History UsefulNotes / IrishTravellers

First off, don't call a Traveller a "Gypsy". It's a derogatory word, and just about the most offensive way you can possibly refer to an Irish Traveller. In its negative sense, it can refer to someone who makes a living by theft or dishonest practices, but not necessarily Romani. Only the word "pikey" might be worse,[[note]]Referring to blue-collar, lower-class working people who may be from the wrong side of the tracks, or what we would call "trailer trash" with connotations of theft or abusing the welfare system[[/note]] but that only happens in Britain. "Knacker"[[note]]Meaning a horse too old or sick for work, or a person who buys such animals for slaughter[[/note]] is another well known derogatory term; some Travellers today are significantly more offended by "knacker" than "gypsy". Older works might call them "Tinkers", from the fact that a lot of them used to be itinerant tinsmiths. This is also considered offensive, if not so much. The proper word is "Pavee", not that you'll hear it used much. [[NWordPrivileges "Pavee" can, however, be considered offensive when used by someone outside of the Travelling community.]]

Irish Travellers are a people who share the language Shelta, commonly known as Traveller Cant, derived from a mixture of intentionally-incomprehensible Irish backslang and a few English, Romani, and other loanwords. They are tribal, like the UsefulNotes/{{Romani}}, and share the perception in media as being "evil outsiders", and some are nomadic, and share a passion for boxing, but other than that, they're different from the Romani and don't appreciate being lumped into the same category.

* ''Pavee Lackeen'' (which is Cant for ''The Traveller Girl'') is a pseudo-docu-drama about a family of Travellers, the Maughans, who play versions of themselves coping with the everyday reality of being Travellers. It portrays them as well rounded people, but is by no means rose-tinted: it shows, among other things, children sniffing petrol, stealing clothes from charity bins, fighting in the street, etc. Alas, it's held back from being engaging by a complete lack of plot.
* In ''Film/HotFuzz'', a group of Travellers is what ruins the original Village Of The Year contest for Sandford and drives Inspector Butterman's wife to suicide. [[spoiler:[[DisproportionateRetribution The townspeople then kill them for that]]]].

* ''Film/{{Chocolat}}'' has a band of Travellers living in riverboats, whose leader is played by Creator/JohnnyDepp. They are discriminated against by the townspeople and the conservative mayor denounces them as godless and a bad influence. The protagonist strives to overcome this prejudice, in accord with her role as the BlitheSpirit. In the book the film was based on, where the person inveighing against the Travellers is the local ultra-conservative priest, who basically rules the town through fear until the protagonist shows up, so his denunciations of godlessness have more force to them. Also, he sets fire to all of the Travellers' barges--twice. Even the chapters from his point of view, when contrasted with what the reader actually knows about the Travellers, show his bigotry to be hysterical, irrational and dead wrong.

First off, don't call a Traveller a "Gypsy". It's a derogatory word, and just about the most offensive way you can possibly refer to an Irish Traveller. Only the word "pikey" might be worse, but that only happens in Britain. "Knacker"[[note]]Meaning a horse too old or sick for work, or a person who buys such animals for slaughter[[/note]] is another well known derogatory term; some Travellers today are significantly more offended by "knacker" than "gypsy". Older works might call them "Tinkers", from the fact that a lot of them used to be itinerant tinsmiths. This is also considered offensive, if not so much. The proper word is "Pavee", not that you'll hear it used much.

* ''Series/ThePrisoner'' has Number 6 escape the village and encounter a group of Travellers unaware of what they're saying. They give him food and part ways.

Irish Travellers are a people who share the language Shelta, commonly known as Cant, derived from a mixture of intentionally-incomprehensible Irish slang and a few English, Romani, and other loanwords. They are tribal, like the UsefulNotes/{{Romani}}, and share the perception in media as being "evil outsiders", like the Romani, and some are nomadic, like some Romani, but that is it other than a shared passion for boxing.

First off, don't call a Traveller a "Gypsy." It's a derogatory word, and just about the most offensive way you can possibly refer to an Irish Traveller. Only the word "pikey" might be worse, but that only happens in Britain. "Knacker" is another well known derogatory term. Some Travellers today are significantly more offended by "knacker" than "gypsy". Older works might call them "Tinkers," from the fact that a lot of them used to be itinerant tinsmiths. This is also considered offensive, if not so much. The proper word is "Pavee," not that you'll hear it used much.

In Britain, Irish Travellers are legally considered a separate ethnicity from the settled Irish community. In Ireland, they are not, though any discrimination legislation references membership of the travelling community in addition to race and religion. This is why references in Irish media are made to 'the Travelling community' and 'the Settled community'. All of this is a political hot potato.

