[sweetliberty]

What I don't get is how I could have lived all these years and never heard of an "Irish Traveler" and now all of a sudden they have a whole culture within our culture. Who ARE these people and why has nobody ever heard of them until now?

[Shermy]

Some info and links can be found on these threads:

Women Believed to be members of Irish Travelers (Woman Taped Beating Child an "Irish Gypsy")

IRISH TRAVELERS - Experts shed light on reclusive, nomadic clans that roam the country

[Deguello]

Sweet: There have many news programs over the years outlining the Travelers and their winter home somewhere in North or South Carolina. They may be best known for their scam against Disney World at one of their hotels for a staged rape. Turns out is was the brother of the rape victim that was dressed up in a Micky Mouse outfit and actually raped and beat her to make it look real. They were ratted on by a jeleous relative just before Disney was to settle out of court for mega millions.

[wideawake]

How come you haven't heard of them?

(1) They don't want anyone else to know about them.

(2) They don't interact much with people outside their little group.

(3) They are constantly on the move.

(4) Our media's pathological fear of "stereotyping" makes quite sure that precious few exposes of this "community" are written or filmed.

(5) There was one Hollywood movie made about them.

[GovernmentShrinker]

I'd certainly heard of them before. There have been a number of TV shows on them in past several years, and our local police often put warnings in the local paper when they're in town (though of course they're not allowed to mention ethnicity).