Unsettled: From Tinker to Traveller

Forty years ago two USF anthropologists George and Sharon Gmelch lived for one year in a barrel top wagon with travellers on a halting site in Dublin. Four decades later they have returned to Ireland with a huge archive of photographs to find the people they once knew to learn what has happened in their lives in the intervening years.
When the Gmelch's first came to Ireland in 1970 accommodation for travellers was a big issue. They were young anthropology students looking for an area of Irish culture to study. They became interested in travellers and soon they were living among them in order to study their culture close up. They carried out some of the first academic research into travellers and published a number of books including 'The Urbanisation of an Itinerant People', 'Tinkers and Travellers' and 'Nan-The Life of an Irish Travelling Woman'.
Now, in their mid 60's, the Gmelchs return to a very different Ireland to undertake their final 'field study' with Irish Travellers.
(10/25/2012)

[@OzzieOzzieOzzieOyOyOy]

Any Irish traveler women that lived in at the site in Salfords, in Reigate and Banstead, Surrey, England in 1992/1993/1994 please leave me a message. I remember you all so well. I remember your men coming to get petrol from the Fina garage (I was the young woman cashier) I worked in. I often helped them pump petrol because they couldn’t read. I remember you coming into the store with your kids, smiling, chatting, and being so friendly to me. I remember you giving me a lift home when I was pregnant. I miss you all so much, and I’d love to get in touch again. I hope you’re all doing okay, I often think of you all. You all hated a man called Peter who worked one of the opposing shifts to me, because he was such an arsehole to you all. You gave him such a hard time, lol! In reality, he was shit scared of you all...he was such a bigot and a coward, I’m glad you gave him a hard time. I hated him too.

[@bridgittjones9074]

To see a man he admired after 40 years was inspiring...

[@jennmooney]

As an Irish woman, I remember the Tinkers of old- In the late and early 60s They did a service and had what appeared to me to be a great bond with their children. I grew up in a very affluent family where my mother was a rural Dr and my father the veterinarian and I always remember them giving the Tinkers a place to have their caravans at the head of the road- They came and my mother gave them whatever they wanted- be it milk, eggs, butter, potatoes, chicken, money and the man would repair pots and pans. I had no idea of the discrimination as I was about 8 years of age but later when the same families came year after year I'd ride my bike to their encampment.I'd long for the sort of closeness the children seemed to have with their parents-I went to boarding school and would have switched lives, as to me, it was so smokey and romantic and free of all rules. Of course it had a side I never saw. But to a child and a teenager all I felt was...Interesting lives.

[@janvanaardt3773]

These people do not look like the gypsies of Eastern Europe I do not think that their ancestors also come from India

[@johnandkathleenodonnell4130]

I enjoyed watching this very much. I was especially touched by the man who told George that George had been his inspiration to stop travelling and to get an education, learn to read and write. George and Sharon were so respectful of the travellers, that it resulted in the travellers having more respect for themselves. That was very moving. Very moving.

[@kevinrby1982]

On Travelers and substance abuse I couldn't help thinking about other distinct insular cultural groups, who after rapidly loosing the core aspects of their culture, have also suffered from drugs, drinking and suicide. Deaths of despair. Appalachian coal miners, Alaskan Natives, Plains Indians, etc..

[@Glaiket]

This is entirely and American thing. I. The U.K. there is some issues with alcohol.

[@kylecockerham1351]

The people from Appalachia are descendants of the people from Northern England more specifically the Ulster Plantation. Commonly referred to as Scots Irish in the US.

[@Glaiket]

@@kylecockerham1351 Ulster isn’t in England. Neither is Scotland. 😂

[@Glaiket]

@@joescarrott7964 Yes, but not particularly within GRT groups where alcohol is far more prevalent.

[@NormieNeko]

​​@@kylecockerham1351 You mean the Ulster Scots or Scots-Irish forced out of lowland Ireland onto northern Scotland, especially in Ulster? I think you may be confused. But yes, the people of Appalachia are mostly of Irish and Ulster Scot descent. Most American settlers into American Indian lands were of these two descents. Most rebels in the American revolutionary war were of Irish and Ulster Scot descent as opposed to English. The United States would not be what it is without these people.

