Biddy Connors has been shocked by the treatment she’s received because she identifies as a member of Ireland’s Traveller community.
The 46-year-old mother-of-eight, with 11 grandchildren, has lived in Tallaght for 18 years and is proud of her heritage. “I was born a Traveller and I will die a Traveller,” she says.
But on a regular basis she has encountered the prejudice of so-called ‘settled’ people in Ireland.
“I went to get my hair done in a hairdressers in Carlow once,” she recalls. “There was a queue of women waiting ahead of me, but the hairdresser asked me to come and take a seat in front of a mirror. She started to comb through my hair, looking for things.”
Connors was very uncomfortable with the situation, especially as the other women waiting in the salon were aware of what was going on.
“I knew my hair was clean but I was praying ‘Please God let her not find anything.’ I’d be all over the newspapers then.”
Even after that humiliation, Connors rejoined her place in the queue. “My pride made me stay,” she says. “I didn’t want those women thinking I had been sent away because my hair was dirty or had lice or something.”
Another example of discriminatory treatment was six years ago when Connors was visiting her local pub, where an argument broke out between Travellers and the settled community.
“I wasn’t involved at all,” she says. “I just sat in the corner with my group of friends. But the next week when we went to the pub I was told that the manager had decided to stop serving all Travellers. He said all Travellers were barred until further notice.”
Connors brought the matter to the attention of the Equality Tribunal and, although she waited three years for the matter to be heard, she eventually won the case and received €5,000 in compensation.
“My advice would be for Travellers to go to the Equality Tribunal if these things happen,” she says. “I was so happy to win. It was really because of the shame and embarrassment that I suffered in front of the neighbours.”
Despite her victory, when Connors subsequently returned to the pub, she was told that she was still unwelcome. At that time her husband was ill so she did not pursue the matter.
“I have had so many experiences like this and heard about so many too,” says Connors. ‘Once, after a day of protest in Dublin city centre, my husband and two children and I went into a shop to buy water. Immediately we were told that only one of us could come in. I was so annoyed.”
In this case the gardaí were called and Connors explained the situation. “I just told them how difficult it was to have to fight for my rights every day of my life.”
