Irish Travelers are minority subset of the Irish who “travel” peddling scam repair work and other trauds, especially against life insurance companies. Very secretive, close knit, inter-married communities.
I lived across the river from them for a number of years. They live in fancy houses with aluminum foil on the windows. I have no idea why.
They are known for fraud and theft. My ex’s father had a business and they occasionally dealt with them. He made sure he got his money, up front. I was once told that they were not allowed to have anything to do with collecting or counting the offering in the Catholic church.
They have a distinct accent and I’ve heard them use words now generally considered archaic, such as a mother saying that her baby was “whingeing” (rather than whining as most of us would say).
They don’t limit their activities to the local areas. A couple of years ago I was visiting with a friend who owns a local business (here in West Texas). A pickup truck pulled up and two men came in the store. They were talking to my friend about re-roofing the building. She was suspicious and sent them away. They were Travelers, whether from South Carolina or somewhere else in Texas. I recognnized their accent immediately.