'I think its a great way of living' - Waterford Travellers speak up about their culture
Josie Moran and Briugie Flynn at the Traveller Pride event. Photo: Joe Evans
“It’s a happy day but it's also a sad day,” Briugie Flynn told the at the Traveller Pride event on Thursday, May 28. Happy because it was a celebration of her culture but sad because she feels that culture is slowly disappearing.
Organised by Míncéirí Port Láirge, the event consisted of food and drinks, music and plenty of government organisations, such as Citizens Information and Europe Direct giving out information.
There was also a small awards ceremony where younger members of the community, such as Katelyn Mongan and Josie Connors, were recognised for their hard work and dedication to education.
Elise O’Reilly, who is 11 years old, says her favourite part of being a Traveller, “is people getting together and enjoying themselves.”
She especially likes “having a big feast” at a family reunion.
Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan attended the event and addressed the crowd. He said: “I’m delighted to be here. With such a long and valuable history and traditions, we can say you are a proud part of Irish culture, may you hold your heads up high.”
Stephen Faulkner was displaying a large work of art at the event as well as some buckets he handcrafted.
He told the : “I love the Traveller culture. To me, it's dying out. Wagon making, tin making, it's dying out. There’s nothing there for Travellers today. I was at the St Patrick’s Day parade there, and there were no wagons, there was nothing there [celebrating] Travellers and there should be.”
Stephen believes that as well as formal education programmes, there should be places where older Travellers can pass on their own knowledge and skills to younger generations.
“When they grow up, they can pass it on, and it will keep going.”
Stephen was one of 14 children and lived in a traditional wagon until he was eight years old.
Stephen says Travellers “aren’t allowed” to live in wagons anymore and “people are making a laugh of them.”
He said relations between Travellers and settled people were always the way they are now. He said: “I remember Travellers used to work with farmers years ago.”
Several Travellers that the spoke to said they were particularly proud to be able to speak their own language, known as “cant” or “gammon”. A priest is called a coonick, hungry is growless, potatoes are muggles.
Stephen said, “In schools, they learn French and Spanish, but they never learn a word of cant.”
Josie Moran, a well-known Traveller community worker, said, “All Travellers are put into houses now; we’re not allowed to travel anymore. We get arrested if we try to stay on the side of the road.”
Josie grew up travelling around the countryside of Ireland and says, “They were better days. We had more.”
But, at the end of the day, “as long as there’s food on the table, I’m happy,” says Josie. She works on the Traveller health project - they are the only group in Ireland who have been fully trained in the 'Healthy food made easy' programme.
Micheal Reilly, a nine-time Irish boxing champion, is hoping to make it to the Olympics and trains twice a day every day. He said Travellers, “have a different way of living to everyone else and I think it’s a great way of living.”
