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T
HERE was some talk that we might
not all get into the cinema. King of the
Travellers was on, the much talked about
film directed by Mark O’Connor and co-
written by Michael Collins, protagonist in Pavee
Point, actor and casting director.
Sweets and popcorn were negotiated, a sigh
of relief and we were in. Anthony, a -year old,
questioned whether or not they knew who we
were. His younger brother piped up, “Of course
they know who we are, they think we’re in the
film” .
It was the atmosphere created by seeing our-
selves on the big screen and listening to the giddy
comments and laughter from a dozen or so young
Traveller men that got to us. All my generation
had was Glenroe or The Riordans. These came,
inevitably, with settled people playing our parts,
caricaturing our identity in a manner that was
not representative.
Our expectations are greater now. The for-
mula has to fulfil certain demands. It has to have a
narrative that is expositional and explores and at
times exploits racism as the main theme. Racism
seemed secondary when we went to see King of
the Travellers. It got over-shadowed by humor-
ous factors within Traveller culture. My nephew
Eoin articulated it afterwards “my head is done
in living and talking about racism. Sometimes I
just want to switch off and escape“.
Audiences and critics feel short-changed that
King of the Travellers doesn’t deliver on these
expectations. But King of the Travellers is not a
Ken Loach piece. It never claimed to be anything
other than fiction. Clichés were relied upon. The
mad, bad, crazed Traveller man is at the heart of
the film. Inevitably, bare-knuckle boxing is there
with all its violence and machismo.
However, the film stands up when compared
to other pieces of drama that objectify and humil-
iate. King of the Travellers didn’t exploit our
people in the way that Ian Palmer’s Knuckles or
that facile piece of drivel Big Fat Gypsy Wedding
does.
Sharing this perspective with a settled
friend, her scolding was harsh. She was unable
to understand that, for all its clichés, King of the
Travellers, had authenticity due to the major-
ity Traveller cast. My friend wouldn’t listen to
this in the context of Traveller representation
in cinema.
Should ethical films portraying Travellers
be bound to depicting Travellers in a positive
light? King of the Travellers is a film about love
and revenge, portraying Travellers neither pos-
itively or negatively. If racism did not exist, the
scrutiny to which it was subjected would not pre-
vail. It is because racism is all too real that people
are critical of images that depict Travellers.
Fresh and innovative representations don’t
come easy for Travellers. Ethics and values influ-
ence how a narrative and characters are created
and shaped. One particular hue of Traveller cul-
ture gets communicated. Variations are the key.
Within our community, we don’t know each other
as homogenous. Diversity is all around us.
The burden of representation is ever-present
when one writes about Travellers. It is not about
engaging in polemic or diatribe. It is about find-
ing that balance of presenting material in both
an ethical and an authentic way. This does not
always fit comfortably with what audiences or
funders may want.
The ‘settled people’ view demands the mis-
fit, untethered, dysfunctional, over-sexualised,
alcoholic, bare-knuckle fighting, misogynist
Traveller-man. Any such representation is a total
diminution of Traveller male identity. A Traveller
female representation is often sought for the sole
gratification of the settled male gaze. We are pre-
sented as passive, vulnerable, virginal.
The binary position of villain or hero can
leave very little room to make new challenging,
complicated, dynamic narratives. Fulfilling a pre-
scribed aesthetic can be a form of colluding and
playing the part that they have chosen for you.
Travellers seem to make for easy pickings
when collaborating with settled artists. The
agenda can be ambiguous, more about money
and marketing than representation. Engaging
with the film or arts industry could be empow-
ering and liberating for a new generation of
Travellers. However, we must move into these
new areas with a mature balance of caution and
confidence. The new possibilities evoke the old
questions of suspicion and trust.
review by rosaleen mcdonagh
culture
Authenticity penetrates
the clichés
King of the Travellers
Directed by Mark O’Connor
Co-wrien by Michael Collins
King of the Travellers
is not
a Ken Loach piece. The mad
bad crazed Traveller man is
at the heart of the lm
“
