Travellers' Rest

Controversy

The Theme:

I not deny
The jury, passing on the prisoner's life,
May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two
Guiltier than him they try.

William Shakespeare, from "Henry VIII"

ANCESTRAL HOMELAND

Assimilation or not?

The precise origins of the Irish Travellers cannot presently be ascertained with any accuracy; although it seems reasonable to me to state that there is evidence of the existence of such nomadic craftsmen and traders in Ireland going back almost five thousand years, well before the invasion of what would become the dominant race there, the Milesian Gaels. There are even hints of such antiquity in our language and customs.

But even though there may be no definite beginning, many today in Ireland would still like to see a definite end to the Travellers as a sub-culture there. Some such critics are polite and reasonable, giving at least lip-service to the desirability of maintaining a superficial Traveller culture (shorn, of course, of certain perceived elements that they despise or dismiss). Some others are crude and bigoted, demanding nothing less than cultural extermination. All of them base their judgments on sedentarist (of persons of fixed abode) values and most of them use the buzz-word "assimilation" to identify their ultimate goal.

Now I do not myself believe that the "assimilation" of Travellers into either the Irish or the American mainstream culture would be desirable. Our unique spirit very much depends on an atmosphere of cultural cohesion and physical freedom that is impossible to duplicate inside the "melting pot" of the conventional way of life in either country. Yet in both we are treated more as a criminal class than as a creditable ethnic minority, often for the flimsiest of reasons; so I have to ask myself: What parts of the "assimilationist" argument have merit, at least as a jumping-off point for a negotiated settlement, as it were, acceptable to both Travellers and Country People?

To that end, I am reproducing in full, unrebutted, a series of observations by a Country Man named Dr. Michael Flynn, a personage of unquestioned integrity whose friendship and lifelong service have been extended to both the Travellers and Country People of Ireland as a Medical Doctor in the Public Health field. While he does not consider himself an "assimilationist" (he definitely insists that he is an advocate for Traveller integration*), the arguments for change that are given below might be said to encompass the best and brightest points of the "assimilationist" rationale. And aside from his obvious concern for the benefit of our current and future generations, his observations are commendable both for the quality of the reasoning behind them and for his examination and dismissal of a surprising number of common fallacies about the stereotypical Traveller. I may not agree with all of Dr. Flynn's conclusions, as I said, but there are few people if any who are more entitled to express their opinion on this matter than he is.

*As defined by Dr Flynn: he strongly supports the integration of Travellers into the general community by abandoning caravans and occupying standard houses. While living in houses Travellers can retain all their cultural separateness, if they so wish, including travel for business or employment or summer breaks.

One comment only: The reader will notice immediately that there is much material in the following work about Gypsies; although it purports to be only about Irish Travellers. I ascribe this to a peculiar pan-European fixation on the various Romany Peoples. Irish Travellers tend to be defined there by how they compare to and differ from various tribes of Gypsies, to the occasional consternation of both groups.

THE TRAVELLER COMMUNITY

Notes on Traveller History, Past and Recent, and Observations on
the Current Situation in Mullingar, Co Westmeath and Generally.

Michael P Flynn, Mullingar. October 2000

1. Irish Travellers are racially Irish, no different from the settled population. This has been shown by a number of Blood Group surveys. Perhaps up-to-date DNA/Genetic surveys may be indicated to further confirm this finding (or disprove it!), if not already under way. Irish Travellers are not Gypsies.

2. The Gypsies of continental Europe are descended from a tribe/group who migrated from India in the 8th or 9th century. They passed through Persia, Asia Minor reaching eastern Europe in Medieval times. The largest numbers of their descendants continue to be located in Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic with smaller numbers in most European countries. There has been much intermarriage and racial mixing. The Netherlands is one continental country where the "Nomadic" community, like the Irish, are racially natives of the area.

3. This migrant group from India were first thought to have come to Europe from Egypt and were referred to as "Egyptians" which gave rise to the name "Gypsies".

4. Over the centuries the Gypsies were subjected to cruel and murderous treatment, ostracised, shunned and the victims of restrictive legislation in many countries.