[@patrickmulloy8787]

Brilliant, reminds me of when the travellers came to the Island where I lived as a child each summer, we looked forward to them coming, we played with them as children and often sat around the camp fire with them, decent people.

[@johnnydtractive]

I'm barely 2 minutes into the film but I'm already crying. You could tell the grandmother at 2:26 was very moved seeing the photographs of her family & life so long ago.

[@johnnydtractive]

What a great documentary. Thankyou to the filmmakers & families for sharing their lives with us.

[@chimmyswift11jr]

The travelling people are a big part of our irish history and i well respect them, and all irish people should respect them. There story goes back a long way the Irish people should proud of travelling people and there history. This documentary was very good looking back 40 years, how times have changed and loved one lost and young have grown with there owen families. 👌👌❤️

[@xvsupremacy7190]

chimmyswift11jr yes It is Ancient History .

[@tammyconnors3396]

All of my family. My father and his siblings in the pictures and most of my cousins in this. Watched it too many times

[@belisarius1]

Which ones were they?

[@casper185]

lived in holylands from 1973 since i was 7yrs old and still their today

[@rubydawn1]

amazing family In Montreal Canada watching

[@grlfcgombeenhunter2897]

casper could u plz tell where holy lands is.

[@valmarsiglia]

@@grlfcgombeenhunter2897 Belfast.

[@illbeyourstumbleine]

"What was that sugar all about?" What a great quote.

[@Satakunta]

The more I learn about these people and their culture, the more respect I have for them.

[@markwilliamson6821]

Love this. We need to cherish all our peoples differences English, Irish, Scots, Welsh.

[@aucturussjagaard5169]

Scotchirish l would have been A great Traveler with A good women if l was accepted im A Mclaughlin.

[@deaddocreallydeaddoc5244]

And most importantly, see that they all marry people from India, etc.

[@GoldieDawn]

Look so like us Romany Gypsies. x

[@Sweet-Mary-420]

I'm from Holylands and i grew up alongside some of these people. My father was best friends with a man named paddy wall Aka(Wack) and his people Man connor was her neighbor so to speak. I remember the site before the 1st & 2nd lots of houses the built on the old site that was just like wasteland. The family's still reside there to this day. And I'm so thankfully for those days and nights sitting around the fire with wonderful friend/people. I learned a lot from them and of their ways of living and doing of things for the songs the warm meals and endless cups of tea and lemonade for the kids. I loved watching this so much memories of grown up alongside these amazing peoples it actually made me quite emotional to see some faces of the past that was my childhood. Rip Nan Connor's, sack & Bridie Wall paddy Wall, woodsis paddy connors.

[@simon39825]

Very lonesome watching this video after seeing it for the first time some years ago... I remember my father telling me he was reared up with the woman in the video called Nanny Nevin, my father always had great respect for her, I also remember seeing Nanny Nevin when we would visit family in Ireland. Then the part where Pa Maughan was filmed my uncle Ditsy McDonagh lives beside him and also my beautiful aunt Nancy McDonagh and her husband Mikey McDonagh Rip to them both lived beside them both as well, my cousin's still live there now, very sad looking back through the years. I'd just like to say there's good and bad in each community but you can't class all Travellers the same...

[@shackattack9248]

The fella talking about all the ones he's lost broke my heart 😭😭😭

[@donnabailey2693]

This is a very important work by anthropologist George and Sharon Gmelch, beautifully told stories and bittersweet. I am glad I discovered this video.

[@bernadetteharford9743]

Really great to see. I remember how travellers were treated by people . They have best way of living having your family around you. The government never left them alone the garda were feckers . Really good people just like any Irish person some good some bad but still I would love to have all my family around me in big compound instead of being alone. Beautiful wedding dress xx

[@robicarm]

I found this story very moving. We take way to much for granted. If it wasn't for the Traveller's the USA would not be as great as it is today. We are a travelling society. It's not a big deal to live in a trailer here unless you come from wealth. But even they buy a RV. In fact home ownership is expensive, and for someplace ridiculous with rules, taxes. I've lived in both. You learn to appreciate more when you have less. Many seniors sell the house for a RV and settled for a simple life, people work offices from their trailers. Walmart use to let you RV park for free. Some trailers are so nice that you would sell your house.

