Cork artist puts Traveller issues in the frame

Cork-based Leanne McDonagh has brought an artist’s eye to her photographs of Travellers and their accommodation, writes Marjorie Brennan.

When ten people, including five children and a pregnant mother, were killed in a fire at a temporary halting site in the south Dublin suburb of Carrickmines in October 2015, there was widespread shock and anger, along with many calls for an improvement to living standards for Travellers.

For artist and Traveller Leanne McDonagh, the tragedy had a particular resonance and spurred her into action.