Reply to: Big Fat Gypsy Wedding - I'm confused

[OwlHoot]

So where do soldiers, tailors and spies hang out then?

Not sure about tailors, but for the other two the Special Forces club in Knightsbridge.

[MarillionFan]

Rathkeale is the tinker capital of Ireland

So where do soldiers,
tailors and spies hang out then?

[MarillionFan]

Wonder why some venues won't accept their parties, must be discrimination.

Can't be because they all get lager-ed up and start fights?

Liked the strip probably need to book in for re-education.

It's exactly that reason.

Basically gypos will turn up from everywhere. They pay in cash, your gaff gets smashed to pieces and then they **** off.

Neighbour is a copper and he says they hate it when they have a party because the police turn up and there is nothing they can do. They're instructed not to arrest anyone for anything small because it turns into a riot And then whnen they bugger off they don't know who it was.

[cailin maith]

Remember seeing a village in Ireland which had a large number of rather nice homes that were owned by tinkers, but were unoccupied for a lot of time as they were out on the road.

Think it was Rathkeale in Limerick

Rathkeale is the tinker capital of Ireland

[portseven]

Remember seeing a village in Ireland which had a large number of rather nice homes that were owned by tinkers, but were unoccupied for a lot of time as they were out on the road.

Think it was Rathkeale in Limerick

[vetran]

Wonder why some venues won't accept their parties, must be discrimination.

Can't be because they all get lager-ed up and start fights?

Liked the strip probably need to book in for re-education.

[Alf W]

I remember that - they published an apology in the next issue and the strip never appeared again. Apparently one of the Viz blokes had his car stolen. Not by gypsies though, of course.

As I remember it, the person who made the complaint against Viz was head of some Romany group and he was subsequently convicted of stealing a carpet which Viz picked up on and published.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

I remember that - they published an apology in the next issue and the strip never appeared again. Apparently one of the Viz blokes had his car stolen. Not by gypsies though, of course.

[DimPrawn]

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Whilst one should take individuals on their merits, it's not as though the discrimination and resentment among the settled community is all one way or entirely without foundation.

Among my parents generation, Gypsies were tolerated because their presence didn't automatically mean an upswing in crime and the total desecration of any area they set up camp in.

No doubt some travellers are still like this, but in many cases their blatant disregard of planning, road traffic and pretty much any law and their failure to pay any taxes and total destruction of any site they occupy is bound to get up people's noses. A bit.

I was particularly shocked by that Police docu soap where an innocent woman in an MX5 was killed by a drunken Pikey driving a BMW X5. It was patently clear who was responsible, but the community ran to his assistance and closed ranks to destroy any evidence. Very hard to feel any sympathy for that.

[cailin maith]

Ah that explains it. Where they became, as CM calls them, "tinkers".
Physically they don't look like gypsies from Eastern Europe - I'm guessing they inter-married with the local population, so that now they have a preponderance of Irish physical characteristics?

Yep, you can usually spot 'em a mile away, dressed like hookers, long hair, massive earings, little kids always in wellies.

In my home town there is a family who have lived there forever (almost!) and they had their caravans in the same spot for as long as I can remember, but then the Grand Father died and the younger ones became settled and more integrated.

Same as OG says though, they are never accepted, any hotel or whatever won't let them have a wedding or anything like that. There tends to be maybe one venue in every county that has a reputation for accepting traveller functions but for that, it won't get other functions from the settled community.

[Old Greg]

Ah that explains it. Where they became, as CM calls them, "tinkers".
Physically they don't look like gypsies from Eastern Europe - I'm guessing they inter-married with the local population, so that now they have a preponderance of Irish physical characteristics?

Again - Irish Travellers not Gypsies. But Gypsies throughout Europe tend not to be genetically (racially>) distinct from the local populations. This is why they form a special category along with Jews and Sikh in race discrimination legislation. There has been inter-marriage throughout but the customs / languages / dialects have remained alive.

Out of interest 'lollipop' is a Romany word, meaning...

[Old Greg]

Now your splitting hares and being pedantic.

hairs

[sasguru]

So a lot (probably most) emigrated to Ireland, where catholicism was less frowned on.

Ah that explains it. Where they became, as CM calls them, "tinkers".
Physically they don't look like gypsies from Eastern Europe - I'm guessing they inter-married with the local population, so that now they have a preponderance of Irish physical characteristics?

[Old Greg]

Gypsies had a hard time in England in Tudor times after the Reformation. It was even a capital offence for non-Gypsies to consort with them or pretend to be one. So a lot (probably most) emigrated to Ireland, where catholicism was less frowned on.

There aren't many Romany Gypsies in Ireland and Irish Travellers are a distinct group. Irish Traveller - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They get a hard time. In my wife's home town, there was a wedding that was cancelled when the venue found out they were Travellers, so the excellent local Bishop hosted it in the bishop's palace grounds. He's an unusually fine fella.