Artist Statement

Irish Travelers, A Forgotten People

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This series of photographs documents the lives, culture, and traditions of the Irish Travelers, a forgotten people. The images reflect my interactions with the Travelers I have met and followed through the years at various halting sites and illegal encampments in and around County Galway and County Limerick, outside of Dublin, and at the annual horse fair in Ballinasloe. 

 

The Irish Travelers are an insular ethnic group that has lived on the fringes of mainstream Irish society for centuries. They live an itinerant lifestyle, with long traditions and gender-based roles that have been passed down from generation to generation. Discrimination is widespread, school dropout rates are high, domestic violence is rampant, and suicides are increasing. For better or for worse, they are slowly changing, and soon, their old way of life will be lost to modern society. My goal in making these photographs is to document them and their way of life now and to display their unique heritage and unconventional yet historical way of living to a broader audience in and outside of Ireland. They are mainly invisible to the Irish citizens, and they are desperate to hear their stories of hardship and their unique culture appreciated and shared worldwide.