Irish Travellers

Irish Travellers (sometimes known as tinkers because they worked repairing tin ware) 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. It is estimated 23,000 Travellers live in Ireland, 15,000 in Great Britain and 7,000 in the United States.^[1]

Language, customs and origins

Irish Travellers distinguish themselves from the settled communities of the countries in which they live by their own language and customs. The language is known as Shelta, and there are two dialects of this language, Gammon (or Gamin) and Cant. These are the traditional languages of Travellers but they also speak English with a distinct accent and mannerisms, though some say it is Hiberno-English. The language itself has links to old Irish Gaelic (as opposed to modern Irish Gaelic which has been spoken for over eight hundred years) and some linguists have linked it with a parent pre-Celtic language that was spoken in Ireland before the Celts arrived 500 years BC.

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 and in the 1840s famine, but evidence shows that they have dwelt in Ireland since at least the Middle Ages. Some have asserted that the Vikings distinguished them from the majority population in the 9th century.

Social issues

Travellers are said to frequently live without running water or electricity. Their itinerant lifestyle can sometimes result in apparent poor education, as the children cannot always get a consistent education because of moving around frequently. However, due to longstanding verbal and musical traditions associated with Traveller communities, there is widespread and advanced use of vocabulary and social skills. They are frequently targets of discrimination.

Cultural suspicion and conflict

Irish Travellers are recognised in English law as an ethnic group.^[2] The Republic of Ireland, however, does not recognise them as an ethnic group; rather, their legal status is that of a "social group".^[3]

In Ireland and in Britain Travellers are often referred to (offensively) as tinker or knacker, these terms refer to services that were traditionally provided by the Travellers: tinkering (or tinsmithing) being the mending of tin ware such as pots and pans, and knackering being the acquisition of dead or old horses for slaughter. Irish Travellers are sometimes incorrectly referred to as Gypsies in Ireland and in Britain (the term, arguably offensive, more accurately refers to the Roma people, represented in Britain by the Romanichal and Kale). The derogatory terms pikey and gyppo (derived from Gypsy) are also heard in Great Britain.

The Traveller lifestyle has often produced friction with local communities, especially in urban areas. Friction between Traveller and local community are typically attributed to allegations of increased crime following Traveller arrival in an area.

Criminal activities

Travellers are often accused of being involved in robbery, cons, violence, and other delinquent behaviour. An October 11, 2002 Dateline NBC episode suggested that Travellers habitually defraud their neighbours, demanding high prices for substandard day labor.^[4]

Traveller advocates, including the Commission for Racial Equality in the UK, counter that Travellers are a distinct ethnic group with an ancient history, and claim that there is no statistical evidence that Traveller presence raises or lowers the local crime rate.

The struggle for equal rights for these transient people led to the passing of the Caravan Sites Act 1968 that for some time safeguarded their rights, lifestyle and culture in the UK. The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, however, repealed part II of the 1968 act, removing the duty on local authorities in the UK to provide sites for Travellers and giving them the power to close down existing sites.

Disputes over land use

A complaint against Travellers in the United Kingdom is that of unauthorised Traveller sites being established on privately owned land or on council-owned land not designated for that purpose. Designated sites for Travellers' use are provided by the council, and funds are made available to local authorities for the construction of new sites, as well as the maintenance and extension of existing sites, under the Government's "Gypsy and Traveller Sites Grant". However, Travellers also frequently make use of other, non-authorised sites, including public "common land" and private plots including large fields. Travellers claim that there is an under-provision of authorised sites - the Gypsy Council estimates an under-provision amounts to insufficient sites for 3,500 people^[5] - and that their use of non-authorised sites as an alternative is therefore unavoidable.

Planning issues in the UK

Recent criticism against Travellers in the UK centres 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.

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, despite allegations that Travellers find it difficult to secure planning permission approval.