[@SURAH267]

I love the comment , people of the travelling community live in the moment , I am Irish but know little about these great people , well done

[@stover14]

@Never Unprepared You're an idiot.

[@stover14]

@Nunquam Non Paratus Why?

[@katejacobs5491]

I agree with you. They could teach us so much is we would only listen

[@stover14]

@Nunquam Non Paratus Exactly, we aren't going to KO you, we're people just like you are.

[@davor1873]

i have a friend who is a "traveller" here in scotland,a great girl who loved nothing better than organising our work nights out,very very nice person.

[@tesdon2204]

I spotted my Grandad in one of those photos .. Great documentary..

[@hayerubihayerubi5720]

Always beautifully decorated houses trailers etc. Wonderful documentary. Travellers can be very misunderstood as being trouble. Good and bad in all walks of life. These people good

[@xvsupremacy7190]

Crack Cmack Except they are few and far between now permanently on The Drom , But are settled Travellers and Gypsies in ostentatious bungalows houses bought outright . With top of the range cars and Caravans from Spring onwards .

[@valward8195]

Thank you for this. I remember the traveller people all those years ago. The salt of the earth they were. The faith and morals they had was unbelievable. Here's the song to go with this, "Thank you for the days." By Luke Kelly. God bless all those people.💚💚💚

[@catherinereynolds8061]

Theyre nothing but thieves and drug dealers now unfortunately

[@richardboswell9306]

@@catherinereynolds8061 no they not ,know a lot of gypsies do you or just on here

[@carmelwalsh9306]

enjoyed it very much, as a settled person now living with travellers my new neighbours i have come to love them dearley

[@SnowWhite717_]

Wow. What a beautiful adventure. Those kinds of journeys don’t happen anymore and that’s sad the Gypsy culture has slowly been forced into extinction. George and Sharon got to experience what true Traveller life was like in a barrel top wagon out on the road meeting families, cooking over the fire, hearing the old stories and taking all those wonderful pictures. To see the faces of some of their relatives who had never seen the person in the picture or had never seen that particular picture was so amazing… a legacy of a beautiful time in their lives. To hear the story about why the one man came off the road to pursue education was so heartwarming! Incredible how you can change a life and not know it. That goes to show you. You should always have your best foot forward because you never know who is watching you and being inspired by you. ❤

[@traciebecker6669]

Thank you for recording the lives of the people, the history of the ways of days gone by. We learn from history.

[@Dao_Of_Sean]

I grew up poor in the US of Irish decent and I identify with this a lot and even though I can't say I am an Irish traveler seeing the culture pass breaks my heart.

[@Legacyrxawd]

What a joy of a film! I've been reading about these people and seeing photos of them for the past 40-odd years - I'm touched...

[@dianeconnors4483]

I really enjoyed watching this documentary, and photos were lovely. It’s sad to hear that so many travellers take their own lives God bless all the travelling communities in all places of the world.

[@jessii8297]

Absolutely beautiful documentary! My only complaint is I wish it was longer, as I would have liked to have learned more :). Thank you for sharing this. Really the only documentary I have seen on the traveling community in Ireland and the UK is that gypsy wedding show, which obviously is not an accurate or positive portrayal, so I was so happy to find this. Thank you, thank you!

[@fuff66uk]

What a superb documentary this is.I have always since being a small boy felt a strong kinship with travellers,i don't know if i have travellers way back in my family history but i would be proud if i have.

[@lisatravers3351]

It's called a free spirit

[@johnandkathleenodonnell4130]

I wonder that, too. I am happiest when on the road, but today that happens on a train or a plane. But if I go too long without moving, I get antsy.

