Main Guide Menu | Irish Travellers Section Menu
The Travellers are distinguished by a rich storytelling and musical heritage. Many Irish musicians, for example Christy Moore, openly acknowledge their debt to Traveller musicians who retained the musical heritage of the land.
The Travellers' experience is one of exclusion from rights and privileges enjoyed by their settled counterparts. For example, Travellers have a higher stillbirth rate, a higher infant mortality rate and a lower life expectancy than the settled population.
Essential Practice Point 1
Travellers also experience discrimination and racism in service provision, largely as a result of inbuilt prejudices and stereotyping. Discriminatory and racist treatment of Travellers in healthcare provision is unlawful under the provisions of the Equal Status Acts 2000 to 2004.
Such experiences also have implications for how many Travellers will present themselves and interact with health services. For these reasons, dignity, respect and non-discrimination need to be part of the approach to Travellers in healthcare settings.
(Return to Summary of Essential Practice Points)
Some features of Traveller culture and social experience are given here for guidance. These need to be applied recognising that there is wide diversity and that each person is unique.
- Religious devotion and cures: The vast majority of Travellers are Roman Catholic and they tend to be devout in religious observance. The community retain beliefs about cures to be found in various natural phenomena, discussed below.
- Extended family: Extended family is of particular importance, with a strong sense of family loyalty and duty. This point is important for family visits in hospital.
- Language and literacy: While the group has a traditional distinct language, called Cant, Travellers use English as a main language in everyday life. However, many Travellers, particularly older group members, may have literacy difficulties. For example Travellers may not be able to read the letter-based reading tests due to literacy and not eyesight issues.
- Nomadism: Moving from one place to another is part of the lifestyle of many, though not all, Travellers. At times of the year the population of Travellers increases overall as relatives return from England and the populations of particular towns increase as Travellers migrate.
- Marriage age, birth rate and social position of women: Travellers now marry older and have smaller families than was the traditional custom. Unmarried births among Travellers are unusual while there is now a small incidence of this pattern. Traveller women participate in social affairs on an equal footing with men and many have taken on leadership roles in the community.
- Dress/jewellery: Traveller dress sense is similar to that of the rest of Irish society. Family will wish to retain any jewellery on the body of a deceased relative.
