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The ‘itinerant problem’: the attitude of Dublin and Stormont governments to Irish Travellers, 1922–60

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2016

Aoife Bhreatnach
Aoife Bhreatnach*
Affiliation:
Department of History, National University of Ireland, Maynooth
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Extract

The importance to Irish Travellers of the border with Northern Ireland, historically, is difficult to ascertain. Families with limited travel circuits in the southern counties may have considered it irrelevant, while Travellers living in border counties probably traversed it with ease. How the political boundary hindered nomadic life depended to a large extent on the Stormont and Dublin administrations and on how each jurisdiction treated caravan and tent dwellers. A comparison of north and south in the period from partition to 1960 illustrates how Travellers were regarded in each jurisdiction, demonstrating the contrast between the administration of two distinct polities with a common legal and administrative tradition.

Type
Research Article
Information
Irish Historical Studies , Volume 35 , Issue 137 , May 2006 , pp. 81 - 98
Copyright
Copyright © Irish Historical Studies Publications Ltd 2006

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References

1 For the relationship between Travellers and gypsies and the school system see Liegeois, Jean-Pierre, School provision for gypsy and Traveller children: a synthesis report (Luxembourg, 1987)Google Scholar; Kenny, Máirín, The routes of resistance: Travellers and second-level schooling (Aldershot, 1997)Google Scholar; Helleiner, Jane, Irish Travellers: racism and the politics of culture (Toronto, 2000), pp 196–227Google Scholar; Székely, Mária, Csepeli, György and Örkény, Antal, ‘Ambitious education: the role of family, school and friends in the development of successful Romany life courses’ in Romani Studies, ser. v, xiii (2003), pp 53–72Google Scholar; Elizabeth Tauber, ‘Sinti Estraixaria children at school, or, How to preserve “the Sinti way of thinking” ‘, ibid., xiv (2004), pp 1–24.

2 Report of the Department of Education, 1925–7 (Dublin, 1928), p. 91.

3 Ibid.

4 Ibid., app. 1, pp 98–9.

5 Report of the Department of Education, 1930–31 (Dublin, 1932), p. 81.

6 8 Edw. VII, c. 67 [G.B.] (21 Dec. 1908); 1929/24 [I.F.S.] (24 July 1929).

7 Report of the Commission on Itinerancy (Dublin, 1963), p. 66.

8 Ibid.

9 One family needed the mediation of the Society of St Vincent de Paul before a local authority would pay for the institutional care for a deaf and dumb child (Society of StPaul, Vincent de, Report of the Council of Ireland, 1948 (Dublin, 1948) p. 77Google Scholar).

10 Agenda, 27 July 1937 (General Council of County Councils, Box File Agendas, 15 Sept. 1926 – 15 Dec. 1949). At the time of research this collection was uncatalogued and held at the headquarters of the G.C.C.C., Harold’s Cross, Dublin. My thanks to Liam Kenny for allowing me to consult the collection.

11 Agenda and minutes, 7 Dec. 1938 (ibid.).

12 Report of the Department of Education, 1939–40 (Dublin, 1941), p. 87. Perhaps more girls were committed owing to perceived female helplessness or vulnerability.

13 Report of the Department of Education, 1936–7 (Dublin, 1938), p. 118; School Attendance Act, 1926/17 [I.F.S.] (27 May 1926).

14 Report of Commission on Itinerancy, p. 66.

15 Dáil Éireann deb., lxxxviii, 1540–5 (28 Oct. 1942).

16 Secretary, Department of Education, to private secretary, Department of Taoiseach, 28 Oct. 1958 (N.A.I., DT S12039B).

17 Dáil Éireann deb., lxxxviii, 1543 (28 Oct. 1942).

18 Ibid. In these Dáil records Section 19 is cited, which became Section 21 in the final bill.

19 Secretary, Department of Education, to private secretary, Department of Taoiseach, 28 Oct. 1958 (N.A.I., DT S12039B).

20 Dáil Éireann deb., lxxxviii, 1543 (28 Oct. 1942).

21 Secretary, Department of Education, to private secretary, Department of Taoiseach, 28 Oct. 1958 (N.A.I., DT S12039B).

22 Ibid.

23 Dáil Éireann deb., lxxxviii, 1543 (28 Oct. 1942).

24 Ibid., col. 1544.

25 Bunreacht na hÉireann, Article 42.1; see Farry, Michael, Education and the constitution (Dublin, 1996)Google Scholar for a discussion of the judicial interpretation of Article 42.

