are all mcdonagh travellers

Traveller families' feud spills into 'terrifying' violence in front of children on school run

The violent attack started with a Jeep being used to ram another vehicle and continued with weapons

• 14:29, 23 JAN 2021

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Machetes, pick-axe handles and other weapons were used during a terrifying attack as a feud between rival traveller families spilled over into "utterly terrifying" violence.

One of the victim's necks was cut so deeply that his trachea was visible and the wound was just millimetres from cutting his carotid artery, while another had ammonia squirted in his face.

The horrific attack, which happened in front of terrified families on the school run and was just yards from the police training school in Ryton, began when a reinforced Jeep was used to ram a car carrying members of a rival family.

One police officer who turned up said he "could not tell who was a victim and who was an offender" and at one point feared for his safety as his car was surrounded by men with machetes.

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One of those responsible for the "meticulous pre-planned" violence fled to Canada afterwards and was eventually arrested after returning to the country but was planning to board a ferry at Dover.

John Kiely, former amateur boxing champion Gerry McDonagh and Michael Mongan were charged with attempted murder, which they denied, but pleaded guilty to an alternative offence of wounding with intent.

Kiely, 40, of Darlingscote Road, Shipston-on-Stour, 26-year-old McDonagh, of Burnhill Close, Southwark, London, and Mongan, 22, of Cricketfield Road, West Drayton, were all sentenced at Warwick Crown Court on Friday to ten-and-a-half years in prison.

Prosecutor Stephen Spence told the court that the terrifying violence near the police training centre in Ryton-on-Dunsmore was the culmination of a long-running feud within the traveller community.

On one side was the Doherty family, known as the Black Dohertys, while the opposing group, the Brent Parkers, included the defendants.

“This took things to a new level because it involved not only extreme levels of violence involving machetes and pick-axe handles, but they had no regard for the lives of their intended victims, and it occurred on a public highway," Mr Spence said.

The attack on the outskirts of Ryton in October 2018 was a meticulously planned revenge for a previous incident at a travellers’ site in Leicestershire.

Members of the Brent Parkers faction travelled to Ryton in the early hours of October 16, mainly in stolen cars with cloned number plates, while Kiely was driving a Jeep with steel reinforcement behind the bumper, turning it into a battering ram.

The Jeep was seen parked near the Coventry City FC training ground by 6.30am, waiting to spring the ambush on members of the Doherty family who lived at a travellers’ site in Oxford Road.

As four members of the Doherty family, including brothers Gerry and Charlie, set off for work in a Ford Ranger towing a flat-bed trailer, they were rammed by the Jeep with such force that the Jeep’s air bags inflated and the Ranger’s tow bar ball ended up embedded in the Jeep.

The Dohertys sped away towards Coventry, pursued by three Audis and a Ford Focus in which the attackers were travelling.

At an island they went all the way round and tried to head back to the travellers’ site, but their way was blocked by the damaged trailer and Jeep.

A large number of men, armed with machetes, pick-axe handles and other weapons piled out of the pursuing cars and the Dohertys also got out of their vehicle and armed themselves.

They were subjected to a mass attack, seen by people on their way to work and on the school run, during which the driver of one of the Audis tried to run one of them down.

One police officer who turned up said he "could not tell who was a victim and who was an offender", and at one point feared for his safety as his car was surrounded by men with machetes.

He then saw a man on his knees with another man raising a weapon above his head and striking him to the neck, so used his car as a weapon and drove at the attacker to fend him off.

After the attackers fled from the scene, Charlie Doherty was left with a wound to the back of his head and had had ammonia squirted into his face.

Even more seriously, Gerry Doherty’s throat had been cut so deeply that his trachea was visible – and a paramedic said that if the wound had been "a couple of millimetres either side or deeper, it would have been a fatal injury", said Mr Spence.

Trying to hide

McDonagh was arrested trying to hide in the water at the nearby Jubilee Fishing Pools and Mongan was found barefoot in a field where he claimed he was on a penance for his father who was dying of cancer.

