Members of the travelling community say it is almost impossible to secure private rented accommodation in Cork.
The comments come as the Traveller Visibility Group say the housing needs of travellers are not being met and have likened the accommodation crisis to a pressure pot waiting to explode.
Breda O'Donoghue of TVG says the community has been let down by successive goverments who have been pursuing a failed State policy over the last 60 years.
She says many travellers are living in dangerously overcrowded halting sites and some are without toilets, running water or showers.
Speaking to RedFM News Breda O'Donoghue says travellers are trapped in a housing crisis and need help to access local authority housing or private rented accommodation.
"Landlords in general don't rent to travellers. Despite the fact there's s shortage of rented accommodation there anyway, travellers would be at the very bottom of that pecking order.
"Most travellers that are successful in obtaining rented accommodation do so with the help and support of a settled person, going to view the property, sign a contract and so on.
"Most people that are in rented accommodation are there under the pretence that they're not travellers, that they won't have any traveller family members over to visit."