[@lindawatmore3321]

My nan, told me about this walk in life, her grandmother and grandad were, Irish travellers and Italian travellers who came to England after the first World War, and earned a living working on the land, finding farmers who were needing labour. I have always been brought up to respect the travelling people, their way of life was very hard, hardened to the elements of the weather. Most of travelling people are very hard working and honest, but like any other people in the world there are a few Totton people who have given them a bad reputation most of the people are peaceful loving and their way of life is their culture and custom. They have to be tough because of all the perceived opinions of ignorance people who have know idea of their lives and traditions. Travellers are know different to, welch, Scottish, cornish, etc, they are human beings who are set apart from the fact that they are most often wandering around instead of living in one place. They are being made to stay on campsites and forced off the road side by common land, people are now being made to see travelling people as vermin and trouble, but it is the ignorance of the people who live in the house and city centre in one location. Can not see the sense of people living in caravan and living by the road. They have been brought up with these traditions. You only have to look what they did in America to the native Americans Indians, and Australia to the Aboriginal people.

[@TheEXTREMEcleaningguys]

Linda Watmore - very well said. Most people do not realise how close the traveler and gypsy people were/are to the farmers,, they would do labouring in return for spuds and turnip and that kind of thing and they would be parked up on the land working on the land and living from it aswell. It’s a beautiful thing that. Farmers back in the day had to rely on the heavy horses because there was no tractors or they cudnt afford them etc. I always pull up when I see a wagon and horses etc and have a good old chat and it’s a nice thing. More people should stop and talk and it may change there veiw on things and maybe give them a better picture of travelers and gypsys they are sort of the earth and are very respectful too. Happy days and god bless.

[@tiernanwearen9499]

first there was never any genocide against travelers people dont like them for no reason

[@alundavies8402]

tiernan wearen what are you talking about the Nazis tried to wipe the Roma out as well as unfair laws set up against the travelling people you should have studied the historical facts before you wrote that

[@tiernanwearen9499]

@@alundavies8402 i was referencing irish travellers

[@alundavies8402]

tiernan wearen Henry the eighth ?

[@slainte3015]

My husband and I lived with the Donavans in the west of ireland for two years, in a canvas covered wagon ... learnt a lot about life and how to enjoy the simple things .. love this doco

[@leecoomber3877]

My great grandmother was a donovan.

[@patrickschuerr9183]

My ex wife is a Donovan and she is a traveller in America. She is from S. Carolina

[@kaya-sc5ku]

I remember the poverty of the travellers in the 1980s. It was harsh and I remember people being moved on. The caravans were tiny, no heat and no place to get rid of rubbish.i remember the travellers getting bullied at school if they came. It was so hard. We Irish rejected our own people of historic renown. These are some of the oldest people groups in Ireland with olde Irish words on their cant de gammon

[@ceilesmammy]

My lovely friend Martina getting married here omg! Now they are happily married with 3 beautiful children one of whom is my daughters best friend.❤

[@areyouserious3092]

They make a lovely couple and how wonderful to have this documentary to share with their future family .

[@deaddocreallydeaddoc5244]

@@areyouserious3092 Yes, all the Irish should marry people from India, Pakistan, etc.

[@googles1515]

I really enjoyed this video. I have only ever seen or heard the negatives that come with the travelers and seeing this shows there is so much more to them. I'm intrigued and want to learn more about these amazing and proud people!

[@MsSarah68]

Really enjoyed this documentary. Shame it came to an end , could’ve quite easily watched much more 👍

[@KathakaFilms]

This was such an insightful documentary. Thank you.

[@Niamhmariephelan]

I'm just watching it now. Very moving.i love learning about the culture

[@michaelobrien9251]

As a Irish traveller my self would have loved if they made a documentary in Limerick and kerry about travellers down there in cluding my own the o brien clang but I am married to one of the Connors witch most of the ppl in this is related to

[@xvsupremacy7190]

Michael Obrien But you are well known as are the Sheridan’s , and with Ancient History

[@traceyedwards5128]

This was absolutely beautiful, very emotional in places too. How lovely was their relationship. Really enoyed this. Breaks my heart that travellers are treated so unfairly. Things need to change , discrimination laws for a start!

[@marianorman6640]

Beautiful documentary, it makes me feel even more admiration for the Traveller community and culture, but it is also so sad and cruel how the settled society and authorities have abused this culture, heritage and people.