5. A few Gypsy families came to England and Scotland and The Irish Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, Vol 1, 1541 have two references to "Egyptians":

1. 258. (12) Safe conduct, for 40 days, for John Naune and his company, Egyptians, driven from Scotland by stress of weather, 20 October.
2. 264 (English) Order of the Lord Chancellor and council (on reference from the Lord Deputy upon a petition to Parliament by Powyll Fayoff, of Lytle Egypt, his captain and company, Egyptians sojourning in Dublin) discharging the said Powyll from an indictment in the King's Bench, alleging that he had stolen newe colour sarsnet, blacke satten, and blacke damask, at Swerds, the goods of Richard Russell, of Drogheda, merchant. 11 November. An Act of the Irish House of Commons of 1634 provided for restrictions on the activities of various groups, and listed penalties on vagabonds and Egyptians and counterfeit Egyptians. This Act may have been copied from a similar earlier one of the House of Commons in London with a repeat of the wording, and so it does not mean that there were "Egyptians" in Ireland at the time.

6. It is interesting that the position has changed in recent years with the coming of Gypsy asylum seekers/refugees from Romania to Ireland the biggest group being the 42 who came through Rosslare in 1999 and were accommodated in a Co Monaghan Holiday Centre. Occasionally Gypsy women come to Mullingar and beg in the streets and houses and sell The Big Issue.

7. The persecution of Gypsies continued over the centuries reaching a peak during World War II in their mass extermination in the Nazi death camps. While the numbers of Gypsies sent to the death camps were fewer than of the Jews, nonetheless, there may have been some hundreds of thousands killed.

8. It is clear that "Nomads", whether on the continent or in modern Ireland, have been subjected to harsh treatment and intolerance. It still exists in Ireland with barring from some public houses and some food establishments and objections to housing and halting Sites.

9. The alleged distinctive language of Travellers called Shelta or Cant is not a language but a collection of words and phrases without a distinctive grammar. It may have evolved as a protective device when they were harshly treated by the police and the general public.

10. The Irish Travellers are not a compact group but are mostly from the community among whom they traditionally travelled in former times. Their family names are akin to those in the community. Many of those now settled in Westmeath carry local names. One large family group are all descended from an ancestor who originated from the Kilrush area in Co Clare. He traded in donkeys at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Together with his sons he drove them from Clare to the Midlands for sale. Four of his sons married Midland Travellers. The ancestors of another large family group came from Galway to Athlone and onwards and married Travellers. There are no Travellers carrying these two names in their areas of origin. Currently, there are 127 separate family names in the Republic of Ireland, counting names with slight spelling variation, and those with or without an “O”, as one name. .

11. The composition of the groups is not static and may be likened to a conveyor belt through time. In olden times many dropped off and settled in houses and blended into the normal community. The "conveyor belt" gathered new "passengers" by members of the settled community marrying Travellers or joining them and adopting the Traveller way of life.

12. From time to time it is put forward that the Irish Travellers, formerly known as "Tinkers's" are descendants of families displaced by The Great Famine of 1845-1847. Really, there is no historical record of the origin of the Travellers but the nomadic way of life predated the Famine. Indeed, the Duke of Wellington is alleged to have referred to the performance of Irish Tinkers in the Peninsular War of the Napoleonic period.

13. Up to the early twentieth century members of many trades travelled around the country working in farmhouses and business premises: e.g. tailors; blacksmiths; carpenters, etc. A special group were the Tin smiths and it was from this occupation that the term "Tinkers" was derived. However, members of the group referred to themselves as "Travellers".

14. The tin smith occupation was carried on mainly by the men and the women carried on house to house peddling of small household and similar items, combined with begging. Begging also was widespread at large gatherings such as Horse Races, Sports, Shows etc. Petty pilfering frequently occurred. Trespass onto grazing land for their horses and donkeys was a frequent occurrence and one which antagonised the farming community. This general behaviour was necessary for survival.

15. Dealing in donkeys, ponies and horses was widely practised and gatherings of large groups of Tinkers were common at monthly or yearly horse fairs, which were held in most towns and many villages throughout the country until the 1950s.

16. Up to recent decades employed people who now are known as Business Reps (Representatives) were called Commercial Travellers or just Travellers. With a view to differentiating between these business travellers and nomadic tin smiths and dealers, about the early 1940s, the word "Itinerant" was coined in place of “Tinker" for the group who called themselves "Travellers". However, the latter never liked the name and always refer to themselves as "Travellers". This is the name by which they should be known and it is probable that the persons who continue to use the term "Itinerants" may have an antagonism towards the community.

17. Towards the end of the 1940s and into the 1950s, after World War Il, with the acceleration of rural depopulation, the replacement of donkeys and horses by tractors and motor cars and the introduction of plastic utensils, the way of life of the Travellers underwent major change. They drifted to cities and towns with the result that they now are urban centred rather than the traditional rural travelling with constant change of location, which has virtually ceased. The majority have motor transport and travel from a fixed base in town or city, either in houses or camp sites (official or unofficial), to markets, and other activities such as scrap collection etc..

