Clodagh Finn: Best way to tackle racism is not only to call it out but to challenge it

Amid racist incidents, we must interrogate prejudice itself

Staff from Irish Network Against Racism come together with cast and crew from Disney's 'The Lion King' and Stephen Faloon, manager at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, to show their support for INAR's Love Not Hate campaign. Picture: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

Does the name Rachael Baptist ring any bells? Perhaps not, but more than 250 years ago, the black Irish singer was a celebrity and something of a phenomenon. She toured Ireland, turning the places she visited — Cork, Bandon, Limerick, Kilkenny — into “towns of pleasure” as audiences applauded with delight.

There is a particularly vivid account of her 1750 debut at Crow Street Theatre in Dublin where she appeared, resplendent in the yellow silk gown that became her trademark, in front of a whole house illuminated with wax lights.