* In the book ''Steadfast'' of the ''Literature/ElementalMasters'' series, Katie Langford is half-Traveller. Her dancer mother was the Traveller, and her acrobat father a non-Traveller man that was living a similar lifestyle. The two eloped when the Traveller clan refused to let the two marry, and Katie's mother was then cast out from the clan.

Irish Travellers are a people who share the language Shelta, commonly known as Cant, derived from a mixture of intentionally-incomprehensible Irish slang and a few English, Romani, and other loanwords. They are tribal, like the UsefulNotes/{{Romani}}, and share the perception in media as being "evil outsiders", like the Romani, and some are nomadic, like some Romani, but that is it.

* A pair turned up in ''BoysFromTheBlackstuff'' where they proved to be sociopathic con-men.

* ''Series/TheRiches'' joins up an American Traveller family (in the DeepSouth) with a FishOutOfWater plot. Featuring EddieIzzard, no less.

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* ''Fanfic/TheMadScientistWars'' suggests that one of Andrew Tinker's MadScientist grandfathers, Dr. Io, is an Irish Traveller. It hasn't been gone into too much, but Dr. Io is presented as a kind, good person, so it's a positive portrayal.

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* ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'': The murder at the heart of one episode was tied to an attempt to cover up a business deal between two families of Travellers. The deal being the arrangement of a marriage between two ten-year-olds so that a "dowry" could be exchanged to pay off some business debts.
* ''Series/TheRiches'' joins up an American Traveller family (in the DeepSouth) with a FishOutOfWater plot. Featuring EddieIzzard, no less.

* "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E18UpTheLongLadder Up the Long Ladder]]", an infamous episode of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', had Irish Travelers [[RecycledInSpace in SPACE]] via a group of "neo-transcendentalist" colonists known as the Bringloidi (Bringlóid being Irish Gaelic for "dream"). They're about as stereotypical as you can get: slovenly, ignorant, and disruptive, led by a drunkard trying to marry off his nagging daughter. The script was approved by an Irish-American, but plenty of other Irish folks weren't amused.

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* ''Film/{{Chocolat}}'' has a band of Travellers living in riverboats, whose leader is played by JohnnyDepp. They are discriminated against by the townspeople and the conservative mayor denounces them as godless and a bad influence. The protagonist strives to overcome this prejudice, in accord with her role as the BlitheSpirit. In the book the film was based on, where the person inveighing against the Travellers is the local ultra-conservative priest, who basically rules the town through fear until the protagonist shows up, so his denunciations of godlessness have more force to them. Also, he sets fire to all of the Travellers' barges--twice. Even the chapters from his point of view, when contrasted with what the reader actually knows about the Travellers, show his bigotry to be hysterical, irrational and dead wrong.

* In ''Film/{{Snatch}}'', a clan of Travellers (and their [[Creator/BradPitt champion bareknuckle fighter in particular]]) plays a big role. They're all liars and con-men, but so is every other character in the film. It's a GuyRitchie movie; if there's a moral high ground, the Travellers are probably the ones occupying it, especially considering that they're up against a LondonGangster.

In Britain, Irish Travellers are legally considered a separate ethnicity from the settled Irish community. In Ireland, they are not. This is why references in Irish media are made to 'the Travelling community' and 'the Settled community'. All of this is a political hot potato.

* In ''Film/{{Snatch}}'', a clan of Travellers (and their champion bareknuckle fighter in particular) plays a big role. They're all liars and con-men, but so is every other character in the film. It's a GuyRitchie movie; if there's a moral high ground, the Travellers are probably the ones occupying it, especially considering that they're up against a LondonGangster.

* One infamous episode of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' had Irish Travelers [[RecycledInSpace in SPACE]] via a group of "neo-transcendentalist" colonists known as the Bringloidi (Bringlóid being Irish Gaelic for "dream"). They're about as stereotypical as you can get: slovenly, ignorant, and disruptive, led by a drunkard trying to marry off his nagging daughter. The script was approved by an Irish-American, but plenty of other Irish folks weren't amused.

* One of the main characters in CathyCassidy's book ''Literature/{{Scarlet}}'' is a Traveller named [[TroubledButCute Kian]], who the titular [[BrattyTeenageDaughter Scarlett]] falls in love with.

* In ''Film/TheGoldenCompass'' (aka ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials''), an alternate universe counter-part of the Irish Travellers are called gyptians (derived from the word "Egyptian," and oddly their lingo is referred to as "fen-Dutch," so presumably their ethnicity is a blend, half of the Gyptian characters have Greek names, the other half have Dutch-sounding ones). They spend their time traveling the waterways of the British Isles and play a large role in helping the protagonist Lyra as she searches for her lost friend (many of their own children having been taken as well). Some Travellers take such a shine to her that she is generally considered an unofficial member of their people. The word "[[UsefulNotes/{{Romani}} Gypsy]]" is derived from a mistaken belief that the Romani people were descended from Egyptians. Thus, "gyptian" is probably an alternate-universe derivation along much the same lines.
** This has some basis in our reality as well, as many Medieval Histories of Ireland and Scotland traced the Gaelic Peoples as a whole ultimately back to an Egyptian Princess [Scoti] in much the same way Britain was traced back to Brutus of Troy.

