When Alen Macweeney returned to his native Ireland in the 1960s, after working as Richard Avedon’s assistant, he first intended to do a photo essay about W.B. Yeats. His research led him to cover another quintessentially Irish subject, one up to then neglected in photojournalism and Irish society in general.
“In search of a tinker woman as a subject,” notes Michael Miller at Hudson-Housatonic Arts, Macweeney found “a sprawling field of caravans, shed, and horses… on the outskirts of Dublin.” He also found himself “immersed in the life of the people then called tinkers, but now more respectfully known as travellers, for the next five years.”
From 1965 to 1971, Macweeney documented the lives of Irish Travellers, and in so doing, “without meaning to,” he eventually “became one of the foremost amateur anthropologists of Traveller culture,” a people invisible to most of his countrymen and women.
The bride and groom look really happy
It looks so grim and they all look so unhappy.
This was my father’s time. He told me, growing up around Limerick that it was rough.
Ah the pre hi-ace times
Where were these photos found? If published book, wouldn’t mind further viewing
My grandparents always said that the travellers of yonder years were good and honest people that would pass by and look for a days work and so on. Must’ve been the drugs, crime and newer generations that ruined it all..?
Memories of my mother telling how they stole children.
Tsk. Flipping white privilege 🙄🤦🏻
Even the cats have the distinctive look.
What’s the difference between gypsies and irish travellers?
They have quite the similar culture
I’m pretty sure photo number 5 is of Nan Joyce – I read this book in school and loved it
Into the West is a wonderful film about Irish travellers if you are interested.
There were Irish travellers in the village I lived in as a child, back in the late 60’s. They would dance on a small wooden board with wood soled shoes at night. My mum paid them to take an old car away and they said only if you chop it in half, so my dad chopped it in half with an axe and they took it away. The next day my mum found it in a ditch down the road. she complained and they moved it but probably only to a further ditch. We were really poor and my mum helped them with their social security forms in exchange for a sack of potatoes because they couldn’t read.
While those pictures are beautiful, and I’m really interested in that book now, I don’t hold romantic notions of the Irish travellers anymore.
t’s very hard to appreciate the culture when a large proportion of the visible traveller behaviour is negative.
Since my friend’s 5 month old pure-bred Doberman was stolen from his garden, and more recently, my other friend had 2.5K stolen from him “and they’d be back on Monday to do the work”, I’ve come to the conclusion that nicer pieces of their culture (music, community, craftsmanship, animal-rearing) are going the way of the dodo.
For anyone interested in seeing more of this man’s work [https://www.alenmacweeney.com/](https://www.alenmacweeney.com/)
Honest question, when did the travelling community go from living in those old western style caravans and making tin buckets to the “culture” they have now where all they seem to do is steal anything valuable they can get their hands on, bare knuckle boxing, drugs etc???
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When Alen Macweeney returned to his native Ireland in the 1960s, after working as Richard Avedon’s assistant, he first intended to do a photo essay about W.B. Yeats. His research led him to cover another quintessentially Irish subject, one up to then neglected in photojournalism and Irish society in general.
“In search of a tinker woman as a subject,” notes Michael Miller at Hudson-Housatonic Arts, Macweeney found “a sprawling field of caravans, shed, and horses… on the outskirts of Dublin.” He also found himself “immersed in the life of the people then called tinkers, but now more respectfully known as travellers, for the next five years.”
From 1965 to 1971, Macweeney documented the lives of Irish Travellers, and in so doing, “without meaning to,” he eventually “became one of the foremost amateur anthropologists of Traveller culture,” a people invisible to most of his countrymen and women.
The bride and groom look really happy
It looks so grim and they all look so unhappy.
This was my father’s time. He told me, growing up around Limerick that it was rough.
Ah the pre hi-ace times
Where were these photos found? If published book, wouldn’t mind further viewing
A traveller with glasses is a rare sight.
The Dubliners- The Thirty Foot Trailer
https://youtu.be/1Uq30FeeLTM
Is that Steven Tyler on picture 5?
My grandparents always said that the travellers of yonder years were good and honest people that would pass by and look for a days work and so on. Must’ve been the drugs, crime and newer generations that ruined it all..?
Memories of my mother telling how they stole children.
Tsk. Flipping white privilege 🙄🤦🏻
Even the cats have the distinctive look.
What’s the difference between gypsies and irish travellers?
They have quite the similar culture
I’m pretty sure photo number 5 is of Nan Joyce – I read this book in school and loved it
https://www.wob.com/en-au/books/sharon-gmelch/nan/9780330299732
Into the West is a wonderful film about Irish travellers if you are interested.
There were Irish travellers in the village I lived in as a child, back in the late 60’s. They would dance on a small wooden board with wood soled shoes at night. My mum paid them to take an old car away and they said only if you chop it in half, so my dad chopped it in half with an axe and they took it away. The next day my mum found it in a ditch down the road. she complained and they moved it but probably only to a further ditch. We were really poor and my mum helped them with their social security forms in exchange for a sack of potatoes because they couldn’t read.
While those pictures are beautiful, and I’m really interested in that book now, I don’t hold romantic notions of the Irish travellers anymore.
t’s very hard to appreciate the culture when a large proportion of the visible traveller behaviour is negative.
Since my friend’s 5 month old pure-bred Doberman was stolen from his garden, and more recently, my other friend had 2.5K stolen from him “and they’d be back on Monday to do the work”, I’ve come to the conclusion that nicer pieces of their culture (music, community, craftsmanship, animal-rearing) are going the way of the dodo.
For anyone interested in seeing more of this man’s work [https://www.alenmacweeney.com/](https://www.alenmacweeney.com/)
Honest question, when did the travelling community go from living in those old western style caravans and making tin buckets to the “culture” they have now where all they seem to do is steal anything valuable they can get their hands on, bare knuckle boxing, drugs etc???
Is that my cat?