What do Irish Travelers do for a living?

Their primary trade is repair work, often categorized as dubious in nature (though the fairness of that generalization has been called into question). But the US Irish Travellers have also, over the years, amassed fortunes through a unique internal economy based on life insurance policies.

Do Irish Travellers have different DNA?

They found that Travellers are of Irish ancestral origin but have significant differences in their genetic make-up compared with the settled community. These differences have arisen because of hundreds of years of isolation combined with a decreasing Traveller population, the researchers say.

Do Irish Travellers have their own language?

Shelta (/ˈʃɛltə/; Irish: Seiltis) is a language spoken by Rilantu Mincéirí (Irish Travellers), particularly in Ireland and the United Kingdom. It is widely known as the Cant, to its native speakers in Ireland as De Gammon, and to the linguistic community as Shelta….

What’s the difference between Romany and Irish Travellers?

Irish Travellers share some of the same cultural values as Romany Gypsies, such as a preference for self-employment, but there are also big differences – for example most Irish Travellers are Catholic whereas Romany Gypsies are Church of England, says Joseph G Jones from the Gypsy Council.

Do Irish Gypsies live in houses?

Whilst this is historically true, 90\% of Gypsies and Irish Travellers around the world now live in houses. Most Gypsy and Traveller families live within close-knit communities, whether in housing or on caravan sites, with strong family and social networks.

Are Irish Travellers wealthy?

They still speak Cant – but it’s a Gaelic-based Cant, unlike here – and they have the same traditions about money, about male and female roles in the community. “However,” he says, “what most people find interesting about them is that they are incredibly, incredibly wealthy”.