Kiely’s DNA was found on the airbag in the Jeep, but by then he had left the country to go to Canada, and was not arrested until October when, following his return, he was about to board a ferry at Dover, since when he had been in custody.

Craig Rush, for McDonagh, said he had twice been an ABA national boxing champion and was said to have great potential.

“That is how he came to be recruited to form part of the group who set out to perform an act of summary justice," said Mr Rush. "It only became apparent late in the day this was to be an armed attack.

“There is nothing to say he was linked to the earlier planning of the attack. It’s significant he was one of the two left behind at the scene. He’s a classic foot soldier.”

Mr Rush conceded: “This was in front of ordinary members of the public going about their daily business. It unfolded before people probably taking their children to school. This must have been very frightening for them.”

Sarah Forshaw QC, for Kiely, said he had been persuaded to let the group meet at his home and to take some of them to "the Black Dohertys site", which he did, knowing "there was going to be serious trouble".

She said: “His vehicle was stronger and he caused the accident at the outset. He concedes that, but what it does mean is that the extreme violence towards Gerry Doherty is something that Mr Kiely was not present at.”

She pointed out that three people said the injury to Gerry Doherty had been inflicted by a fourth attacker.

Miss Forshaw added that Kiely "no longer wishes to have anything to do with the feud", and his family have moved after, she alleged, the Doherty family had been phoning prisons offering cash rewards to anyone who would attack him inside.

Louise Sweet QC, for Mongan, said: “We accept this was an extremely unpleasant incident for any member of the public who passed by, let alone the officers who had to involve themselves.”

But she argued: "This incident is not without background. The relevance of the background is that the complainant is not without moral responsibility for this incident.

“Mr Mongan had no part to play in the lead-up to these events. His was a subordinate role.”

'Mass planned fight'

Jailing the three men, Judge Andrew Lockhart QC told them: “There was meticulous pre-planning by those with whom you executed this attack.

“As you were on your way to this mass planned fight, each of you was fully engaged. Each of you is to a large extent entirely responsible for the actions of others.

“You had no regard to the lives of the intended victims, and the whole incident took place on busy pubic roads during the early-morning rush hour, and a number of police officers were also involved and risked their own lives.

“It was a truly frightening event. It almost beggars belief that it would take place on a road in Warwickshire close to the police academy. This scene was utterly terrifying.

“Gerry Doherty received a very serious cut to his neck. That he survived is a matter of huge good fortune.”

Charges had originally been brought against another man Simon McDonagh, 26, from West Drayton – but the prosecution decided to offer no evidence against him.

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Irish America

Bare-Faced and Bare-Knuckled: Fighting Traveller Families

October 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Filmed carefully over a period of twelve years, the documentary Knuckle sheds light on the inner workings and on-going feuds of three Irish Traveller clans. Up next for the film: a New York premiere and an HBO spin-off series.

Don’t let the bandaged fist in the photo fool you. Knuckle , Ian Palmer’s documentary about the bare-fisted boxing tradition of the Irish Travellers, might be about blood, but it’s not about gore. The blood Palmer seems most interested in is the stuff that pumps through the veins of the intricately connected Traveller community he visited and filmed over 12 years, a society where cousins marry, work together and, when the occasion arises, beat each other senseless.

“I wanted to make a film from inside their world,” Palmer told indie/WIRE when Knuckle premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. “The idea and the approach was simple. I spent as much time as I could with the families with a minimal crew and small camera.”

His approach resonated at HBO, which is adapting the documentary into a new drama series. Industry blogs hint that the HBO treatment will trend toward dark comedy, since it is being developed by writer Irvine Welsh (author of the gritty novel Trainspotting, on which the film of the same name was based), and director Jody Hill of Rough House Pictures, the project’s producer, whose politically incorrect comedy Easthouse & Down also airs on HBO.

Knuckle will have its New York premiere on September 30 at Irish Film New York, which will feature five other recent Irish releases. This new screening series of contemporary Irish films is co-presented by New York University’s Glucksman Ireland House, and runs September 30 through October 2 at NYU’s Cantor Film Center.

