Alcohol and drugs play a major role in racism in Ireland, according to hurler Zak Moradi.
The Leitrim player, who is originally from Iraq, says the country has changed in the last decade.
He told The Hard Shoulder most people who are racist don't know what they're doing.
"I have known people that have suffered from racism or someone calling names.
"But the small minority are kind of letting the rest of the country down.
"And I think it's all drugs and drinks that's involved, and they don't know what they're at.
"Normal people wouldn't be racist, and no one is born racist.
"And I think a lot of it has just got to do with drugs and drinks".
Zak, who lives in Tallaght in south Dublin, says the minority are letting down the majority.
"I live in Tallaght and 99% of the people in Tallaght are lovely people.
"And I'd say it's probably out of a population of 80,000 people I'd say there's about 50 people letting the rest of Tallaght down".
Asked if he believes rural areas - such as Leitrim - may be different to urban areas, he says the country as a whole has changed.
"I know there's a lot of Kurdish people, Polish [people] all in Leitrim, and Leitrim has changed.
"But there isn't really racist attacks in Leitrim... and in Tallaght there'd probably be a lot more drugs and stuff and drink.
"Seventeen years, 16 years ago, Tallaght would have been different to now.
"Tallaght is very multi-cultural now, and a lot of foreign people in Tallaght will feel a lot safer.
"All the young people are mixing in schools and colleges.
"My opinion is just Irish people are not really used to foreign people in their country - but in the last 10 years it's becoming very multi-cultural.
"And in general, the whole of Dublin is changing - Ireland in general".