26 Dáil Éireann deb., lxxxviii, 1560 (28 Oct. 1942).

27 Ibid., cols 1566–70.

28 Ibid., col. 1594.

29 Ibid., cols 1595–6.

30 The full text of the judgement can be found in Harrison, R.A., The Irish Digest, 1939–48 (Dublin, 1952), pp 94–5Google Scholar.

31 Secretary, Department of Education, to private secretary, Department of Taoiseach, 28 Oct. 1958 (N.A.I., DT S12039B).

32 Farry, Education & the constitution, p. 68.

33 Secretary, Department of Education, to private secretary, Department of Taoiseach, 28 Oct. 1958 (N.A.I., DT S12039B).

34 Report of the Committee on Gypsies and Like Itinerants, Feb. 1948, p. 4 (P.R.O.N.I., HA/8/1099).

35 Ibid.

36 14 Geo. VI, c. 5 [N.I.] (14 Feb. 1950), Section 20 (2).

37 Minutes of the Itinerant Gypsies Committee, 6 Dec. 1955 (P.R.O.N.I., HA 8/1415).

38 For a short survey of the historical and contemporary position of Travellers in Northern Ireland society see Noonan, Paul, ‘Pathologisation and resistance: Travellers, nomadism and the state’ in Hainsworth, Paul (ed.), Divided society: ethnic minorities and racism in Northern Ireland (London, 1998)Google Scholar.

39 Hansard N.I. (Commons), xxix, 236 (31 July 1945).

40 Thomas Lyons (North Tyrone) and Hugh Minford (Antrim) were the contributors (ibid., cols 236–7).

41 See contributions on Eire origins of gipsies, ibid., xxxii, 1525–7 (19 May 1948).

42 Ibid., xxxiii, 1486 (12 Oct. 1949).

43 Report of the Committee on Gypsies and Like Itinerants, Feb. 1948 (P.R.O.N.I., HA/8/1099).

44 This conviction persisted into the 1980s, when Bishop Cahal Daly wrote that the D.U.P.-run Belfast City Council ‘have no desire to help the Travellers, seeing in them only “papists” and “fenians” from the “Free State” ‘ (quoted in Riain, Seán Ó, Solidarity with Travellers: a story of settled people making a stand for Travellers (Dublin, 2000), p. 33)Google Scholar.

45 Warnock to secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, n.d. (P.R.O.N.I., HA/8/1099).

46 Ibid.

47 ‘Memorandum for the cabinet submitted by the Minister of Home Affairs in regard to the control and supervision of gypsies and like itinerants’, 8 Sept. 1948 (P.R.O.N.I., HA/8/1099).

48 Hansard N.I. (Commons), xxxiii, 1410 (11 Aug. 1949).

49 Ald. S. Wallace Kennedy to William Wellwood, 27 Aug. 1949 (P.R.O.N.I., HA/8/1099).

50 Wellwood to Kennedy, 23 Sept. 1949 (ibid.). Following his civil service career, Wellwood represented the Unionist Party in Westminster from 1951 to 1955.

51 Edmond Warnock to Dame Dehra Parker, 6 Oct. 1949 (P.R.O.N.I., HA/8/1099).

52 Hansard N.I. (Commons), xxxiii, 1486–7 (12 Oct. 1949).

53 ‘Memorandum for submission to the cabinet by the Minister of Home Affairs on the bill for control of gypsies’, 7 Mar. 1950 (P.R.O.N.I., HA/8/1099).

54 Ibid.

55 Ibid.

56 Ibid.

57 Antrim R.D.C., to secretary, Ministry of Finance, 15 June 1950 (ibid.); County Londonderry Committee of Agriculture to Minister of Home Affairs, 15 June 1950 (ibid.); Armagh County Council to Minister of Home Affairs, 12 June 1950 (ibid.); Town Solicitor, Belfast City Council, to secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, 7 June 1950 (ibid.); Fermanagh County Council to secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, 22 June 1950 (ibid.); Down County Council to secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, 27 June 1950 (ibid.).

58 Londonderry County Council to Minister of Home Affairs, 19 July 1950 (ibid.).

59 Maginess to J. J. Rankin, 21 July 1950 (ibid.).

60 Association of R.D.C.s of Northern Ireland to secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, 3 July 1950 (ibid.).

61 Ulster Association of County Councils to secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, 25 Oct. 1950 (ibid.).

62 Comment dated 1 May 1951 on Association of R.D.C.s to secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, 21 Apr. 1951 (ibid.) (original emphasis).

63 Maginess to secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, 28 Mar. 1952 (ibid.).

64 Ibid.

65 1 & 2 Eliz. II, c. 3 [N.I.] (17 Feb. 1953).

