Travellers' Rest

Humor:
A beggar walked up to a well dressed woman shopping on Rodeo Drive and said "I haven't eaten anything in four days."

Which reminds me of an old comment by Anatole France: "The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets or steal bread."

Old Connections:
What do you suppose a man named Pete Donohue and a woman named Kate Smith (not the famous singer who had her own radio and TV show) had in common? Well, actually next to nothing, save that both were said to be Travellers of long ago, but apparently lived a quite different lifestyle than most. Both were the subject of recent inquiries and I think I'll let those inquiries speak for themselves:

#1) Peter Joseph Donohue was, according to official information given to the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram in 1951, born in Athens TX in 1900. He graduated from North Side High School in Fort Worth, and attended Texas Christian University for three years. He played for the Cincinnati Reds for 8 and a half years, was sold to the New York Giants, for whom he played 1 and a half years. Then he played for the Cleveland Indians and the Boston Red Sox.

Anyone have any further information about this gentleman? If so, I'd appreciate an e-mail to Travellers' Rest.

#2) My grand Mother was an Irish Gypsy [the sender may have been referring to one of the relatively few English Travellers who also traveled in Ireland 100 or more years ago --RJW]. The only records I have of her was when she left my grandfather and went back to her family. the documents I have are signed Kate Smith. She had a dog and pony show in the late 1800's. Is there any way I can find out more about her? She lived in east Texas at that time.
Juanita

Good evening, Juanita, I don't have any direct knowledge that would help you but if you e-mail me back your permission I will post your request to my site and ask others to contact you directly. I presume that "Smith" was either a stage name or her married name and that you don't know her maiden name. At the same time I might, again with your permission, pass your request along to someone more conversant with the English Travellers, since the vaudeville background and the name of "Smith" suggest at least a possible connection to that group.
Richard

You have my permission to post my request and to contact anyone who might be able to help locate her relatives. Her fathers name was John"Red Rock" Smith and I believe every one assumed it was a chosen one because his real name was too hard to pronounce. She was married to a Condie (?) Mullins before my grandfather and had a son named Walter. Later she had a daughter named Minnie. She had quite a lot of land in south east Texas which she deeded to my father but somehow it all got away. She also bought a circus wagon in La Place. La. My grandfather had a circus and she became a part of it. She left in 1901 and my father visited with the Gypsies from time to time when I was too small to know much about them. He and his sister Lizzie both spoke the Gypsy language.
Juanita Moore

Our people have traveled and sojourned a lot in the company of the English Travellers. If you have any information about these individuals connected to Kate Smith, especially Kate herself, and care to share it, please forward it to me at: Travellers' Rest or to Juanita at: Juanita <rmoore@cei.net>.

Controversy:
By the way, there are four words in the Shelta (old Cant) language which offer tantalizing hints of a possible solution to the mysterious origins question: Where and when do the Irish Travellers come from? Surprise! In my humble opinion, it's very likely not anywhere or anywhen you might expect. More to come. Oh yes; the words are shoru, shrish, shrittel and shrug, if you would like to get started without me.

My scenario (I hesitate to call it an hypothesis) about the origins and early history of the people who would eventually be named the Irish Travellers fits at least between the facts that are known about the archeology and ancient legends of Ireland. It is still under construction, to be found on the current Controversy page. And why label it "Controversy?" Because, if substantiated, it would destroy the principal basis for anti-Traveller prejudice in Ireland down to the very roots.

Coming Attractions:
I am still planning to expand Fiction3 and further expound in mostly fictional or speculative form on a mythical history for the Travelling People of Ireland. Again: more to come.

There is a new page coming to be linked to the main Traveller page. [Actually it's here already: Recipes.] It will feature recipes that are favorites of Irish Traveller families, so I hope that some of you out there will contribute some good ones, preferably older recipes that go back several generations. And please say something nice in Cant, so that I can be sure they're authentic, cousins. I have a half-dozen such recipes already which should be posted before Easter. Four or five of the best submissions will hopefully be included in an upcoming book about American ethnic cooking, titled "The American Ethnic Cookbook for Students." Don't get your hopes up for munya glonth, though; there's no gawrd in it for you or meidjeel.