Minority Ethnic Communities in Northern Ireland
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THE TRAVELLING PEOPLE IN NORTHERN IRELAND
BACKGROUNDThe Irish Travellers have their roots in a Celtic nomadic population in Northern Ireland dating from the 12th century. They are an indigenous nomadic group with a distinct social and cultural identity. There have always been Travelling people within the area of Ireland that became Northern Ireland and most of the Travellers in Northern Ireland today were born and raised here.
Nomadism is a way of life for the Travellers but, historically, Government and society have refused to recognise this. As a result, the needs of the Traveller community have not been met. The consequences for approximately one thousand two hundred Travellers currently living in Northern Ireland have been dire - low life expectancy, high infant mortality, low educational achievement, appalling living conditions and limited access to state services.
LANGUAGE
It is not commonly known that the Travellers have a language of their own calledGammon, Cant or Shelta. It is a very old language not used very much today but most Travellers will be familiar with it.
RELIGION
The majority of Travellers in Northern Ireland are Roman Catholics. Irish Travellers place a special emphasis on pilgrimages and celebration of sacraments such as Communion, Confirmation, Christenings and weddings. These are also seen as exceptionally important family events.
DIET
The diet of Travellers is no different from that of the majority population and there are no specific dietary restrictions other than those of personal choice. However, Travellers observe a ritual cleanliness in relation to the use of containers for the preparation and serving of food.
LIFESTYLE AND CUSTOMS
The extended family structure is very important to the Traveller community. Strong ties of kinship with the extended family have been reinforced by the traditional pattern of arranged marriages within the community. It should be said that Travellers are not a homogeneous group and arranged marriages are not common practice for the whole community.
Members of the Traveller community, as with any other community, are born into a specific culture and expect the right to rear their children within the boundaries of their culture. Travellers value both the informal education on offer within their own community and the formal education offered by mainstream schools. However, the provision of educational services to Traveller children through mainstream schooling has not reached its potential.
The curriculum on offer in schools does not reflect the culture of the Traveller community. Traveller children often experience difficulty in gaining access to schools. Discrimination is experienced because of their nomadic way of life. The formal education system does not address the different needs of Traveller children and as a result, Travellers rely upon the informal educational process centred around the home and community environment to provide their children with an education.
Boys usually learn a Traveller's craft by serving an apprenticeship with their fathers. Girls are prepared for their future roles as housewife and mother by taking on household duties and childcare responsibilities in their early teens. Traditionally, Travellers tended to marry at quite a young age, but today they are not marrying as young as they used to.
Healthcare workers should be aware that there is a tendency for Travellers to be shy about their bodies. Traveller women may be very modest even to the extent that they would be reluctant to undress in front of sisters from about the age of eleven. It has been suggested that such modesty combined with a lack of privacy in the trailers accounts for the disappearance of breast feeding among Traveller women
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