Energy poverty among the “invisible minority”: Lived experiences of energy injustice and renewable energy among Irish Travellers

Invisible minorities, including some Indigenous groups, face an almost constant struggle against exclusion, restricted access to services and patterns of institutional racism against them, and inequities in democratic participation and representation. This research examines how one such community, the Irish Travellers, understand and experience an absence of energy justice, including lack of access to clean renewable energy. Drawing from 38 household interviews and community site visits, our study reveals persistent patterns of energy poverty—households reported 40–60% of monthly expenditures on energy services—and exclusion from decision-making processes, revealing failures in both procedural and distributive justice. We document that discriminatory and segregation practices against Irish Travellers have contributed to the erosion of Travellers’ cultural practices and customs. Our findings underscore how spatial injustices have led to “unjust geographies” that limit Travellers’ opportunities to engage in, and benefit from, just energy transitions. By capturing the lived experiences of Irish Travellers, our study helps broaden how energy justice is understood, conceptualised and lived among an invisible minority. To achieve a full just transition, we must recognise the experiences and epistemologies of invisible minorities in the broader energy agenda.