im a traveller AMA

[TakeABreak2]

irish traveller ama

Takeabreak.
If you stay in a permanent place would you still identify as a traveller or after a while an ex traveller?

Hello,

Thanks for taking the time to share.

Is the impression of very old fashioned gender roles true? Do the men control where the women can go or who they see?

Could you go on holiday with your friends married or unmarried without a male chaperone?

Is it true a large proportion of travellers can't read or write very well? This must make life stressful at times and limited if true or do you disagree. Obs you can do both well.

Surely like any family if you got to know some non traveller families where you knew they had good morals would you let their children mix with yours?

Would there be any things about Traveller culture you would change?

Thank you.

notacooldad
still a traveller its not the travelling that makes us travellers its in our blood its just a different word for a gypsy

coldcottage
like every where you go some men do and some men dont
yeah id say about 95% of travellers say aged 30+ cant read or write because there parents were only fashioned and would take then out of school and do nothing now were a bit more modern and we get our children totored adter leaving school
most people would let there children mix of course they mix when there at school? when not being bullied itd be nice to hear our children was the popular ones

pressed post to soon!
probably if i could bring my washer with me when travlling🤔

because we dont use the toilet

Op, there’s been a few references to this on the thread and it’s not something I’ve heard of before. I’m assuming you have communal toilet blocks/shower blocks on your sites. Is that corrrct?

notacooldad

I posted this earlier.

Travellers are a legally recognised ethnic group. You could 'travel' yourself but you wouldn't become that ethnicity. A traveller may decide to 'settle' but they would still be a 'traveller'.

I've had people tell me I'm not a traveller because I'm 'settled' and went to university but you cannot be educated out of your ethnicity. Your heritage, culturural traditions, norms and values remain the same whether your educated and/or settled or actively travelling.

I agree with settledtraveller that you don’t lose your ethnicity. But there are Travellers with a capital T who belong ethnically to a number of groups - English Roma, Irish Traveller for example, and travellers with a small t who may be people who live in barges for a few years of their life for example, or New Age travellers who adopt travelling as a lifestyle choice. Their children count as traveller children where education is concerned. (This is from working with a traveller education service).

floradarona
yes thats right

urbanbeetler
i disagree your either a traveller or your not no capital Ts or ts its more of a case of you are or your not

On the census and other gov.uk forms

Is there a section/tick box for traveller?

Or is it "other"? Please specify etc

According to census breakdown has the number increased or decreased?

Or do you not fill in census forms at all?

Hi - I’m talking about in terms of how officialdom perceived it. A traveller education department of a local authority would split ‘travellers’into groups for statistics which would include boat travellers - they are of course most often not from the Traveller ethnicity. But they would still come under traveller.

subtitleson
i dont have a clue what you mean but on forms as such for housing (to go onto a council site) you fill in a form either of the site wardener or go onto council website and tick the box for a traveller then apply to be on the council list and youll be sent the same form the wardener would have gave you and then be notifyed when a plot is availabe. its unbelievably hard though to get on a council site last one i tried to get on there was 12 people in front of me which might not sound like a lot compared to housing but when there is only a site with say 30 plots and everyone on there is happy and has no intentions of going your talking alot of years

Irish Traveller and Roma would appear on an ethnic monitoring form. A non Traveller traveller (if you see what I mean!) would usually just record their settled ethnicity eg White British

a traveller in the terms your talking yes - so do circus children.. in the traveller im on about no

I agree, in theory you shouldnt just tick the traveller column of ethnicity data monitoring if you aren’t part of a historical Traveller ethnicity. But ethnicity is self determined in forms so technically anyone could call themselves anything.

Hello TakeABreak

Thank you for a really interesting thread. You sound lovely.

My question is what's for tea tonight. What sort of things do you cook for your family and do you all sit down and eat together.

I’m not sure if it still the same, but parents who identified as traveller used to be allowed to take their children out of school for chunks of time during term time to attend traveller events. I always wondered why more people didn’t take advantage of that for term time holidays. It would be an abuse of the system of course.

And law my have changed too. It was a while ago.

This is definition from the guidance with regards to time out of school during term time:

For purposes of this advice only, the term ‘Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families’ means: a)
i. Gypsies inc. Romanies, Romanichals, Welsh Gypsies/Kaale, Scottish
Gypsies/Travellers;
ii. Irish Travellers, Minceir;
iii. Roma from Eastern and Central Europe;
iv. Showmen (Fairground people);
v. Circus people;
vi. BoatTravellers/Bargees;
vii. NewTravellersorNewAgeTravellers;and
b) the parent/carer is engaged in a trade or business of such a nature that requires them to travel from place to place.
This advice on school attendance only applies to families who meet the criteria at both a) and b) above.

interesting thread take you come across very patient and engaging

I'd like to ask a question to any roma travellers on this thread.

would you start an AMA thread?

hi cherryberry
im not sure whats for tea tonight i wasnplanning lamb shank mash roast potatos and veg but remembers its church at 7 pm and hubby dont get back till 5ish so thinking spaggetti bolignase or something fast and simple
cook nomal things 🤔 think the only odd one i can think of is a irish think get a a joint of ham put it in a pot cutbup a full cabbige and boiled potatos throw it all in the pot with salt and pepper 😍 put butter on ur potatos and loads of salt defo a travler favorite id say

nope were aloud to take our children out of term time to travel the schools recognise its our culture and would rather our children in school some times rather than not at all like it used to be years ago.. if the children couldnt go travelling because of school they simply wouldnt go!

justlikebefore
good question i posted a thread before on a AIBU saying whats your opinion of travellers because i was aways raised non travellers hate us and wanted opinions but it got removed straight after by mnhq 😂 thought this wS the next best thing lol i never some people would be negitive of course never realised as many would be nice though!

You have been a very interesting poster, I agree. And wish you and your family all the best.