Welcome to Litsy!

Two American anthropologists lived with groups of Irish Travellers in the early 70s, and then revisited the same families 40 years later. Photos and interviews from both periods document a vastly different way of life for this once nomadic community. It‘s fascinating and insightful. Thank you to Donal Ryan and his novel All We Shall Know for leading me to research Travellers. #Ireland ☘️

Travelling men old enough to have experienced a life on the road miss their horses, the frequent change & daily activities associated with nomadism, the camaraderie of roadside camps, the open air & the romanticized sense of personal freedom they once possessed. It is also difficult for men to find work. The unique trades they once performed are obsolete & significant barriers to mainstream employment exist. As a result, many feel redundant, 👇

“There‘s not a shadow of doubt in my mind that Travellers constitute a distinct ethnic group. Sure, there are some dissenting opinions from within the Traveller community. But these are people who don‘t understand the situation. They believe that the more you claim ethnicity, the more you diminish your Irishness. I say bullshit. They‘re not mutually exclusive. There‘s no conflict between nationality and ethnicity.”
-Martin Collins ☘️

“The DNA on my father‘s line relates all the way back to Niall of the Nine Hostages, one of the first kings of Ireland. Traveller DNA is Irish DNA, and it hasn‘t changed a lot in a 1,000 years. So how can they argue that we are a separate ethnic group? The current Taoiseach [prime minister] Enda Kenny had his DNA done and his line is the same as mine.”
-Martin Ward

“I might be minding my own business at home when, say, two Travellers would go up to town & get drunk & break something or start fighting. Well, I‘d be blamed just as if I‘d been there myself. But if two settled lads went up to town & caused the same trouble, nobody would blame all settled people. It was very discriminatory. People today are starting to understand that.”
-Martin Ward, born in a roadside camp, and Ireland‘s first Traveller mayor

“I have always been interested in people‘s stories. I often find them intensely dramatic and moving. If anyone starts talking to me about their life, I‘m immediately all ears, I suppose like you anthropologists.” -Paddy Houlahan (above), who has been involved in community work with Travellers for decades. ☘️

[I was struck by this passage because I feel a similar interest in other people‘s lives.]

Legislation passed in 2002 now makes it a criminal offence to camp on public or private land, punishable by a month in jail, a 3,000 euro fine & the confiscation of property. As a result, it is no longer possible for Travelling People living in Ireland to pursue a life “on the road.” ☘️

Attitudes towards birth control have changed. While Lance had 29 pregnancies & 16 surviving children, & Josey had given birth 14 times & has 12 surviving children, Josey‘s daughters said they want no more than 5. Yet some resistance to birth control remains. A Travelling woman described her birth control use to me & whispered, ‘If my husband knew, it‘d be THWACK [punching her fist into the palm of her hand].‘