18. In June 1960 the Government of the day established a Commission on Itinerancy
to enquire into all matters relating to Itinerants/Travellers. A Report was issued in 1963.

19. In the 1950s Travellers were granted entitlement to "The Dole", weekly Social Welfare. This official recognition that the Travellers were to be treated as the rest of the population was of immense benefit to Travellers. They were no longer exposed to great want and hunger and could better organise their lives.

20. Of major benefit was the elimination of the necessity for petty pilfering and begging. Contrary to a widespread concept, Travellers dislike begging and when no longer in need discontinue it. House to house visits to special "patrons" may have persisted for a while but currently the occasional begging is done by families in great need because of major misdemeanour, court fines or grossly inadequate parents.

21. Begging in Mullingar now is a rarity. A recent development is the coming of the occasional Gypsies. Mention is frequently made of the street begging by children in Dublin. It has been shown that the number of individuals involved is small and are mainly from families inadequate in many respects and/or with alcoholic parents.

22. The Report of the Review Group on Travellers (1983) revealed that there is not a high incidence of alcoholism among Travellers and probably lower than in the general population. In former times fairs were occasions on which large groups gathered and later indulged in drinking and brawling which, being mostly open to public view, may have created the impression of constant drinking, whereas it mostly was occasional.

23. Brawling, which was common, may have been reminiscent of the rural Faction Fights of long ago. Family feuds occur from time to time and occasionally flare up. They are not unlike the vendettas which still occur in some Mediterranean countries. Slights and injuries are not easily forgotten. There may be periodic reactivation with group onslaughts onto individuals and property even up to present times. (But it must be borne in mind that brawling and injury may occur among the settled community during sporting events!)

24. As mentioned at 10. above, settling in houses occurred in former times frequently into poor quality houses vacated by others. This outlet was greatly curtailed with the passage of the Housing Act of 1931 and the introduction of the concept of houses being "Unfit for Human Habitation" The owners of such houses were compelled to demolish them. The concept was a false one as any kind of a roof is better than a roadside tent. It took nearly 40 years for the concept to be officially abandoned. This misguided legislation was a major factor in the increase in the number of families on the roadside in the third and following decades of the 20th century.

25. The vast majority of Travellers have a wish to be housed and over the decades many in Mullingar purchased vested cottages and other town houses. Many others have been given tenancies of local authority houses. Travellers will not settle in houses in rural areas as they now are fully urbanised groups.

26. They wish to be housed near each other but not on top of each other. The traditional pattern of group living and travelling through the countryside was protective and defensive which is no longer required when housed. Like the general population, they do not wish to have their parents, brothers or sisters or other relatives close to them in the same street. The pattern of group housing should only be a temporary measure when large numbers are in need of housing. Ghettos must be avoided.

27. The recommendation for the establishing of Halting Sites was proposed as an interim measure by the Review Body in 1983 to cater for families while waiting for standard houses. Regrettably, many local authority staff appear not to have read the report and instead are providing Halting Sites as places of permanent abode. This will never cope with the desirable needs of Travellers for Standard houses.

28. The standard of maintenance of houses of Travellers is high and they have a preference for new Council houses. From the early 1970s there was an emphasis on housing in Mullingar, and Westmeath, which has paid dividends in that there is no major problem with large gatherings of Travellers by the roadside. Tuam is one of the few other towns which followed an active housing programme. Also Longford. However, a deficiency continues in that the rate of housing is not reducing the numbers waiting. The twenty or so families waiting in Mullingar has hardly changed in number since the 1980s. All those on the waiting list are the children of settled families. Living with parents as a second family is rare among Travellers. Even if they have the money, renting a flat would be difficult because of residual antagonism.

29. Houses are essential for normal living and rearing and schooling of children. It is unreasonable to expect parents to send children to school regularly from the unwholesome environment of a camp site or the roadside. The desirable attendance to Leaving Certificate level is extremely difficult under living conditions where home work and study are virtually impossible.

30. Education is vital for the progress of Travellers and a majority of parents desire it for their children. However, to get adequate education they must first have houses. The majority of Traveller children in Mullingar attend primary school but few continue in Secondary School.

31. Despite the measures taken to settle Travellers since the Report of the Commission on Itinerancy in 1963 the number of families by the roadside has remained around 1,100 and the total number in all types of accommodation has about trebled.. To control the "population explosion" a major requirement is a reduction in family size for which a first essential is housing and education. Many families wish to keep the number of children low, an objective which is more achievable in a house.. A much more positive approach is required in the provision of advice and help with family limitation.

