Weddings take place within the family group. Matches are made between the boys and the girls. If a boy and a girl are thought to be compatible the matchmaker talks to the boys parents first. If they are happy, the girl’s family is spoken to. If they are happy, the boy is asked about the marriage. If he is happy then the girl is asked. This sequence of events is all done in secret until its established.
People come together and celebrate. You can have a double wedding. They have a tradition that you cant' have sleep with bride or groom the first night. And you can’t see your bride or groom before you’re wedding. They would have an engagement party and sing a song each. And the same thing would happen on the night before the wedding. The day after the wedding when all the people are gone home the family go to the pub.
There do be travellers dealing horses and donkeys and they sometimes holds drink for the day and some of them for first round.
The father gives the girl away. Matches used to be made at weddings for other couples to get married. If they didn’t like each other they still had to get married. The mother would give the daughter pots and pans and mason before she got married. The boy would get the wagon for to live in. Sometimes the boy’s father would make the wagon for him. The girl’s mother would buy the wedding cake. They would get a big cake with lots of tiers so that it would look nice. The girl would pick the bridesmaids, usually two – one from each side. The bridesmaids would always from the family. The groom picks his bestmen, often his best friend. The couple don’t usually go on a honeymoon. (John Connors 6th Class )
Funerals are a sad time. People lose their loved ones, their mothers and their fathers. People come as a mark of respect. People lose a part of them. They will drink all through the wakes and funerals. They take it very bad. They have a tradition that men get buried where their daddy’s get buried and daughters get buried where their husbands get buried. And when the mother or father dies the daughters wear black clothes as a mark of respect for one year. And the wife or husbands don’t watch T.V. The wives wear black clothes to keep the traditions.
And the youngest boy or the only girl gets the will, which means the family’s possessions. The youngest son gets the horses.
Some Travellers burn the trailer belonging to the dead person as a mark of respect. They don’t want to see it again because it brings back memories. Some Travellers don’t let their children see the dead person during the wake.
Travellers like to put big headstones and statues on the graves. The put on marble bible books. Some put horseshoe shapes ornaments on the grave to make it look nice. The wife or the husband would buy the tombstone and the sons and daughters would buy all the other things. (John Connors 6th Class)
Wealthy traveller Tom McDonagh was brought to his final resting place in a magnificent 19th century carriage drawn by two jet-black Dutch stallions.
The splendour of the plumed horses was matched by the sartorial, hatted elegance of the driver, Rom Massey, and the groom, Wayne Wilders. The town of Ballyhaunis in east Mayo came to a halt as Mr McDonagh (59), who died earlier this week, was brought to the local cemetery via the housing estate at Tooraree where the deceased ran a profitable business. More than a dozen of his grandchildren, carrying flowers and wreaths, preceded the huge cortege. They were followed by a hearse carrying dozens of elaborate bouquets and the deceased's widow, Mary.
At the rear of the carriage, which was built in 1896 by Birmingham-based John Marsden, regarded as "the king of coachmakers in his time", walked the dead man's 13 surviving children and their families. (Information from Irish Independent Newspaper)
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When the couple get engaged they used to have a big party the night they get the rings. Everyone would be invited to it. They have a big cake for the party. This custom is dying out now. The night before a Traveller wedding, they would hold a party. And they would be drinking. The day of the wedding they would go to the church and they would get photos taken. From the church they would go to the hotel and first they would get their food served. Then after that the bride and groom would have the first dance. The bridesmaids and bestmen would dance and then every body would dance. In the old days there used to be singing and storytelling at the weddings. They would all sing themselves. Nowadays the bride and groom hire a band. At some weddings the men would be dealing. Sometimes the two fathers would put money behind the bar so that all the guests could get free drinks. Travellers always have big weddings. All the families, friends and relations are invited. Sometimes you could have a couple of hundred people at a wedding. In the old days matchmaking used to be done at the weddings. Nowadays young people are just advised and then they make their own decision about getting married. I’ve been at a good few weddings. I hope to get married some day myself. Larry Connors 5th Class |
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Christenings are a time of happiness. The traveller men go to the pub after the party, and women admire the baby. The man would usually hold free drink for the night and take loads photographs of the baby. They pick a person from each side for guardians and they will give it money.
The first baby boy is called after the father and the first baby girl is called after the mother. The second boy would be called after the mother’s father and the second baby girl would called after the mother’s mother. Anymore children would be called after other relatives.
Christening robes are passed on from mother to daughter. Some mothers keep the first doody that the baby ever had to show them when they grow up.
Some Travellers have a special belief in Fr. McCarthy. They would bring children to him for him to bless them. (John Connors 6th Class)
All Traveller children were christened when they were babies. They were christened in a church with holy water. It was poured over their head. They had to be christened. I was at a lot of christenings. When my sister was christened we had a good day. She was called after my Aunt Kathleen. She had a lovely long white christening robe with roses on the front. I love when babies are christened. Christenings are when children are Baptised because God love us.
When we come home we have a big party. Some Travellers have their babies christened the day they come out of the hospital. The babies are called their parents or aunts or uncles. This is very important. I was baptised in Gorey. My Godparents were Lizzy and Mylie Doran. (Mary Connors)
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