Irish Traveller

Irish Travellers are a nomadic or itinerant people of Irish origin living in Ireland, Great Britain and the United States. They refer to themselves as The Pavee. An estimated 25,000 Travellers live in Ireland, 15,000 in Great Britain and 10,000 in the United States.

Language, customs, and origins

Irish Travellers are distinguished from the settled communities of the countries in which they live by their own language and customs. Shelta is the traditional language of Travellers but they also speak English with a distinct accent and mannerisms. The historical origins of Travellers as a group has been a subject of dispute. Some argue that the Irish Travellers are descended from another nomadic people called the Tarish. It was once widely believed that Travellers were descended from landowners who were made homeless in Oliver Cromwell's military campaign in Ireland, but evidence shows that they have dwelt in Ireland since at least the Middle Ages.

Several known groups in the United States include the Northern and Southern Travellers (each of which have their own subcategories) and the Western Travellers. The Traveller language (Shelta) is dying out and only the older Travellers still know the language completely.

Some of the marriage customs, at least in the Southern Travellers (Memphis and "Georgies"), allow for 11 year old girls to be engaged to be married to 20+ year old men. Weddings occur as young as 12 or 13, often to a first or second cousin. Because in Traveller culture men are the ones who provide for the wife and family, a girl's main goal is to marry. The bride's parents pay the groom's parents a dowry, which in some cases can be quite substantial.www.southcoasttoday.com "Secret life ends for Irish Travelers". Page A13 of The Standard-Times on 28th October 2002.

Friction with the community and discrimination

The Traveller lifestyle often produces friction in the community, especially in urban areas. Labels such as gypsy (this term, although offensive to both groups, is more properly applied to the Roma people), and pikey are common in Great Britain. The derogatory terms gyppo and gypolata, derived from gypsy, are also heard in Great Britain.

Like other nomadic groups in Europe and the Americas, Travellers are often accused of robbery, scams, and other delinquent behaviour. An October 11, 2002 Dateline NBC article suggests that Travellers habitually defraud their neighbors, demanding high prices for substandard day labor ^*. Additionally, cases of seizure of land by illicit means and intimidation, disregard for process (e.g., planning legislation) and the subsequent characteristic environmental damage lend support to the popular perception of endemic criminality.

Traveller advocates counter that Travellers are a distinct ethnic group with an ancient history, and there is no statistical evidence that Traveller presence raises the local crime rate (e.g., Basildon in Essex, which has the largest Traveller population in the UK, has average crime rates for its population size, although this evidence is hardly conclusive). The struggle for equal rights for these transient people led to the passing of the Caravan Sites Act 1968 that safeguarded their rights, their lifestyle and culture.

Planning issues in the UK

Recent criticism against Travellers in the UK centers on Travellers who have bought land, built amenities without planning permission, then fought eviction attempts by claiming it would be an abuse of human rights to remove them from their homes. The families applied for retrospective planning permission whilst they were living on their land. This received much media attention during the British 2005 General Election, after it was brought up by former Conservative Party leader Michael Howard.

The use of retrospective planning permission arose after the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, which Michael Howard brought through the Commons, started closing down many of the sites originally provided for the community. Howard advised that Travellers should buy their own land instead and assurances were made that they would be allowed to settle it.

However, a block to Travellers' attempts to follow this advice has emerged since, with a 2003 government survey finding that 96% of Travellers who applied for planning permission to settle on their land have had permission refused, compared to figures of less than 30% for the general population. Travellers have said that unless they use the retrospective technique, the closure of the caravan sites leaves them effectively homeless and unable to settle. Support networks have also pointed out that the number of retrospective planning applications brought by Travellers is dwarfed by both commercial and settled applications.

In a spate of 2004-5 evictions, concerns were raised internationally over the treatment of travellers, and allegations have been made of violence used in eviction attempts by publicly contracted groups, such as assault, and destruction of traveller property (e.g., burning of caravans). Dale Farm, in Basildon, Essex has become the focus of a major legal case, as the council have refused to provide alternative sites for the travellers who currently occupy the ex-waste ground.

Films

Travellers have been portrayed on a number of occasions on film. Examples include the film Into the West that tells the story of two Traveller boys running away from home. The film Snatch features Brad Pitt as a stereotypical Traveller who is an undefeatable bareknuckle boxing champion. In Chocolat, a clan of nomadic travellers are depicted as gypsys, however, it is noted that they are said to be of Irish origin. Traveller is another film, starring Bill Paxton, Mark Wahlberg, and Julianna Margulies. A man described as a Tinker was also featured in the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. A travelling tinker family is depicted in the movie The Field and the daughter is frowned upon as a potential bride.

The documentary, SOUTHPAW: The Francis Barrett Story, won the Audience Prize at the 1999 New York Irish Film Festival. It followed Galway boxer Francis (Francie) Barrett for three years and showed Francie overcoming discrimination as he progressed up the amateur boxing ranks to eventually carry the Irish flag and box for Ireland at the age of 19 during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Francie turned professional in August 2000 and now fights at light welterweight, out of Wembley, London. ^*

A documentary-style drama release in 2005, Pavee Lackeen (Traveller Girl), depicted the life of a young Traveller girl, and featured non-actors in the lead roles. Its director and co-writer, Perry Ogden, won an IFTA Award in the category of Breakthrough Talent.

References

External links

Irish Travellers' Movement.
Pavee Point Travellers Centre
Traveller Visibility Group or TVG
Bibliography of Irish Travellers sources—University of Liverpool
Irish Medical Journal article Traveller Health: A National Strategy 2002-2005
Francie Barrett boxing profile
Official site for movie - Pavee Lackeen: The Traveller Girl
The Travellers: Ireland’s Ethnic Minority
Interview with local expert on Dale Farm
Travellers' Rest: Fact And Fiction About Irish Travellers in the U.S.A.
Nan: The Life of an Irish Travelling Woman, by Sharon Gmelch, 1991.
The Irish Tinkers: The Urbanization of an Itinerant People, by George Gmelch, 1997, 2nd ed. 1985.