Presidential candidate Peter Casey has visited an unoccupied housing site at the centre of a dispute between Tipperary county council and Traveller families.

He was expected to encounter protesters when he visited the site at Cabra Bridge outside Thurles, however no demonstration took place.

Mr Casey has faced calls to withdraw from the presidential race over comments he made about the Travelling community yesterday.

The 61-year-old claimed the community’s status as a minority ethnicity was “a load of nonsense” and labelled them “basically people that are camping on somebody else's land.”

He said the family in Thurles were refusing to move into the newly built homes “because they want stables.”

After arriving at the site this afternoon, Mr Casey said he was standing by his comments.

“I got a lift today in a taxi from a Pakistani person,” he said.

“After we finished talking about cricket, I said, ‘how big is the Pakistani community here?’

“He said, ‘there is a lot us.’

“I asked him do you feel you should be given special ethnic status?’ And he was confused.

“He said, ‘we are Irish. My children are Irish. Why would we want to be different?’”

He left the housing development without speaking to the members of the Travelling community who were nearby.

I’m here at the site of the new houses in Thurles. Peter Casey due here shortly. Large Garda and media presence. pic.twitter.com/1D2ya5Y2Go

— Shane Beatty (@ShaneBeattyNews) October 18, 2018

The Irish Travelling community was recognised as an ethnic minority for the first time in March 2017.

The moved recognised the fact that the group has a unique cultural tradition distinct from their Irish nationality.

Ethnic groups are generally recognised as sharing common characteristics like tradition, culture and language.

The Governmental recognition was welcomed by the community as an acknowledgment that Travellers experience racism and discrimination.

It was also hoped the decision would lay the groundwork for change in how the State approaches issues like health, unemployment and education within the community.

Discrimination

This morning, Catherine Joyce from the Irish Traveller Movement said members of the community face a lot of discrimination:

“I see ethnicity as a key to opening the door to the social change that is needed in this country,” she said.

“Not just for Travellers – but for other ethnic minority groups that are excluded and discriminated against.”

She said Mr Casey was “voicing a lot of sentiment that is out there is society against Travellers.”

“We have come through a lot of change in terms of acceptance of minority groups in this country but Travellers are by far still the most excluded group socially and economically in this country.”

Some protestors have now arrived at the site in Thurles. But Peter Casey was long gone. pic.twitter.com/PoGLw1QFAW

— Shane Beatty (@ShaneBeattyNews) October 18, 2018

The 2016 census reported that there were nearly 31,000 Irish Travellers in Ireland; however previous reports have put the figure at over 36,000.

It is believed there are nearly 4,000 living in the North.