Festival founder and curator Niall McKay, who is also the founder and director of the San Francisco Irish Film Festival and co-founder of the LA Irish Film Festival, said he deliberately chose films for the series that depict Ireland as it is today.

“I particularly wanted films that had a real physical effect on me,” he said, “ones that made me cry or laugh or get angry.”

“We’re pleased that Niall McKay has chosen to work with Glucksman Ireland House to present this excellent addition to the city’s arts scene,” said Loretta Brennan Glucksman, Chair of the Glucksman Ireland House NYU Advisory Board. She praised the festival for presenting “works that would not otherwise be seen by a wide audience. It should be an exciting experience for our Irish American community.”

Besides Knuckle, Irish Film New York will also feature the New York premieres of the Galway Film Fleadh-winning Parked with Colm Meany, a study of a friendship between two men who live in their cars, and The Runway, the story of a downed pilot in Cork rescued by a little boy, with Weeds star Demián Bichir. Other films include the bittersweet coming-of-ager, 32A, directed by Marion Quinn, a hilarious peek at Dublin teenagers called Pyjama Girls, and Sensation, about a man who tries to lose his virginity but ends up running a brothel. Directors and stars of the films will appear at Q&A sessions after each screening.

There will also be an industry panel in conjunction with NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where filmmakers and producers will discuss the direction of Irish film at home and abroad.

McKay says the mission of Irish Film New York is to expose American audiences to the best in Irish contemporary cinema and to give Irish filmmakers “a fair crack at the U.S. market.” It will join with the San Francisco and Los Angeles Irish Film Festivals to bring the filmmakers of Knuckle, Parked, and The Runway on a tri-city tour in anticipation of each film’s U.S. release. Knuckle will appear in independent U.S. theatres this December, with The Runway and Parked following shortly after.

Director Palmer admitted to Irish Independent Weekend that he did not approach the filming of Knuckle like an investigative journalist.

“It was more about observing the [Traveller] families and trying to let the life reveal itself. The reasons behind the fighting were difficult to get at. The feuds stretched back over generations. It was always about defending your name and family pride.”

The three rival families that he studied, the Quinn McDonaghs, the Nevins and the Joyces, are all related, often sharing the same grandparents. As one of the women remarks, “We’re all one in the end.” Even if a Nevin married a Quinn, or a Quinn has a mother who is a Joyce, the rationale for fighting rests on defending just one family’s name.

While Palmer is able to ferret out the powerful origin of one particular feud, the sources of the disputes don’t seem as important as the disputes themselves. “Would it not be possible for you guys to get together to talk about it and make up?” the director asks Michael Quinn McDonagh, on his way to a fight in England. “You’re crazy,” Michael laughs, dumfounded at Palmer’s naiveté.

The matches are called “fair fights” and are organized with unexpected formality: when a challenge is issued, it is promptly accepted, a date and location are set, and the fighters hit the gym to train weeks before the match. Fair fights take place in secret locations with few onlookers. There are referees from neutral families and lots of rules. And everybody obeys the rules. Anyone who doesn’t is disqualified, and his family takes the loss.

Technology and money play crucial roles in this tradition-bound ritual: Families exchange videotaped challenges and fight results are reported by cell phones. Bets are negotiated for astonishing amounts of cash; winner (and family) takes all.

The fighters accept Palmer’s presence with the nonchalance of a generation bred on reality TV. But despite his desire to let the story emerge from the people themselves, they never forget the camera is there. Dodging it, challenging it, playing with it, they turn the camera – with narrator Palmer – into another character in the film.

Palmer said it was only during editing that he realized that the narrative would work better if he allowed himself to be an obvious part of his film. “The film is more honest for accepting that Knuckle is my experience of this world,” he said, “and my relationship to the people in the film and how that affected me.”

His “shaky cam” character dances around the fair fight scenes with a perilous immediacy. At any moment, you expect a fist to fly into the lens. Because he interviews both families involved in a fight, Palmer never appears to be taking sides. Even though he follows one fighter’s story more closely than others, he is not making a fight movie. There is no Big Match to decide it all, no good guys or bad.