66 J.E.H., to A.S.C., 6 May 1954 (P.R.O.N.I., HA/8/1415).

67 Ibid.

68 Ibid.

69 J. B. O’Neill to secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, 7 May 1954 (ibid.).

70 See minute of appointment, George B. Hanna, Minister of Home Affairs, 24 Nov. 1954 (ibid.).

71 ‘Cabinet memorandum by the Minister of Home Affairs on the problems caused by gypsies and like itinerants’, 27 May 1954 (ibid.).

72 Itinerant Gypsies Committee, minutes, 14 Dec. 1954 (ibid.).

73 Ibid., 29 Mar. 1955.

74 Ibid., 6 Dec. 1955.

75 Ibid.

76 Itinerant Gypsies Committee to Terence O’Neill, Minister of Home Affairs, 17 Apr. 1956 (ibid.).

77 For example, Section 9 of the Housing of the Working Classes (Ireland) Act, 1885, 48 & 49 Vict., c. 72 [Ire.] (14 Aug. 1884).

78 Itinerant Gypsies Committee to O’Neill, 17 Apr. 1956 (P.R.O.N.I., HA/8/1415).

79 Itinerant Gypsies Committee, minutes, 6 Dec. 1955 (ibid.).

80 Itinerant Gypsies Committee to O’Neill, 17 Apr. 1956 (ibid.).

81 The official Traveller population in Northern Ireland in January 1955 was 483 (Report of Commission on Itinerancy, app. xlvi, p. 164).

82 Ibid.

83 Ibid.

84 14 & 15 Vict., c. 84 [Ire.] (7 Aug. 1851).

85 6 & 7 Eliz. II, c. 9 [N.I.] (1 July 1958).

86 Hansard N.I. (Commons), xli, 2895–6 (28 Jan. 1958).

87 Ibid., col. 2896.

88 Ibid., col. 2899.

89 Dáil Éireann deb., cxxiii, 1067 (22 Nov. 1950).

90 For an analysis of the representation of Travellers in Dáil debates see Helleiner, Jane, ‘ “Menace to the social order”: anti-Traveller discourse in the Irish parliament, 1939–59’ in Canadian Journal of Irish Studies, xxiv, no. 1 (July 1998), pp 75–91Google Scholar.

91 Dáil Éireann deb., cxxiii, 1066–7 (22 Nov. 1950).

92 Ibid.

93 Ibid., cxxvi, 1830 (18 July 1951).

94 Ibid., clxvii, 239 (16 Apr. 1958).

95 Ibid.

96 Ibid.

97 Ibid.

98 Ibid., clxxiv, 783 (21 Apr. 1959).

99 Ibid.

100 Ibid., cols 783–4.

101 Ibid., cols 784–5.

102 Ibid., col. 785.

103 Ibid.

104 1925/5 [I.F.S.] (26 Mar. 1925), Section 20.

105 Report of the Department of Local Government and Public Health, 1928–9 (Dublin, 1930), app. xvii, p. 189.

106 Report of the Department of Local Government and Public Health, 1935–6 (Dublin, 1937), app. xxviii, p. 299.

107 Helleiner, Irish Travellers, pp 54—5.

108 Dáil Éireann deb., cvii, 1013 (4 July 1947).

109 1948/3 [R.I.] (14Jan. 1948).

110 Report of the Department of Local Government, 1953–4 (Dublin, 1956), app. xv, p. 94.

111 Minutes of interdepartmental committee meeting, 7 Sept. 1959 (N.A.I., DH B132/372).

112 Limerick Leader, 14 Mar. 1955.

113 Report of Commission on Itinerancy, p. 53.

114 Ibid., p. 52.

115 Finucane, D., ‘Parking of caravans’ in Iris an Gharda/Garda Review, lvii, 9 (Aug. 1952), p. 709Google Scholar.

116 Dáil Éireann deb., xciii, 971–2 (18 Apr. 1944).

117 English, Richard and Walker, Graham (eds), Unionism in modern Ireland: new perspectives on politics and culture (London & New York, 1996), p. xCrossRefGoogle Scholar.

118 Itinerant Gypsies Committee to Terence O’Neill, Minister of Home Affairs, 17 Apr. 1956 (P.R.O.N.I., HA/8/1415).

119 Report of Commission on Itinerancy, app. xlvi, p. 164.

120 Interview with Fr Thomas Fehily (member of the Commission on Itinerancy, 1961–3), Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin (8 May 2001).

121 The author is grateful to David Fleming for his comments on an early draft of this article, which was written while she held the Irish Government Senior Scholarship at Hertford College, Oxford.