Powerful four generation story A Traveller Family airs on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player this Monday night

RTÉ will premiere A Traveller Family, a compelling new documentary exploring the lives of four generations of the Collins family, members of Ireland’s Traveller community. Airing on Monday 11 May 2026 at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, the film uses one family’s story to reflect on changing times, Traveller identity and the role creativity plays across generations.

At the heart of the documentary are four generations of one family. In the first generation featured, viewers meet Big James Collins, 78, one of the last remaining Traveller tinsmiths in Ireland. His life and craft anchor an intergenerational narrative that moves from the road to the classroom and from inherited identity to evolving traditions.

Michael Collins, actor, activist, and nephew of Big James, whose work has helped shape national conversations around Traveller identity, represents the second generation of the Collins family. Carrying that legacy forward is his son Johnny, aged 20, now studying literature at UCD and the first in his extended family to enter third‑level education.

Johnny’s sister Christine, a single mother, features alongside her two children, aged 14 and 16, Big James’s great‑grandniece and great‑grandnephew, representing a new generation navigating what it means to be young Travellers in contemporary Ireland.

Through these intertwined stories, A Traveller Family captures the evolving landscape of Traveller life and the enduring strength of creativity, whether expressed through craft, performance, activism or education.

Sally Roden, Commissioning Executive, Factual Documentaries & Series, said: “A Traveller Family offers an intimate, considered and reflective portrait of one family navigating continuity and change across generations. It has been a privilege to support its journey to the screen and I am delighted that audiences will have the opportunity to hear the story of the Collins family on Monday night.”

A Traveller Family is the latest work from director Alex Fegan, founder of Atom Films, whose previous documentaries include the acclaimed Older Than Ireland, Abbeyfealegood, Am I Here?, Sins of Ireland, and The Irish Pub.

Alex said: “What drew me to this story was the opportunity to spend time with one family. It was a huge privilege to be welcomed into their lives with incredible openness and honesty. Through the four generations, we see both continuity and change, the strength of tradition alongside new possibilities for younger generations. This film isn’t about speaking for the Traveller community, but in working with producer John Connors, it is about creating space for voices to be heard. I hope audiences will connect with the creativity and resilience at the heart of this family’s story.”

A Traveller Family airs on Monday, 11 May 2026 at 09.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.

ENDS

Notes to Editor:
Interviews and screener available on request

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Caoilinn Putti