32. Travellers have their own culture which in no way impacts adversely on the rest of the community. Continuation of the culture does not require living in camps or by the roadside, like other special groups and religions, they can follow their practices from standard Houses from which they can travel to markets, for scrap collecting and similar activities. A simple additional requirement is a yard, shed and parking space for a van.

33. Arranged marriages continue to be the norm among Travellers and marriage of first cousins is common. This latter results in a slightly more than the average incidence of congenital defects From about 1% of births in the general population to about 2% among Travellers) but, otherwise, there are no major ill consequences. Marriage of near cousins occurs among. close knit communities in many parts of the world. American Travellers/Gypsies tend to marry second cousins.

34. Most American Gypsies are descended from immigrant European Gypsies, many of whom first went to South America in the mid 19th century and later transferred to the USA. There are some descendants of Irish Travellers in the USA (See Radarch video).

35. Travellers, in general, are thrifty and open savings accounts in the Post Office or banks. They work very hard at dealing, scrap collection, motor dismantling and the concept of them being idlers is very incorrect. They have an excellent record with hire purchase and mortgage repayments.

36. They are no less honest than the general population and have their quota of wrong doers. During the summer months particular large groups of dealers travel from their homes dealing in furniture etc and some are suspected of sharp practices and stealing. Some of the attacks on old people in recent years were done by a small number of Travellers but most such attacks may have been done by non-Travellers.

37. Young Travellers are encouraged to be independent and what money they earn or gather independently they generally put into a savings account.

38. Much has been written in recent decades alleging that Travellers have a high rate of infant mortality but in 1963 the Commission stated that the rate was similar to that of the lower social/income groups of the general population. Analysis of the position in Mullingar showed that infant mortality is low among Travellers.

39. Death rates are also said to be high but again, because of the settlement of many families, and blending of the older people into the general population, accurate rates are difficult to calculate. Apart from a higher incidence of violent deaths from road, fire and brawling accidents the death rate is average.

40. Travellers are mostly self-employed and taking regular waged employment is rare. With better education in special training and FAS centres it is hoped that more will adapt to regular jobs. However, the culture is trading, marketing and scrap collection and the men are reluctant to change. The women on the other hand seem to be more interested in getting regular employment and in the last few years a special training project has been organised in Mullingar. The initiative for it came from the Travellers themselves, mainly a group with primary education.

41. There have been major changes in the way-of-life of the Traveller Community in the last half century. In former times they were rural nomads, most were poor, badly dressed with a shawl standard outer covering for women. Begging was widespread and hunger frequent. Travelling was on foot or on flat bottomed carts drawn by a donkey or pony. Almost all were illiterate. Shelter was the upturned cart with canvas sheet or canvas over bent wattle ribs located close to a hedge or ditch for a wind break. Bedding was mostly of straw.

42. After The Great War (1914-1918) the horse drawn barrel topped caravan was introduced and acquired by the better off dealers. The rapid change occurred from the late 1940s leading to complete urbanisation; the acquisition of motor vehicles and trailer caravan by most families; an increase in the numbers going into houses with children attending school. More comfortable living with virtually no poverty, standard good clothing, more ambition and organisation of their own affairs.

43. Much remains to be achieved: higher levels of education; more regular employment, especially for females; a recognition by the general public of their distinctive culture which need not impinge adversely on others.

44. Prejudice, barring from places of public resort and unequal treatment is an injustice to Travellers. The antagonism and opposition to their housing by the settled community must cease.. But it must be coupled with a realisation by Travellers that roadside camping and Halting Sites are incompatible with urban living in an industrialized country. Travellers must accept that the transitions of the last half century must proceed to complete eradication of the nomadic life. This need not lead to a dropping of their special cultural features as trading, marketing and waste collection can be conducted more readily from a fixed base in a house. A stage should be reached when unauthorised camping is made a statutory offense. It must be realised that rearing a family in a trailer caravan, in all seasons of the year, might rank as Abuse of Children.

45. To achieve this objective the Government and housing authorities must change their approach to housing of Travellers and adopt a 'crash' programme for the provision of standard houses. Probably, nationally, not many more than 2,000 may be required immediately and thereafter a sufficient yearly number to cater for newly weds.

*****

The original of these Notes was written by Dr Flynn, in April 1999, in response to a request for 'ideas' from a Secondary School student who was doing a project on Travellers.

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