School: Gort an Ghainimh (roll number 16127)

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1. Travelling Folk

   

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   "Travelling folk" call very often to my home, and the same crowd have been in the habit of doing so for many years. Judging by appearance they seem terribly poor but my mother often states hastily when she sees them approaching that they have more money than herself. The tinsmiths best known in this locality are the Wards and the McDonaghs. Old Tom Ward is known as the king of his tribe and is highly respected by the fraternity. They are progressing with the times and almost all of them have horse-drawn caravans where they sleep at night. Some however sleep in tents erected on the side of the road. They sit around a fire made in the open air and eat and make merry. During the day the men make cans etc and the women and children travel through the country trying to dispose of them. They are notorious cravers and people have to close the door on them or they would ask everything in the house.
   When they have travelled the villages in one area they move on to pastures fresh for they know too well that familiarity breathes contempt. In a short time they know the people just as well as if they were neighbours. Some of the men are

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   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

   Annie Waldron

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Errit, Co. Roscommon