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Need Information on "Tinkers", "Travelers"

Galway

Hello. My great-grandmother, her mother and her brother were all from Galway, at least that is what I have been told. I have not been able to find any informaton on the family and remembered when I was a child my mother told me stories of some people in the family being "Tinkers" or "Travelers" in Ireland. That made me wonder if perhaps the reason I can't find any information on these people is they traveled around and simply used Galway as place of birth. Is there a way of learning about Tinkers or Travelers and proving my family was a part of these people? The names I'm researching are:

  • Catherine Doran b Nov 1810 (this date may not be correct
  • Thomas Fury no dates for him but he was Catherine's husband and I think he was a "Tinker or Traveler"
  • Sarah Fury (daughter of Catherin and Thomas) b Dec 1834 (or 1840 and others)
  • Michael Fury b 26 Apr 1844 (brother of Sarah and son of Catherine and Thomas)

If anyone knows how and if I can learn about Tiners or Travelers please let me know. I will appreciate any and all information.

Mary Todd

Florida, USA

mtodd81

3 replies

Hi Mary-The information that you have regarding your ancestry seems quite plausible.The DORANS   were a  very well known  Traveller family from the Wexford/Wicklow area of South-East Ireland.They were renowned for their musical ability .They were Pipers,known for their expertise as UILLEAN PIPERS(Irish Bagpipes).Felix Doran & John Dorans recordings may be accessed online.

Fury/Furey is a very common surname in parts of County Galway.There are are still some Traveller families of Fureys in East Galway.More than likely your ancestors met at one the large fairs where the Dorans would have been playing music on the street-Modern day "Buskers".

Verifying your information will be very difficult.Compulsory registration of Births/Marriages&Deaths only began in 1864.

Baptismal records kept by parishes  began around 1800.These are available online at NLI/Parish Registers but are sometimes incomplete and you need to know the parish or diocese.

Travelers/Tinkers were itinerant Dealer& Tradesmen who traveled around the country dealing in Horses and repairing /manufacturing Domestic and Agricultural utensils for Farmers & Householders.The mainly used Tin for Buckets,Jugs etcetera.Hence the name "Tinker" although today Traveller is most often used.Tinkers is considered somewhat derogatory.They became Travellers when many of them were evicted from their holdings durng the time of the Great Famine or earlier.

Contact East Galway Family History Society ,Woodford,County Galway-who may be able to help you

Liam Irwin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liam Irwin

Liam, thank you very much for your reply and all of the wonderful information you provided.  You mentioned horses, I don't remember what she said but my mother always had a fondness for horses and I think she said something about them in connection with Ireland.  I will definetly connect East Galway Family History Society and hopefully they will be able to help me, or perhaps educate me.

Thank you again,

Mary Todd

Florida, USA

mtodd81

Hi Mary,

Furey is a fairly well know traveller name  in Galway maybe because of the publicity about this incident.However it is also found in the non taveller community.

http://www.rte.ie/archives/2015/1005/732497-traveller-targeted-in-galway/

There was an excellent program on a few years back on RTE (the Irish State TV company) which looked at the DNA/origins of the travellers as well as some history etc. attached is  a link to part 1 and part 2 of two episodes

 

https://vimeo.com/81098622

https://vimeo.com/98557717

 

Kilbeacanty Galway

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