FOR Mary O'Donohue, the staggering statistics concerning mortality rates within the Travelling community, which emerged last week, served as a grim reminder.

Over the past six years, O'Donohue has lost her husband, sister and two brothers in tragic circumstances.

Her husband John O'Donohue (37) and her brother John Casey (38) were killed in a car crash six years ago. Two years later, her sister Brigid Reilly also lost her life in a car accident and the family faced another blow a year later when her brother Paddy Casey took his own life. Her sister left nine children, both her brothers had fathered eight children and O'Donohue had five children with her late husband.

"There are a lot of children left behind. It's been a lot for any one family to deal with but we're a big family and we try to comfort and support one another. Sometimes I'm grand and sometimes I'm down, " she says. "The report brought it all back. I think a lot of Travellers repress their feeling.

Men especially don't want to talk about things. Some just bottle it up and go on the drink."

Regrettably, these four sudden deaths within O'Donohue's immediate family do not appear to be isolated incidents in the light of the Traveller study published last Monday. Half of the Travellers whose deaths were reported to the Parish of the Travelling People in Dublin over a 10-year period died before they reached 39 years of age, according to the report.

Of the cases studied, cancer was the most common cause of death for females (25%) and road traffic crashes were the most common cause of deaths among males (22%).

Eighteen men whose deaths were reported to the parish committed suicide. "I know a lot of young, widowed women, " says O'Donohue. "I know many families that have lost people to suicide. My brother was a happy-go-lucky person always laughing and having the craic. I knew he was down a bit but I had no idea that was in his mind. All the tragedies affect everyone who's left behind and even more people get depressed. There is a lot of support out there for the settled community. I don't think there is enough support for us."

Almost three weeks ago in Ennis, two young men, aged 18 and 22, and a young woman, aged 18, took their own lives over the period of a fortnight. All were interconnected members of the Travelling community living in the Co Clare town.

The report also found that 80% of the Travellers whose deaths were studied died before age 65. This, too, is something O'Donohue can relate to. "Any Traveller woman over the age of 27 has a lot of medical complaints. A lot of Travellers don't live their full life out. It's our lifestyle. There is often a lot of hardship and punishment that goes along with living in caravans. Often it's cold and there is not enough to eat."

In order to buck the trends of current Traveller mortality rates, Irish society must address its attitudes towards the community, says Rosaleen McDonagh, who is running for the Seanad in a bid to highlight the issue of prejudice towards the Travelling community. "There is over 90% unemployment among young Traveller men. I think there is a lot of internalised depression which affects people's mental health.

I know of GPs who put air-fresheners in the waiting room if Travellers are coming in. If you had to deal with that, would you want to go in and get a smear test?"

Initiatives such as the Traveller Working Group on Suicide are focused on raising awareness and changing people's patterns of behaviour, according to McDonagh. The next step would be for minister for justice Brian Lenihan to recognise Travellers as an ethnic minority, she believes. "I love being a Traveller, " she said, adding, "we're a very strong community and we're very proud."