[@dotrontron6913]

I really like this documentary, it's very interesting, informative and non confrontational. Thank you for sharing

[@rubydawn1]

I find them fascinating love this documentary.I wish that we as families today could have less but spend more time with our families all those old people are so important to who we become.

[@timothybamford9424]

Thank you for posting such high quality material, I enjoyed the documentary

[@wlbila]

nice film, nice story, good for everyone to see things like this. I hope there is more.

[@ivettea6358]

What a lovely informative documentary. Thanks so much

[@elasticheart6694]

That was a beautiful watch thank u so much for the upload ❤️ god bless x

[@carolinebedford9836]

I've never heard of this series on KZbin before however glad I've found it, it is very interesting & informative, good to learn about the traditions & values of the travellers. X

[@leoeyegenartig8473]

Thank you for uploading 🙏🏼

[@jamieoliver3262]

Wish you all especially you're daughter all the very best it's great what you've done in raising awareness 👏

[@shereenkhan6789]

The traveler are lovely people and not as bad as people think as I am one my self

[@xander7ful]

Those are great photos. It makes me notstalgic for 1970.

[@xvsupremacy7190]

Xander Taylor there was no mobile phones then

[@MrCrispian]

George and Sharon were a big part of my childhood they worked with my father Vincent Jones and the itinerant settlement comity. ....I remember granny Connors..and red mick..

[@xvsupremacy7190]

📦💌🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿MrCrispian Ahh The Jones are usually the Welsh

[@garyoshea4068]

that was a brilliant film .

[@maggiefollett636]

Sublimely evocative photographs!

[@eunicestone6532]

I love that these people are getting better educations and some groups are even encouraging their children to go to university. That's awesome. EDUCATION IS THE KEY.

[@pecosina57]

fascinating and very well done!

[@hazelmooney270]

Wonderful film, I loved every bit of it. I found myself crying with a feeling of nostalgia. Could it be that the Roma Gypsy genes of my Great Grandma are that strong in my blood?

[@pamkehoe6150]

What a wonderful doc.

[@hooleyqueen]

All the music is listed in the credits.

[@dominicshaw4140]

lovely documentary :)

[@ccbbaabbcc]

This is wonderful

[@gee-wizz.5050]

So good! Thank you!

[@OutsideTheColony]

Thank you for the upload

[@ewanstewart9654]

Great show.

[@fanibarzou5870]

lovely people...coming from Greece n living i Ireland just realised of this ethnic group years later, very interesting...freedom of mind and spirit... admiring them

[@bruceschoenermarck1557]

till they invade. .ur... parks..and ur football.. ground

[@kadencecartwright4066]

+Bruce Schoenermarck no they r 4 every1 not just non-travellers

[@kadencecartwright4066]

+Bruce Schoenermarck no they r 4 every1 not just non-travellers

[@thedevil3507]

Fani Barzou. Ur right mate they are gods people ...

[@thedevil3507]

Ur rightthey are gods people..

[@maggiefollett636]

Wonderful doccie!

[@kateodonoghue8581]

Brilliant documentary

[@lilacspring2556]

This is beautiful

[@nseight]

lovely*Thank you for sharing*

[@simon39825]

Great video we really enjoyed it and also it makes me feel proud to be an irish traveller. The Doyle Family

[@johnandkathleenodonnell4130]

The Gmelches were amazed to see how much the Travellers lived in the present. Travellers did not seem to focus on the future in the way that settled people did. "Tomorrow is always more of today .Tomorrow doesn't offer more promise than being any different than today. " It is interesting, when you think about this, because if you see life in this way, as George remarked, you are inclined to really take advantage of the moment, make the most of it. I want to think about this concept more. It seems so simple to say, but how to live this way, I am not sure. But I think it would be a healthier way of approaching life, and living the richest one possible.

[@TheShanewalsh]

Thanks for the scientific vigour. Fascinating.

[@davidmcmahon7463]

Great video thanks.

[@willtell3198]

I had the joy of two travellers try a break in of my home here in Melbourne.