James Quinn McDonagh, the soft-spoken man whose winning battles form the core of the film, says over and over again he doesn’t want to fight, but is provoked into it by the other families, claiming he’d like “to be known for something more positive.”

James doesn’t like to train either. “I’d rather be socializing,” he quips. But when a challenge comes from the Joyces or the Nevins, he comes out with fists blaring. “It’s the best way to sort things out,” he explains. Even after he swears off fighting, he is seen anxiously prepping his brother by cell phone before a fight, exclaiming as he waits for the results, “Grandfathers in Heaven, send Michael the power!”

Why do the fights continue? Palmer sees “fair fighting as still mainly about family and individual honor and pride,” a deeply felt emotion expressed here in macho posturing: “We will fight because we are men, we’re Joyce men.”

Then there’s the fast cash from the betting. The suggestion of inconsistent employment implies that fighting is a needed source of income, and might also be a way to establish self-respect when the outside world offers too little.

But within a closed community, the flip side of self-respect can be a cult of personality. Joe Joyce, an older man who nevertheless continues to fight, boasts, “I’m still King of the Travellers!” One of James’ opponents, the dewy-faced youngster, Davy Nevins, says the fights are not about revenge.

“James thinks he’s better than us,” he explains calmly. “People think he’s a god. I don’t want to defeat the Quinns, I just want to defeat James.”

Some Nevins relatives suggest a possible link between being a Traveller and the need to keep fighting. When an old man muses, “There’s always been wars,” the younger Spike Nevin replies, “But we’re Travellers. At least wars are about something. Something right.”

Conspicuously absent from the film are Traveller women, who are reluctant to appear on camera. Yet, the only strong voices condemning the fighting come from a sofa full of older women gathered for an after-fight party. “I think it should end,” one woman states firmly. “All this fighting over names. It’s an awful life to have. It should be finished.”

“I don’t know what they’re fighting for,” James’ mother adds.

“When my sons grow up, they aren’t doing it,” a much younger woman declares with convincing resolution. But she quickly adds a caveat, “If I can help it.”

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Birmingham traveller jailed over brutal machete attack which left victims 'fearing for their lives'

Charlie McDonagh, from Bescot Croft, Perry Barr, was sentenced to nine years after the horrific New Year's Day attack

• 16:03, 18 MAY 2021

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A Birmingham traveller has been jailed for his part in a brutal gang attack which left the terrified victims 'fearing for their lives'.

Charlie McDonagh, of Bescot Croft, Perry Barr - and three other family members - were today, Tuesday, May 18, sentenced to a total of 52-and-a-half years in prison.

Ring leader Patrick McDonagh, 40, was found guilty of attempted murder while John McDonagh, 38, Bernard McDonagh, 20, and Charlie, 21, were found guilty of GBH with intent after the horrific attack in the early hours of New Year's Day 2020.

The harrowing incident came after the victims - also travellers - intervened to stop the assault of a member of the public.

The attack happened at about 4.30am, when the gang entered a caravan site in Gypsy Lane, Irchester, near Rushden in Northamptonshire, and attacked three men and one woman with knives, machetes and billhooks.

After leaving their victims seriously injured, the group smashed up a number of cars on the plot before making their getaway.

In a victim statement read to the court from victim Tony Stokes, who was attacked alongside his parents and brother, he said that he still hears the screams of his family from the brutal assault.

The statement said the incident "nearly cost me my life" - and added it could have left his children without a father and his wife without a husband.

He said: "I still hear the noises of the night I was attacked, the screams of the women, the sound of breaking glass and the sound of my brother and parents being attacked. This will haunt me forever. "

He said he had been "scared for his family and was concerned they were all going to die".

At a hearing at Northampton Crown Court, Judge Rupert Mayo sentenced ring leader Patrick, of Crabb Street, Rushden, to 22 years in prison.

He later handed down a 13-and-a-half year sentence to John and an eight-year term to Bernard, both of Whitegate Stables, Leicestershire.

Charlie - who also breached a suspended sentence at the time of the offence - was handed a nine-year sentence.

