School: Breac-chluain (B.) (roll number 13389)

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1. Travelling Folk

   

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   For many years the travelling people or as the people call them the tinkers call to our home asking alms. They generally come in carts and the carts are full with dirty children. The women folk come into the houses selling saucepans and tin cans and things like that and while they were selling they ask for a bit of meat, grain of tea, sugar, flour, etc. in the Honour of God. The children then beg and it is very hard to get rid of them. They beg milk, old clothes and you would think at last that they would want everything in the house.
   While the women are begging the men mend cans, baths, or sweep chimneys or do cleaning jobs around the house. The three families of tinkers who visit this district are the Maughauns, McDonaghs, and the Wards. Very seldom the gipsies come through the country. They keep on the main roads. They travel in covered waggons with several horses and ponies and they are so funny looking. They have very tanned skin and peering brown eyes and bright coloured clothes. The women folk wear printed colored handkerchiefs on their heads with a peculiar know and wear drops from their ears, necklaces and rings on their fingers. They sell rugs, mats, and gipsy tables. The pedlars are men who go around on bicycles selling clothes of every kind but they do not beg. Beggars are people who do not buy or sell but beg and ask bottles.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. agents (~1)
      1. people by social grouping
         1. travellers (~3,023)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Thomas Mc Loughlin

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Brackloon, Co. Mayo