[@TheEXTREMEcleaningguys]

How times have changed... the songs,, the wagons,, the people,, the whole way of life,, the amount of freedom and space for the children to grow up in etc. Very sad times I look at pictures of my aunties and uncles etc and I wish I was born back then just you and your wagon and horse and your family all together. That is the kind of life that I have for my children and the oldest which is five year old no matter wat the weather he hates been stuck in doors so he has his tree house and big field with 2 wagons in and when his friends come round they love it and wen they want to go in the wagons it’s funny wen u listen to them chattering away making up stories and that’s wat keeps you going.... times have changed but the way u raise your child etc hasn’t they can still have the freedom instead of playing on PlayStations and that kind of thing all the time etc. Even now I think back and I had my group of friends and we used to make tree houses and dens etc and go ferreting all the outdoor stuff and my son has had needed no encouragement to do the same he just wants to do it so that keeps a smile on your face because it’s what u make of now that counts wether your settled or still on the road whether it be horse and wagon or trailer and van or some engine powered vehicle it’s still what u make of it that counts..... god bless you all 🙏.....🐴🤠🐓🌍🎼⛺️🕯📿🧹✝️🆓🇮🇪🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿....

[@levithomas915]

Great book they wrote. Cool little companion here.

[@chriscostello9111]

My grandad was a Irish traveller/munceri his name was tòmas Costello he came to England in the late 30s looking for work met my grandma a gagie/settled person had a few kids including my father in 56 and although my grandad lived a settled life in a fixed house when he started his family he was still proud of his roots and who he was being a Irish traveller and my father told me he always reminded his children although they live a settled life they are Irish travellers and he made sure to keep the identity and culture alive in his children's hearts and minds and my dad did the same his children myself included

[@racheldoesacrylic4089]

you cant beat the feeling off being free wind sun and earth between your toes i travelled around with travellers in the 1980s festivals etc they were new laws banning so many buses cars where you could park up etc thats what killed alot off these communities /the people who wanted to live a freer life away from cities were joining up with the travellers and mobile homes it became too many and too much like evrything too many people all wanting to be free/the goverment put its foot down /sad it makes my cry when i think how happy healthy and free i used to feel you cant buy that feeling

[@Nmc5472]

Really interesting.

[@wrangelinhabitant161]

Great story...

[@eddiefitzgerald5198]

Very interesting.

[@annmariemoorehouse9759]

my grandad Dan Connors is in that video 🙈🙉🙊

[@kathleenmcdonald9653]

all me family is in this lags xx i love it xx

[@xvsupremacy7190]

Kathleen McDonald With a name like Kathleen aye and I bet your family had a Rose 🌹 and a Mary

[@patriciakeats1621]

I hear so much similarity in their accent and our accents of Newfoundland. We are descendants, of course, of the Irish.

[@patriciakeats1621]

The old lady in the programme, her accent was EXACTLY the same as some of the old people’s accent in Newfoundland. Exact! 💕

[@jimbomacers]

Pat Paul That old Lady is my grandmother! who sadly passed away last month!

[@patriciakeats1621]

James McDonagh Sorry to hear about you Nan’s passing. 💕

[@mariaryan8519]

Wow what a beautiful documentary . It was so interesting on so many levels esp how much it effected the traveller community when they were forced into to housing . The sad part for some of the families is how much drug dealing and drug taking has done so much damage to its younger generation esp through suicide , which it does to every culture, my own family included .

[@BenShimon5731]

I like that these people live in the moment and enjoy their lives even with the discrimination they face almost everyday.

[@user-qy3cn5hb2y]

This people reminds me of the Appalachian peoples. My relatives go way back there and the Rom are a great deal like them in many ways. Good people but steeped in many superstitions and traditions that can hinder their progress. It is a shame that they cannot keep the good but get rid of the bad. Many of my relatives have come a long way and I can honestly say most of it was because they sacrificed to make sure their children got a good education. Naturally many children left, but they have all keep their memories and many of their traditions and quite a few have returned to their roots and built homes back in the same hollers they grew up in. They too are a proud people. I love learning about all this.

[@patsyoconner9506]

I remember well passing these tents at the side of the road on the way to school and once I took one of their donkeys home about two miles of course my mother made me take it back it took twice as long too those were the days

[@daveshaw9344]

What happened when you brought the donkey back Did they curse you out for taking it or thank you for at least bringing it back

[@rubydawn1]

love that story.

