Irish Travellers
Máire Hussey, Archives and Library Assistant (Graduate Trainee)
The Traveller Movement defines Irish Travellers as a 'nomadic group of people from Ireland but have a separate identity, heritage and culture to the community in general'. They have been classed as an ethnic minority group within the United Kingdom, and have historically been, and continue to be, subject to discrimination in both Ireland and Britain. They are also underrepresented in mainstream Irish history and culture.
Most of the material held in the Special Collections at London Metropolitan University relating to Irish Travellers comes from the 1990s and early 2000s, with one of the earliest references to Travellers in our collection being a report entitled ‘On Gypsies in London Boroughs’ dated 1983-1984. Much of the language used in relation to and by Irish Travellers has developed or shifted since this period.
In AIB/ITB we have a collection of material relating to Irish Travellers in the United Kingdom, some of which was produced by the Irish Traveller Movement In Britain. This movement was founded in 1999 to research and advocate for Irish Travellers. It has since changed its name to the Traveller Movement, and now incorporates other groups facing similar issues, such as the Roma community.
The AIB/ITB collection is mainly comprised of reports and information sheets, featuring topics such as supporting Traveller pupils in schools, safe childbirth for Travellers, studies of the experiences of Travellers in prison, and the provision of accommodation for Travellers, in both housing and sites. There is also audio material, including a CD produced by Irish Travellers in Britain, which features clips of Irish Travellers based in London explaining their traditions and the discrimination they’ve faced.
We also hold an incomplete run of Travellers’ Times, spanning across the 2000s, which magazines contain articles and photographs of Traveller communities based throughout Britain and details of community groups and resources. The collection also includes a Planning Guide for gypsies and Travellers produced by Travellers’ Times, which offers advice on navigating planning applications and appeals to local councils.
Many of the collections relating to Irish community groups refer to Travellers, for example, the Irish Chaplaincy in Britain (ICIB). In 1999, the ICIB was involved in the foundation of a Traveller Chaplaincy, which was set up to provide culturally sensitive pastoral care to members of the Traveller community. Prior to this, the ICIB had produced guidance on Traveller customs, with a view towards helping religious figures reach out to Travellers. The Traveller Chaplaincy organized communion and confirmation services for Traveller families. The AIB/ICIB collection also contains broader reports and publications on the experiences of Travellers.
The London Irish Women’s Centre (AIB/LIWC) collection also has material relating to Traveller rights and advocacy work. This includes material concerning Hackney Travellers Working Group, including minutes of meetings. The LIWC also collected press clippings relating to Irish Travellers, primarily in London, throughout the 1990s, as well as reports and publications. In 1994, the Centre undertook a survey of London borough councils regarding their policies and services available to Travellers. These completed questionnaires give an insight into the variation of service provision across London. Similarly, the Kevin McCarthy collection (AIB/KM) contains material relating to interactions between Irish Travellers and Camden council. Kevin McCarthy was a social worker in Camden, and therefore supported Irish Travellers in their dealings for the council as part of the Traveller Liaison Group. His papers contain correspondence, meeting minutes, press clippings and other material relating to the workings of this group c.1990.
Our Community Collection (AIB/CC) also contains records pertaining to Travellers. These include a series of reports from London Gypsy and Traveller Unit published in 1995, three of which relate to youth groups. These reports offer insights into the discussions in Traveller youth groups in North London on topics such as identity, health and discrimination. One report mentions an incident where a local paper ran a story about an advertisement for a youth worker to support the group, accusing Haringey Council of funding trips to McDonalds. The article was discussed by the young women belonging to the group in question, and the group members drafted a response letter, which was then published in the paper. The reports also highlight the importance of continuity of resources and unit staff, as this allows for relationships and trust to be built over time. Similarly, many of the organisations within the wider collection also hired specific staff to work with the Traveller community, including the Brent Irish Advisory Service (AIB/BIAS), who recruited an Irish Traveller youth worker in 2004.
This is a small selection of our material relating to Irish Travellers in Britain. If you have archival material relating to Irish Travellers which you would be willing to deposit with us, please get in touch.
We would be particularly interested in personal items, such as photographs or letters, in order to expand our collection beyond records of organisations, service provision and reports.