Racism towards Irish Travellers remains a real issue in this country according Christine Collins.
Collins, who is an actor and a member of the Irish Traveller community, says that every Traveller has been subject to discrimination at some point in their lives.
"I don't think there's a Traveller that is walking on shoe leather that can tell you that they've never experienced racism because I just don't think it's true. I am 35 years old, and I still can't wrap my head around the racism in this country towards Travellers," Collins told Katie Hannon in an in-depth interview on the latest episode of Upfront: The Podcast.
Christine's father is well-known actor Michael Collins who appeared in Glenroe, Man About Dog and King of the Travellers.
Following the premiere of King of the Travellers at the Irish Film Institue in 2012, Michael and Christine were refused service at a city centre pub while others in their group, including well-known Irish musicians and actors, were admitted without question.
Christine believes this was because they are Travellers.
"The man point blank told my father he wasn't serving him. He said, 'you (Michael) and you (Christine), not tonight.’"
"A wrenching turn in my stomach is what I got. Just because of your culture and your identity, it’s like ‘nah’ that doesn’t matter. Not tonight. It’s absolutely disgusting.
"That put an absolute downer on the rest of that night for us because one person’s prejudice ruined what that day was."
Discrimination towards Travellers was described as a "primary cause" for the rate of suicide in the Traveller community being six times higher than the general population in a recent study by independent consultants S3 Solutions.
Collins is currently in rehearsals for a new production of the Tennessee Williams play The Rose Tattoo which runs from May 11th – 20th at the Complex Theatre in Dublin 7.
The production moves the setting of the play from an Italian American community in New Orleans to a halting site in present day Ireland and features a cast including Denise McCormack as the lead.
The play was transposed to the new setting by director Vanessa Fielding and Christine’s mother Catherine Joyce, a prominent human rights activist.
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