[@xvsupremacy7190]

Patsy Oconner A schoolgirl would go every year with her single mother to the South and Isle of Wight , taking nothing but a bundle each like Dick Whittington , but without the stick .

[@aucturussjagaard5169]

Wish my family n cousins were this warm n loving.

[@aucturussjagaard5169]

Wish l had A chance to get married n have children kinda funny what the media says about tinkers n how awful they are obviously that is B.S

[@xvsupremacy7190]

Aucturuss Jagaard Don’t get me wrong they fight terrible fights , but they have to remain united as family , that is their strength .

[@susieily]

Very interesting 😉

[@xvsupremacy7190]

I can’t tell you how much this thrills me , I remember Ducks/Felix Connor RIP who evangelised his large family , bought a Church in Carlisle the Border of England /Scotland , grandchild had horrendous accident . Rushed to Newcastle Upon Tyne , Ducks got down on his knees , shouted out to Jesus , and a Miracle happened . Connors means of Connacht , and like the Reagan’s , Rohan’s etc are direct descendants of Gypsy King /Earl Martin , relatives of Earl Andrew (Abram & Moshe Gypsy Kings we’re close relatives ) Sunderland University has the Dissertation (2004 ) Of Anita Pennell . The historic Origins of the Irish Shelia/Sheltie and their Assimilation. Anyone can obtain a copy of the Dissertation.

[@alternativeperception6949]

what a truly fascinating film . the Travelers shown within this film SHOULD be so proud of themselves, very well spoken and incredibly welcoming throughout. . I wish that channel 4 (?) who made that programme " my big fat gypsy wedding " would show this instead. this I feel is a true reflection of the people . wish I could live the gypsy way 👍✌✌

[@hooleyqueen]

That show is not about Gypsies, and these people are not Gypsies.

[@user-qh3qv1os9m]

There not gypsies

[@NebulaBull]

Watching this in 2023 knowing that it's now been over 60 years from the original photographs and 20 years since this video, is hard on my soul, knowing that suicide was becoming a common cause of funerals in the early 00s and it's highest among traveler men in the UK now, in 20 years there's been no solution or help for this dying culture and still so much prejudice; is insulting to all humans everywhere.

[@ballygeale1]

They see the tinkers in a different light to every one else

[@XanderMiddle89]

Does anyone know the music used in this? Particularly the music used at 34:00 and 39:30?

[@here_we_go_again2571]

That is a lovely documentary. It is nice to see that there are still some of the people from those families that remember the older relatives. *The "travelling way" has been made redundant by the modern era. To acquire a good-paying job one requires an education.* *Wages are depressed (immigration) and an uneducated man with no marketable skills can not support a family in 2023* In Africa, where population demands have led to more people taking up farming; there is resentment of the herding cultures that drive their cattle though the newly plowed and sown land as part of centuries-old traditions of migrations. Often these disputes become violent. The same is true of the Bedouin of Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East. The governments don't want them ranging across the desert and disrupting the gas/oil pipelines.

[@laurallama73]

18:58 Mim talking about her Da❤️🤧Lovely people.🌎❤️

[@NormieNeko]

I know it's not quite the same, but the cost of housing and growth of remote work and gig work is creating a class of people in the US who are basically nomads or American travellers. Van life, RV living, and camper trailer travel are popular and becoming more permanent or long-term lifestyles. It does lack the specific ethnic dominance (other than being American) and tight knit culture, but it does exist. Things are definitely changing. People still want a house of their own, yet they're bored of the standard 9-5 lifestyle. We'll see what happens. It's definitely an American subculture within the larger culture.

[@here_we_go_again2571]

@ jacqulineard140 This has started on the English canals. A basic, not so great- condition narrow boat does not cost that much. But, living on a canal boat is a tough life.

[@vivviedarling9336]

No space is allowed in this world for people who want to travel, there is nobody wants to do seasonal work for a pitance pay. The harvest rots in the field while food is too expensive to buy and a million anthropologists write papers explaining why.