This research set out to examine Travellers¿ experiences of, and attitudes towards, education in county Sligo from 1970 to the present day. There has been a significant amount of research on the Travelling Community and education, however, it is only in the last decade that Travellers have been consulted for their own views. Much of the discourse concerning Travellers and education has centred around issues of attendance and attainment and, more recently, retention. In order to expand understanding of Travellers own views of education and the bearing it has on their lives, thirty Travellers were involved in a qualitative study. Based on the findings of this research I will suggest that cultural dissonance, discrimination, differening perceptions of the purpose and value of education and the lack of a culturally relevant curriculum are significant factors which affect the ways in which Traveller pupils¿ construct their identities as ¿outsiders¿ in school. In order for a more genuine dialogue to be established between schools and Traveller families it will be necessary to apply a broader perspective which understands the issues as multilayered and multifaceted, thus acknowledging a shared understanding of both Traveller and settled communities.