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To: Desdemona
Nobody outside the Travellers knows that much about them. There are a lot of highly speculative theories as to their origins, but very little fact.

For instance,their original Gaelic-based language is, in this country, no longer much in use - according to a gentleman who apparently knows them quite well .English,spoken with a Southern accent, is pretty much what you'll hear.

The Travellers are unrelated to the Gypsies. Gypsies are SAID to have originated in India, and speak a language which has "Indo-European" roots. In Ireland,both groups are migratory . In the USA, both groups tend to settle in close-knit communities, and travel to their working areas.

Some say the Travellers are honest tradesmen, whose reputation is spoiled by a few "bad apples". Others say MOST Travellers are bad apples.

My own guess -and it is strictly a guess-is that a society which chooses to keep itself apart, and which is not fond of "outside authority" , will not take it too much amiss if some of its members do questionable things in "the outside world". It may even celebrate the more outrageous "scores" - just as the old Irish clans, in pre-Christian,pre-Roman days , used to celebrate a successful bit of cattle rustling...as long as the activity was not conducted in their own back yards !

33 posted on 09/25/2002 8:54:25 AM PDT by genefromjersey
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To: genefromjersey; blam
Uh, guys, I know a whole lot about the European gypsies. Comes from reading just WAYYYYY too much.

Granted, they're different in some ways, they still are tribal, have oral history, speak their own language and are nomadic. That could also, from time to time, apply to my family.
38 posted on 09/25/2002 8:58:38 AM PDT by Desdemona
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To: genefromjersey
Some more info on Irish Travellers --

Irish Travellers

Apparently, they aren't Gypsies/Roma at all -- they are native Irish who became nomadic long ago.

40 posted on 09/25/2002 9:03:31 AM PDT by Rytwyng
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