Questions and Answers

[Snoop Drog]

Good post, Sirhamish.

yeah, when I was a kid (25 years ago) my Grandad (a farmer) used to buy gates off travellers all the time. And an old guy used to call to our house about once a year selling, I think, pots. We never bought any bought he was always invited in for tea. I know this sounds more like De Valera's Ireland than anything else but he was certainly seen as a valid member of society.

Travellers stopped at our roadside for a couple of months about ten years ago and got heaps of abuse of the locals. Anyhow, I dropped up a ham to them (it was Christmas after all...) and they were genuinely touched by that. These people owned nothing- A sh1t car, a freezing caravan and that was it. Three young kids too. It shamed me that people lived like that in Ireland.

[Gareth]

I know this is harsh Snoop Drog but surely the fact they lived on the side of the road in a caravan is their choice? They could apply for social housing? I have mellowed in my sleep, and I know what old school travellers were all about. I hear the stories of them being an important part of the community and many masters at their trade. However goods got cheaper and we got richer and repairing things went by the board, with a preference to buy new. They got a bad name but is that all due to our prejudice or is there some fact in some of it? I do know that the halting site near me has been the focus of numerous garda raids and they have found weapons to dvd making business etc. Plenty of criminal activity eminating from there. That is way the bunch near me have a bad name?

[paul_oshea]

hamish please correct me if im wrong, but you are referring to tinkers ( from the 60s/70s? )there in your above post and not gypsies/travellers, there is quite a subtle difference between the two.

[Snoop Drog]

hamish please correct me if im wrong, but you are referring to tinkers there in your above post and not gypsies/travellers, there is quite a subtle difference between the two.

"Subtle difference", paul_oshea? What is the "subtle difference"

[paul_oshea]

can i just add, there is a lot of negative feedback here on travellers so i am going to give my own views.

There is a halting site at home, that is housing too many travellers at the moment, this set of travellers came up from cork about 10 years ago, and have "settled" in castlerea and are of no trouble at all, so much so that people campaigned to increase the size of the halting site to accomodate all the travellers, this has now been granted and fair enough housing hasnt been created, but wash houses and wc facilities will be available for every family. We even had them do our guttering, and in fairness to them they worked very hard and did a great job, well its still there 5 years down the line!!! Seriouslly though, they do trade around the town and are respected, well as well as any traveller can be which is another issue.

From a schooling(primary really) point of view, i always hated travellers joining us in school, and the reason for that was because they were bullies, they were always 2 or so years older than the class age, and would let ye know that, they never really tried to integrate and make friends etc.

This did change though a good if they continued past primary school a good example of this is a female friend of mine in secondary school, became quite good friends with a female traveller, she was a lovely girl btw, and quite intelligent also, but she left around third year, i might also add she was well fit, but you could still tell she was a traveller.

anyhow, just thought i would throw my twopence, at home since i was young there have been more "bad and nasty" travellers than they're have been good, but all that can be said about the current ones is there a good aul bunch of ppl and are doing the best they can.

[Snoop Drog]

I know this is harsh Snoop Drog but surely the fact they lived on the side of the road in a caravan is their choice?

Yep, as is there right. But don't tell me these guys are living off the cream, not paying taxes and expecting handouts. These people are attempting to pursue their traditional way of life and we f#ck them over every time. Sure, they found weapons and pirating equipment. I'm not saying that the yare all perfect (I could argue they where driven to crime but lets not go there...)

I heard once that you should judge a society on how they treat the lowest memers of that society. The way we treat travellers reflects poorlly on the Land of a Thousand Welcomes.

[Gareth]

I was waiting for the driven to crime being brought up , but seeing as you didn't get into it I will not either. This conversation is at least staying largely on track and I think that has the potential for a completely different thread. The lowest members of our community, I agree we are judged on how they are treated but does their lifestyle keep them in some element of poverty due to the nature of the world we live in. You need a fixed address for many vital things. Bank Accounts, Jobs etc and its not so we can discriminate against travellers but to safe guard against fraud? Their way of life is unfortunately for them very counter to any kind of social inclusion due to the fact they tend to refuse plenty of social standards? Its like having a culture that doesn't believe in money. Its their right not to but jesus they will be a long time trying to purchase anything!!!

[tiktok]

Mate, to single out Travellers in the way that you did, as recipients of social housing, smacks of igorance and racism.

Racism? Yeah, Gareth hates the Irish, he always has

Love the way you implied travellers are the ''lowest members of society" while you're busy lecturing others on their attitudes.

[Gareth]

My hatred of the being Irish ranks up there with my hatred of Shels.

[pete]

Just to go off topic a bit but i find it insulting when travellers refer to me as a "settled person". To the best of my knowledge i have never been unsettled.

[Gareth]

If thats a joke, its bad . If its meant as a serious comment, we get very wound up by some pretty non offensive labels. The reality is you are settled in relation to their way of life. Calling you settled can hardly be upsetting? In that case I would suggest you are a little unsettled The fact you have never been unsettled aslo very much suggested you are settled. QED

[Lionel Ritchie]

As I spent most of my 20's in the back of a van* on the highways and byways of Ireland and the UK ...do I count as a traveller? Am I now a settled traveller? Did the fact I sold CDs on these travels help? Does the fact they weren't counterfeit not help?



*Just a van -couldn't afford a Caravan.

[paul_oshea]

was it a transit van lionel?

[Lionel Ritchie]

was it a transit van lionel?

uhm ...Hiace

and also, for a time, - a Shirpa. The shirpa had windows and seats actually which was very posh by our standards

[pete]

uhm ...Hiace

Definitely a traveller so.