A previous hearing heard the attack took place after one of the victims had intervened to stop the assault of a member of the public in Wellingborough in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

The two family groups went their separate ways, before a series of calls saw the four men drive to the Irchester site and attack the man who defended the assault victim, two other men and one woman.

Speaking after the guilty verdicts in March, Det Sgt Ryan Catling, of Northamptonshire Police CID, said: “This has been an exceptionally long and complex case to investigate which has involved the gathering and review of thousands of pieces of evidence.

“On the night of January 1, 2020, these defendants showed a complete disregard for life and inflicted some horrific injuries on their victims, who will be dealing with the after-effects of this savage attack for the rest of their lives.

“The court process has also been challenging so I am absolutely delighted that all the hard work has paid off with these four convictions. I’d like to thank the court and the jury for seeing this trial through in the difficult conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We do not tolerate violence of any sort in Northamptonshire and I hope this case shows our determination to pursue violent offenders and do everything we can to bring them to justice.”

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'Knuckle' Joint: Traveller Clans, Endlessly At Odds

Scott Tobias

Battle-weary: Paul Joyce (left) and Mikey Quinn McDonagh spar for 47 minutes before a draw is called. Paul Nicholls/Allpix/ARC Entertainment hide caption

• Director: Ian Palmer
• Genre: Documentary
• Running Time: 97 minutes

Rated R; for violent content and language

With: James Quinn McDonagh, Paddy Quinn McDonagh and Michael Quinn McDonagh

Watch Clips

Note: Contains language some may find offensive.

'What I Call A Fight'

Credit: ARC Entertainment

'I'm No Good To Fight'

The question of access troubles Knuckle , a ragged documentary that offers viewers a tour through the world of Irish Travellers , with special attention paid to the bare-knuckle fistfights fueled by ongoing disputes between rival clans.

On the one hand, footage of these chest-thumping amateurs throwing down on back roads and in improvised clearings is rarely available to outsiders; it's a rare look at the mechanics of a modern-day tribal blood feud.

On the other, the Travellers reveal themselves only so much to the filmmaker, closing ranks whenever the camera threatens to uncover deeper truths about shady dealings and fractious inner circles. After 12 years on their trail, director Ian Palmer must have felt like something akin to a journalist covering a political campaign.

Back in 1997, Palmer was hired to videotape the wedding of Michael Quinn McDonagh, and soon became aware of the decades-long conflict between the Quinn McDonaghs and their rivals, the Joyces. The feud started with a manslaughter charge in London and spread across England and Ireland like a runaway bar brawl.

Though the nomadic families of Traveller culture can be extraordinarily insular and inbred — there's always talk of cousins and uncles of not-so-distant relation on the other side — the Quinn McDonaghs, the Joyces, the Nevins and other clans rally behind their names, professing a burning hatred for those who fight under a different banner. They have everything in common, yet repel each other like positive ions.

The "Fair Fights" between the families often unfold over several hours and multiple match-ups, with five-figure cash stakes up for grabs — though the money seems secondary to the pursuit of honor and revenge. The fights are conducted without any built-in breaks and are mediated by two neutral referees, who try to limit kicks, head-butting, biting and any extended grappling. (Non-competing family members are forbidden to attend, for fear that the feud will spill out into the crowd.)

The charismatic leader of the Quinn McDonaghs is James, an undefeated fighter first seen pummeling the face of a Joyce brother who's too ungainly to counter yet too prideful to concede. James boasts that he never calls for fights himself — and makes clear his intent to retire — but we can see how those calls keep coming anyway. Between fights, the clans exchange vicious "taunt videos," often recorded in boozy pub celebrations after they've just traded blows. And so the cycle repeats itself, with James and his brothers throwing themselves — and, by extension, their wives and children — into the middle of it.

The fights themselves are an anthropological wonder, a raw clash between men whose pugilistic skills rarely measure up to their beet-faced braggadocio. In voiceover narration, Palmer confesses that he's been so seduced by this hidden subculture that he's lost sight of everything else — and the film he's made unfortunately supports that revelation. There's never a sense that Palmer is witnessing something James or the other Quinn McDonaghs don't want him to see, especially when it comes to the women, who are largely kept out of view. Though Palmer recognizes that he's being manipulated, he's often powerless to stop it.

