"Family to me is absolutely everything", says Senator Eileen Flynn. And her view is shared by other Travellers in Donegal who speak on this podcast - Kieran Mongan, Letterkenny; Hugh Friel, Ballyarr, Ramelton; Teresa Ward, based in Ballyshannon; Bridget McDonagh, Ballyshannon; and Ackie McGinley, Ramelton.

This is the second podcast in the short series 'Travellers Lives' and it's called 'Family Matters'. Kieran Mongan says he and any other Travellers he knows share a very strong belief in family. "We only really have each other," he says.

Senator Eileen Flynn, who lives in Ardara, talks about breaking down barriers for the Traveller community by getting into the Oireachtas. And now her family in Labre Park in Ballyfermot in Dublin, where she grew up, refer to her only as 'the Senator' when she visits - "In a jokey way. It's nice, because they're doing it out of love."

Senator Flynn speaks about her own health challenges, including a collapsed lung in 2024 and lung failure. She puts it down to poor living conditions when she was growing up - her late parents both had similar health issues. Time for Travellers to get "safe and sustainable accommodation', she says.

Kieran Mongan talks about the lower life expectancy for Travellers - 15 years less for men, 11 years less for women. But he also sees signs of hope for the community, pointing to the likes of Senator Flynn getting elected to the Senate, and David Friel lecturing at Atlantic Technological University in Letterkenny.

Kieran says he can tell his daughter, "Yes, you're a Traveller, but you can be anything you want to be."