* ''TheMadScientistWars'' suggests that one of Andrew Tinker's MadScientist grandfathers, Dr. Io, is an Irish Traveller. It hasn't been gone into too much, but Dr. Io is presented as a kind, good person, so it's a positive portrayal.

* One of the main characters in CathyCassidy's book ''{{Scarlet}}'' is a Traveller named [[TroubledButCute Kian]], who the titular [[BrattyTeenageDaughter Scarlett]] falls in love with.
* One of the main characters in AnneMcCaffrey's book ''{{Dragonsdawn}}'' is a Traveller named Sean Connell.

* In ''Film/TheGoldenCompass'' (aka ''HisDarkMaterials''), an alternate universe counter-part of the Irish Travellers are called gyptians (derived from the word "Egyptian," and oddly their lingo is referred to as "fen-Dutch," so presumably their ethnicity is a blend, half of the Gyptian characters have Greek names, the other half have Dutch-sounding ones). They spend their time traveling the waterways of the British Isles and play a large role in helping the protagonist Lyra as she searches for her lost friend (many of their own children having been taken as well). Some Travellers take such a shine to her that she is generally considered an unofficial member of their people. The word "[[UsefulNotes/{{Romani}} Gypsy]]" is derived from a mistaken belief that the Romani people were descended from Egyptians. Thus, "gyptian" is probably an alternate-universe derivation along much the same lines.

* ''SeeYouDownTheRoad'' is about Travellers.
* ''TheWheelOfTime'' series has the "Tinkers" or Traveling People. They are a FantasyCounterpartCulture to these as they might have existed in Medieval/Renaissance times, but with the addition that they are {{actual pacifist}}s whose highest value is ThouShallNotKill. [[spoiler: This is the group the original [[ProudWarriorRace Aiel]] people splintered off from.]]

* ''TheRiches'' joins up an American Traveller family (in the DeepSouth) with a FishOutOfWater plot. Featuring EddieIzzard, no less.
* The family of con artists in the ''LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' episode "Taken" have all the earmarks of Irish Travellers, but are never referred to as such in the episode.
* ''TopGear'':

* Providing an example of Irish Travellers in an actual Irish work, ''SingleHanded'', a three-part police drama, has the son of a pair of them go missing in its second part.

* Ewan MacColl ("The Forty-Foot Trailer", "(I'm a) Freeborn Man"

* In ''TheGoldenCompass'' (aka ''HisDarkMaterials''), an alternate universe counter-part of the Irish Travellers are called gyptians (derived from the word "Egyptian," and oddly their lingo is referred to as "fen-Dutch," so presumably their ethnicity is a blend, half of the Gyptian characters have Greek names, the other half have Dutch-sounding ones). They spend their time traveling the waterways of the British Isles and play a large role in helping the protagonist Lyra as she searches for her lost friend (many of their own children having been taken as well). Some Travellers take such a shine to her that she is generally considered an unofficial member of their people. The word "[[UsefulNotes/{{Romani}} Gypsy]]" is derived from a mistaken belief that the Romani people were descended from Egyptians. Thus, "gyptian" is probably an alternate-universe derivation along much the same lines.

* In ''HotFuzz'', a group of Travellers is what ruins the original Village Of The Year contest for Sandford and drives Inspector Butterman's wife to suicide. [[spoiler:[[DisproportionateRetribution The townspeople then kill them for that]]]].

* In ''TheGoldenCompass'' (aka ''HisDarkMaterials''), an alternate universe counter-part of the Irish Travellers are called gyptians (derived from the word "Egyptian," and oddly their lingo is referred to as "fen-Dutch," so presumably their ethnicity is a blend, half of the Gyptian charaters have Greek names, the other half have Dutch-sounding ones). They spend their time traveling the waterways of the British Isles play a large role in helping the protagonist Lyra as she searches for her lost friend (many of their own children having been taken as well). Some Travellers take such a shine to her that she is generally considered an unofficial member of their people. The word "[[UsefulNotes/{{Romani}} Gypsy]]" is derived from a mistaken belief that the Romani people were descended from Egyptians. Thus, "gyptian" is probably an alternate-universe derivation along much the same lines.

* ''TheWheelOfTime'' series has the "Tinkers" or Traveling People. They are a FantasyCounterpartCulture to these as they might have existed in medieval/Renaissance times, but with the addition that they are {{Actual Pacifist}}s whose highest value is ThouShallNotKill. [[spoiler: This is the group the original [[ProudWarriorRace Aiel]] people splintered off from.]]