Nevertheless, Knuckle smuggles in some troubling footage when it can, as when Palmer finally listens in on the women at a family function and finds a few dissenting voices — or when he shows young boys eagerly shadowboxing for the camera, ready to battle on well into the 21st century.

For all their brutality, the fights are so seductive and exciting that their consequences — the physical and mental toll exacted from the men and their families — sometimes fail to register.

Yet Knuckle largely skirts exploitation, simply by virtue of showing this conflict perpetuate itself over so many years. Clans like the Quinn McDonaghs and the Joyces seem destined to fight for generations after they've forgotten their rationale.

Vatican offers cautious green light to Medjugorje devotion

Irish traveller community keeps faith despite hardships.

(Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Creative Commons.)

DUBLIN, Ireland – Despite generations of poverty and prejudice from both the government and ordinary Irish citizens, the faith of the itinerant Irish Traveller community today is strong, say local Catholic leaders.

On Saturday, a Traveller woman named Missy Collins offered her testimony at the Festival of Families at Croke Park, Dublin, during the World Meeting of Families. She told Pope Francis that Travellers are “a people who have experienced injustice and persecution and are forced often out onto the margins of society,” who found their strength in God as well as their families.

“We are proud of our heritage and culture. And proud to be Travellers,” she said.

There are about 40,000 Travellers in Ireland, about 0.7 percent of the population. In 2017, the Irish government recognized Traveller as an ethnic minority.

Travellers have a distinct cultural life with unique traditions, and many still prefer to live in caravans. Generally, Travellers marry very young – the popular television show “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding” showcased the elaborate weddings of Irish Travellers. (Despite the name of the program, Irish Travellers are a different group than the Roma or English Traveller communities, and are not generally referred to as “gypsies.”)

Travellers are majority Catholic, and “strong believers,” said Margaret McDonagh, a member of the pastoral council for the Parish of the Travelling People. In their faith lives, Travellers place an emphasis on the importance of pilgrimages as well as a belief in cures.

Above all, McDonagh explained that the Travellers consider the family to be the most important thing in their lives. Typically, a Traveller would not move far away from their families.

“Families stay together and keep each other strong. In times of need, they will band together and stick by each other,” she said.

The nomadic lifestyle of the Travellers presents interesting challenges for sacraments, said Father Paul O’Driscoll, parish priest for the Parish of the Travelling People.

His parish, for instance, does not have a set church for Mass. Instead, they borrow churches throughout the Archdiocese of Dublin for liturgical celebrations.

“Our parish actually has the same footprint as the Dublin diocese,” he said. Marriage preparation classes occur in central offices, but “otherwise, we’re on the move.”

While Travellers, like people of any other ethnicity, are free to belong to their geographical parish, many prefer to worship among other Travellers, explained O’Driscoll. This is due in part to discrimination, or the families just feeling unwelcome among the “settled” people.

O’Driscoll was quick to say that this is certainly not true of all Irish parishes, but added that “sometimes, attitudes are passed on from generation to generation without much understanding.”

“Discrimination against Travellers in Ireland today is the last form of accepted discrimination,” said McDonagh. “There’s no respect.” Refusal of service to Travellers at shops and hotels has been documented in the country.

McDonagh told CNA she works with a program to teach Irish schoolchildren about the Traveller lifestyle in an effort to promote diversity and dispel stereotypes.

O’Driscoll believes the discrimination that the Travellers experience has lent itself to a deepening of their faith lives.

“Education, accommodation, employment. These are the elephants in the room for a lot of young traveller people,” he said. Travellers who attempt to “better themselves” in these areas often face prejudice, as well as internalized cultural oppression.

This vulnerability, he said, leaves Travellers with a “greater openness to the faith dimension.”

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Bare-knuckle boxer and 'King of the Travellers' admits pocketing up to £200k for fights

Irish traveller boxer james quinn mcdonagh raked in thousands from fights similar to that fought by brad pitt's character mickey o'neil in the hit guy ritchie film snatch.

