Irish Travellers

IRISH TRAVELLERS

On my research for information I decided to talk with an Irish guy, of this way would be easier for me to have an inside looking of Ireland, and also get away from the stereotypes. In our conversation it surfaced the travellers, I had no idea what they were, so I investigate, and found them very interesting. 

The travellers, also called the white gyptians, are an ethnic group of Ireland whose exact origin are unknown, there´s some speculation that they are a group of pre-Celtic minstrels people, but it's no certain at all. Some people think they are gyptians, because they live in a similar way -both usually live in caravans, are educated by them self, etc.- But its believed that gyptians origins are in India, and it's important to know that their physical characteristics are different, so it's very difficult that they were the same ethnic group. The travellers in the past used to roam from town to town, and lived by busking and tinsmithing ( because of this sometimes are called sometimes Tinkers).

Travellers population in Ireland surround twenty two thousands approximately (according to the 2006 census) .They still using their own language, like shelta and gammon. Frequently live in ad-hoc trailers and encampments although some has decided to live in a sedentary way.

 They are discriminate by Irish society, and most of people rather by far of them, they are traded as thief and trouble makers, so usually are excluded by the citizens. Even there's schools who doesn't admits travellers. Because of this many travellers has tried to create organizations like the "Irish travellers movement" (http://itmtrav.ie/) for stop the exclusion and try to live in harmony with the rest.