Latisha McCrudden (born 2003 or 2004) is an Irish activist and public speaker known for her advocacy on mental health, Irish Traveller rights, and women's rights. She has spoken publicly on Traveller access to education, including addressing the Seanad ÃÂireann in 2024. McCrudden was named to BBC 100 Women in 2024 and has received multiple youth and community recognition awards for her activism.
McCrudden was born to an Irish Traveller mother and non-Traveller father, and was an only child until age ten. Her mother had married at age 17, and her maternal grandmother had married at age 15. McCrudden's grandmother encouraged her to focus on her education. McCrudden grew up in Cloontowart, Lisacul, and attended the village primary school, where she was the only Traveller child. She loved school, seeing it as an escape from the domestic abuse she witnessed at home.
As a young teenager, McCrudden struggled with depression, noting in 2023 that "when I was 14, there was a time I thought I wouldnâÂÂt make it to my 15th birthday". She attended sessions at Pieta House, which she found helpful.
McCrudden is currently a second-year law student at the University of Galway.
McCrudden became involved in activism at age 15, while experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. She joined the youth panels of Minceir Whiden and the Irish Traveller Movement. Her Traveller-related activism has taken two fronts: working to improve conditions and political engagement within the community, and speaking out against discrimination of Travellers. In April 2024, she spoke at the Seanad on Traveller access to education.
In 2022 she joined a national project analyzing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children, focusing personally on how Traveller children are impacted by the pandemic. In June 2024, she was named to the Córas Iompair ÃÂireannâÂÂs (CIÃÂ) Youth Board.
Since 2024, McCrudden has co-hosted the podcast Mincéirs: Paving the Way with Emma Ward. The podcast, released by Spun Out, focuses on Traveller experiences.
McCrudden is Roman Catholic.
At age nine, McCrudden began suffering migraines as the result of a tumour on her skull. After a surgery to remove the tumour at Beaumont Hospital, she was diagnosed with fibrous dysplasia.
McCrudden has practiced karate since age four, and is a black belt.