• 20:04, 2 MAR 2021

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"King of the Travellers" and undefeated bare-knuckle fighter James Quinn McDonagh has spoken about underground bouts - admitting that he pocketed £200K a contest. McDonagh claimed that Traveller kids learn to fight when they learn to walk.

Bare-knuckle boxing bouts between travellers are ­being contested for up to £200,000.

"King of the Travellers" James Quinn McDonagh raked in thousands from fights like Brad Pitt’s character Mickey O’Neil in the movie Snatch.

And McDonagh, 53, said: "Fights can range from a thousand pounds up to a couple of hundred grand.

"You’re not just fighting for yourself or your family – you’re going out there representing your clan."

It comes after MirrorOnline reported James is setting up a "multi-million reality-style fighting series" he hopes will be "the next UFC".

James claims he is in talks to receive big money backing from a US investor and has been in negotiation with Sky Sports about a lucrative deal.

The fighter, from Coolock in North Dublin, was the subject of a documentary which unravelled the secretive world of Irish Traveller bare-knuckle boxing.

He said: "I was followed around for 12 years behind the scenes, before, during and after these big bouts.

"I was happy with the documentary, some people weren’t. As a result of its success, I set up a bare-knuckle fighting company."

His hopes were to create bare-knuckle tournaments across the UK.

James added: "I won my battle in the courts to have the fights go ahead and in April 2014, the first bare-knuckle boxing tournament took place with police and local council on side.

"I can proudly say I was the first person to ever put on a bare-knuckle boxing match."

This started his quest for world domination for what he describes as a "talented sport that’s just like boxing".

He added: "We hope to have three seasons a year. It will be streamed live on BKWars.TV but we’ve been in negotiations with Sky Sports about it also.

"The first season will be UK and Ireland fighters versus the US. Basically, 12 fighters from each group go into a Big Brother-style house where they will be subject to in-house training and fights against each other."

James said: "There will be 12 fighters in each house with a captain, so the UK-based team is a mixture of Irish, English, Scottish and Welsh fighters.

"They will be followed for six weeks in the camp by cameras. The team captain is exempt from fighting and at the end of the camp the Britain and Irish team faces off against the US-based team.

"But the best part is, it’s all a secret. So nobody knows who they are fighting from the opposition camp until they step into the ring."

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The Plastic Podcasts

Tales Of The Irish Diaspora

Chris McDonagh – Traveller, Activist, Father

Born to an Irish Traveller family in Manchester, Chris McDonagh is the founder of Travellers Against Racism as well as Campaigns Officer for Brighton-based charity FFT (Friends, Families, Travellers). We talk about Channel 4 documentaries, the public perception of Travellers, the notion of being “settled” and his hopes for the future.

Meanwhile Lorraine Maher, founder of IAmIrish, brings a unique and personal perspective to our Plastic Pedestals slot.

Published by dougdevaney

Doug Devaney is a writer, performer and journalist. He is the presenter of The Plastic Podcasts. The Plastic Podcasts have been supported using public funding by Arts Council, England View more posts

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Traveller family in brutal Northamptonshire attack using knives and hooks

One man has been found guilty of attempted murder

• 12:44, 23 MAR 2021

A Northants traveller has been found guilty of attempted murder after he was found to be the ring leader of a family gang which brutally attacked another traveller group with with knives, machetes and billhooks.

The incident happened at about 4.30am on January 1, 2020, when a group of males entered a caravan site in Gypsy Lane, Irchester, and attacked three men and one woman who were living in two caravans.

After leaving their victims seriously injured, the group then smashed up a number of cars on the plot before making their getaway.

Three other men were found guilty of GBH in connection with the incident.

An investigation by Northamptonshire Police revealed the attack took place after one of the victims had intervened to stop the assault of a member of the public in Wellingborough in the early hours of that New Year’s Day.

The resulting trial at Northampton Crown Court heard that Patrick McDonagh, aged 37, had attacked a stranger while he and a number of relatives were celebrating New Year’s Eve with another group, one of whom stepped in to defend the victim.

