page_title: Irish Travellers
hierarchical_section_title: Irish Travellers
caption_attribution_description: Family in their decorated caravan en route to the Cahirmee Horse Fair at Buttevant, Co. Cork. Thanks to Frank Fullard for letting us know that "the fair of Cahirmee (which is now actually held in Buttevant) is still going strong and the members of the travelling community are still as much a part of it as ever." In fact, Frank took some great photos at the Fair in 2011... Date: July 1954 NLI Ref.: WIL m12&#x5b;54&#x5d;
context_page_description: Irish Travellers, also known as Pavees, are an itinerant ethnic group whose members maintain a set of traditions. They are predominantly English-speaking, though many also speak Shelta. Religiously, the majority of Irish Travellers are Catholic.
  Although they are often referred to as "Gypsies", Irish Travellers are not genetically related to Romani Gypsies. Genetic analysis has shown Travellers to be of Irish extraction, and that they likely diverged from the settled Irish population in the 1600s, during the time of the Cromwellian invasion of Ireland. The centuries of separation has led to Travellers becoming genetically distinct from the settled Irish. Traveller rights groups long advocated for ethnic status from the Irish government, succeeding in 2017.
  Irish Travellers mostly live in Ireland, as well as in large communities in the United Kingdom, and the United States. As of 2016, there are 32,302 Travellers within Ireland. They represent 0.7% of the total population of the Republic of Ireland.
context_section_description: Irish Travellers (Irish: an lucht siúil, meaning "the walking people"), also known as Pavees, are an itinerant ethnic group whose members maintain a set of traditions. They are predominantly English-speaking, though many also speak Shelta. Religiously, the majority of Irish Travellers are Catholic.
  Although they are often referred to as "Gypsies", Irish Travellers are not genetically related to Romani Gypsies. Genetic analysis has shown Travellers to be of Irish extraction, and that they likely diverged from the settled Irish population in the 1600s, during the time of the Cromwellian invasion of Ireland. The centuries of separation has led to Travellers becoming genetically distinct from the settled Irish. Traveller rights groups long advocated for ethnic status from the Irish government, succeeding in 2017.
  Irish Travellers mostly live in Ireland, as well as in large communities in the United Kingdom, and the United States. As of 2016, there are 32,302 Travellers within Ireland. They represent 0.7% of the total population of the Republic of Ireland.
caption: Irish Travellers in 1954
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