Two Cork wins at Traveller Pride Awards

A CORK woman and group were among the winners at the annual Traveller Pride Awards.

Laura Angela Collins received the first award in the scheme for Intersectionality for her campaign towards institutional redress related to her grandmother’s burial in a mass grave with 72 other women, residents of St Vincent’s Magdalene Laundry, in Cork.

The Charleville Traveller Women’s Group claimed the Arts and Culture award for their play No Fixed Abode which they wrote and performed to highlight barriers facing people in the travelling community seeking accommodation. Ms Collins said: “I’m more than honoured to be accepting the Traveller Pride award in my category.

“This is for all the women in my family who walked before me, who were targeted and told they couldn’t be proud of who they were when we should all be allowed to be.”

Meanwhile, No Fixed Abode was performed for the local community and school children and to a mixed audience in The Triskel Arts Centre.

The play has inspired others to engage in the issue of Traveller accommodation and a motivator in campaigning locally, helping build allies.

Picking up the award yesterday Anita Toner, Theresa Toner and Margaret Meehan said: “Ecstatic is an understatement for how we are feeling to have won the Traveller Award for our play.

“This gives us a sense of achievement and recognition, and knowing that our hard work has paid off is very important to us.”

In total, eight winners were honoured at the annual Traveller Pride Awards in the Pillar Room, Dublin.