“I’d feel a twinge in my gut as I approach the entrance, fearing they may turn me away. They’d skillfully avoid admitting it’s due to my Traveller status, seeing as they’re well-aware of the rules,” he states. “I wouldn’t stir up trouble. If they choose to remain silent when questioned, I would simply depart.”