Irish Travellers

[hpdrifter]

I was listening to NPR on the way in to work this morning and heard a bit about this culture in Ireland. Any Irish on this board want to shed some light?

They live in motor homes and spend their days driving around the country? Did I hear correctly that they have a somewhat ostentatious fashion sense?

I feel sort of obsessed with this right now for some reason.

[HEIRESS]

pikeys?

[Echewta]

Have you watched Snatch?

Daags.

[hpdrifter]

I did see Snatch but totally did not remember this element which is weird because I guess it's a rather large part of the plot.

I am fascinated, I google imaged irish traveller weddings and...

[MC Moot]

gitanos by any other name...;)

[roosta]

I was listening to NPR on the way in to work this morning and heard a bit about this culture in Ireland. Any Irish on this board want to shed some light?

They live in motor homes and spend their days driving around the country? Did I hear correctly that they have a somewhat ostentatious fashion sense?

I feel sort of obsessed with this right now for some reason.

Hello.

Have you watched Snatch?

Daags.

Snatch pretty much shows them accurately...to a point.

They do indeed live in caravans, and have odd accents.

They occupy a strange place in Irish society. They are more or less outcasts. They complain about this,but they also actively pursue it. They rarely marry outside of their own, and they don't really 'mix'.

There are 'settled' Travellers, who live in houses, but lots of them just want to live the way they do. The problem is that trouble often follows them. They've been known to come to an area, take over a spot, then leave it in a heap. There's also levels of crime and violence associated with them. They have fueding clans and it kicks off at weddings and funerals and the likes.

Since I was a kid its been a ritual that they call to houses on a Saturday and ask for money/food etc. Its kind of funny, they get dropped out by their dads/husbands who are driving big jeeps, then they go door to door begging.

But yeah,I feel sorry for them in one way, but they also actively pursue an outsider status. I feel sorry for the kids more than anything, they are born into a strange world.

[Helvete]

Rudey said it best, but they also exist to a lesser extent in the UK as well. Everyone hates it when the pikeys come into town, but you find in the rougher areas the local scumbags pretty much chase them out of town.

[trailerprincess]

You should try and find this documentary shown on UK tv a couple of months ago called My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding - it was brilliant. The dresses are INSANE

here's a link, not sure if it will work for you folks abroad

Wedding (http://www.channel4.com/programmes/my-big-fat-gypsy-wedding/4od#3053944)

The thing that interested me was that the girls dress quite on the tarty side but are kept on a really tight leash by their folks....

[camo]

If you you value your kneecaps then say 'yes' If they offer to do your roofing or to tarmac your driveway ;)

[hpdrifter]

Hello.



Snatch pretty much shows them accurately...to a point.

They do indeed live in caravans, and have odd accents.

They occupy a strange place in Irish society. They are more or less outcasts. They complain about this,but they also actively pursue it. They rarely marry outside of their own, and they don't really 'mix'.

There are 'settled' Travellers, who live in houses, but lots of them just want to live the way they do. The problem is that trouble often follows them. They've been known to come to an area, take over a spot, then leave it in a heap. There's also levels of crime and violence associated with them. They have fueding clans and it kicks off at weddings and funerals and the likes.

Since I was a kid its been a ritual that they call to houses on a Saturday and ask for money/food etc. Its kind of funny, they get dropped out by their dads/husbands who are driving big jeeps, then they go door to door begging.

But yeah,I feel sorry for them in one way, but they also actively pursue an outsider status. I feel sorry for the kids more than anything, they are born into a strange world.

Wow. So have you ever known anyone personally of this culture? I guess it would be difficult because they'd always be on their way somewhere else. I'll have to watch Snatch again, I've only seen it once and it was when it first came out.

TP: The thing that interested me was that the girls dress quite on the tarty side but are kept on a really tight leash by their folks....

Yes, why is it that the weddings are so ostentatious and the females are so overtly sexual in dress? I suppose you could say it has to do with the strictness of their culture but then you would think the dads would put the kibosh on that and it doesn't appear that they do.

[rirv]

There's some of this lot moved into a field near my house and my next door neighbour keeps writing to the local MP to complain - I know this because the replies keep getting posted to my house.

They're a very insular community and as with any minority group gets its fair share of misinformed prejudice and discrimination.

[paul jones]

They smell of piss

[ms.peachy]

They are in the US too, you know. In the South mainly.

[roosta]

Wow. So have you ever known anyone personally of this culture? I guess it would be difficult because they'd always be on their way somewhere else. I'll have to watch Snatch again, I've only seen it once and it was when it first came out.

Yes, why is it that the weddings are so ostentatious and the females are so overtly sexual in dress? I suppose you could say it has to do with the strictness of their culture but then you would think the dads would put the kibosh on that and it doesn't appear that they do.

I was really good friends with a second-generation settled Traveler back in school. Real nice lad, as were his family.

Channel 4 did a great documentary about Traveler weddings a while ago. It was marketed as a kind of garish look at them and their weird lives, but it was very enlightening. I felt sorry for some of the girls, they get married very early, and one of them clearly was not into it. Alot of it is arranged.

As rirv says there's also alot of misinformation and prejudice involved too. For the most part they just want to get on with their lives, but aspects of their lifestyle conflict directly with wider society, and that's when you get trouble.

[Echewta]

My favorite Irish reference (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boO4RowROiw)

[gbsuey]

I used to live a similair lifestyle, but we were "new age " travellers apparently. We did used to come across a lot of Dids and mostly they were ok, i bought a truck from them, but some were just thieving gypsy bastards. Stealing dogs or anything really, and just being dirty and ignorant,leaving rubbish everywhere and whatnot.

Here in the u.k they have a really strange kind of accent/lilt all of their very own, i walked up the street behind a group of gypsy lads and couldn't make out a single word they said. It's indescribable.

Just up the road from here is Stow, and twice a year there's a massive horse fair, which is great for just going to watch the girls totter through mud in 10 inch wedges and flourescent lime mini skirt or some shit....i'm sure the Irish lot have a similair fashion sense. It's a strange culture but the basis of it is a really honest and lovely lifestyle which as everything in life gets spoilt by twats.

[Myu-to]

When Tricia and I honeymooned in Ireland, I stopped to ask some for directions. Later we met an Irish family at a pub(they loved Tricia's Southern accent) and said that it was a good thing that I am not a small fellow because some of them can be very dangerous.

[b i o n i c]

They are in the US too, you know. In the South mainly.

so like trailer park rednecks are americas gypsies?

[hpdrifter]

I thought of those frat boys from Borat. Why were they riding around the south in a motor home anyway?