Irish Travellers (sometimes referred to as ‘Minceir’ or ‘Pavees’ are an ethnic group from Ireland who speak a variety of English and Gammon/Cant. Irish Travellers are a relatively small ethnic minority group who have been part of Irish and British society for many centuries.

Their sense of common identity, their history, their nomadism or at least the principle of nomadism, the central role of the extended family and their own language are important features of their ethnicity. Many Irish Travellers live in caravans on unauthorised encampments (roadside) or on Traveller sites but site shortages have led to many now living in housing. Self employment is also another common feature of Irish Traveller families, many Irish Travellers work in construction, on markets and in landscaping (Clark C and Greenfields M ‘Here to Stay’, 2006, page 15).

Travellers are often referred to (offensively) as ‘tinker’ or ‘knacker’, these terms refer to services that were traditionally provided by the Travellers: tinkering being the mending of tin ware such as pots and pans, and knackering being the acquisition of dead or old horses for slaughter. Labels such as ‘gypo’ and ‘pikey’ are commonly applied to Irish Traveller and Gypsy communities in Great Britain. Again these terms are highly offensive to this minority.

The dispersion of Gypsies and Travellers in different types of accommodation and the lack of accurate ethnic monitoring systems as well as a fear in some cases of self ascribing means that it can be difficult to reach precise figures for the Gypsy and Traveller population in the UK.  The Commission for Racial Equality estimates the number to be between 200,000 and 300,000 (CRE, ‘Common Ground, 2006).

Since 1999 Irish Travellers have been recognised in English law as an ethnic group and protected under the Race Relations Act.