In Off the Road

An inside look at Ireland’s Travelers

The children you see in these photographs are Irish Travelers – so called because their families travel about stopping in roadside camps and at the few government-built campsites. Their numbers are estimated to be 25,000.

The origins of the Irish “Traveler” also known as “Tinker”, has long been in question. Modern scholars suggest that they are descendants of Irish landowners dispossessed after the Battle of Boyne in 1690 and the Battle of Aughrim in 1961. Their numbers also swelled during the potato famines of the 19th century.

**Two of the Mahon sisters from a family of twelve, in their trailer.**

In the early days Tinkers (the word is derived from Tin Smith) were mainly tin workers who fashioned and sold pots, pans, and kettles. In the modern age, these trades have been largely lost to them. Also, like the Gypsies on the European mainland, Travelers have found themselves subject to laws designed to restrict their movement. Unable to move freely the Traveler loses his economic lifeline. The more successful Travelers are the ones who are best able to stay on the road and ply their trade. Those without that ability frequently become wards of the state and sink even deeper into hardship.

Attempts to settle the Traveler families in government housing have for the most part been unsuccessful. This is due in no small part to community resistance and also a reluctance or an inability on the part of Travelers to accept the change in lifestyle. Unfortunately, most Irish people today view the Traveler as a perpetual outsider incapable of assimilating into traditional society, and for many the word “Teaveler” has become synonymous with poverty, deprivation, and crime.

Like many Irish, the Travelers tend to have large families. And the energy and determination needed for a life on the road is most evident in the faces of their children who are rambunctious and full of life. These children learn their survival skills at a young age. Some are fortunate enough to attend school, most are not.

The living conditions for most of these children are very poor. Few have access to running water, electricity, or proper sanitation. Yet as most children do, the Traveler children find fun wherever and whenever they can.

As a young girl living in County Longford I remember being very frightened whenever the Travelers and their caravans came near our house. Now I try to get closer to these people – get into their homes and see how the light looks when it falls on their faces. I try to understand their ways, and listen to their stories of fear, anger, and hope.