The two groups then went their separate ways, before a series of phone calls led to Patrick McDonagh, John McDonagh, aged 38, Bernard McDonagh, aged 20, and Charlie McDonagh, aged 21, driving to the Irchester site and attacking the man who defended the assault victim, two other men and one woman.

Last Friday, March 19, jurors returned guilty verdicts against the four men.

Patrick McDonagh, of Crabb Street, Rushden, was convicted of the attempted murder of one of the men, two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent against the two other men, and possession of an offensive weapon.

John McDonagh and Bernard McDonagh, both of Whitegate Stables, Leicestershire, and Charlie McDonagh, of Bescot Croft, Birmingham, were all convicted of three counts of grievous bodily harm with intent against the three male victims, and one count of possession of an offensive weapon.

Speaking after the guilty verdicts, Detective Sergeant Ryan Catling, of Northamptonshire Police CID, said: “This has been an exceptionally long and complex case to investigate which has involved the gathering and review of thousands of pieces of evidence.

“On the night of January 1, 2020, these defendants showed a complete disregard for life and inflicted some horrific injuries on their victims, who will be dealing with the after-effects of this savage attack for the rest of their lives.

“The court process has also been challenging so I am absolutely delighted that all the hard work has paid off with these four convictions. I’d like to thank the court and the jury for seeing this trial through in the difficult conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We do not tolerate violence of any sort in Northamptonshire and I hope this case shows our determination to pursue violent offenders and do everything we can to bring them to justice.”

The four defendants were all remanded into custody ahead of their sentencing hearing, which will take place on a date yet to be set.

Further to the defendants found guilty, a 24-year-old man charged in connection with the incident was found not guilty of attempted murder, four counts of grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.

A 17-year-old boy was also cleared of four charges of grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.

A further man, Edward McDonagh, aged 60, of Hinckley Road Caravan park, Leics, was charged with witness intimidation on April 2, 2020 and was dealt with at court in September – he pleaded guilty to witness intimidation to one of the victims of the attack and was sentenced to two years in prison.

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Movie Review | 'Knuckle'

Brawling for Money, Clan and Just Because

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By Manohla Dargis

• Dec. 8, 2011

The fighting families in the documentary “Knuckle” are blood relatives with a vengeance. The movie, a no-frills affair from the first-time Irish director Ian Palmer, offers a circumscribed look inside the often-closed world of Irish travelers through their bare-knuckle fistfights. Historically nomads who were once better known as tinkers and described by Yeats as “the people of the roads,” the travelers long lived outside the mainstream, but from their on-camera showboating — as they duke it out, crow about their wins, taunt the losers and bang the drums for the next slugfest — they’re ready for their collective close-up.

Mr. Palmer, as he explains in voice-over, stumbled on the fights by chance. While he was videotaping the wedding of a traveler, Michael Quinn McDonagh, Mr. Palmer met Michael’s older brother James. A charismatic clan leader, James — called the Mighty Quinn or Baldy James depending on who’s doing the calling — turned out to be a champion fighter. Invited to videotape one of James’s fights, Mr. Palmer grabbed his camera. Thus began a documentary filmmaking odyssey that would last 12 staggering years and, after the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, found Mr. Palmer on the festival circuit and signed to a deal with HBO, which plans to turn “Knuckle” into a dramatic series. The stars, as it were, of “Knuckle” are James Quinn McDonagh and his most vociferous opponent, Paddy Joyce a k a the Lurcher, a shouter with a handlebar mustache and enough body hair to knit a sweater. Although it was Michael who first gave Mr. Palmer entry into this world, it was James who kept the director’s attention and probably fueled his commitment. A meaty slab of a man who likes to keep his head shaved — perhaps in part because the fights can turn dirty — James is his family’s best fighter, as undefeated as he is unbowed. He’s also a good talker (useful subtitles help with the travelers’ heavily accented English), even if he doesn’t say much, including about traveler life beyond the brawling.

For a while his reticence is scarcely an issue because the fights — sloppy, messy, brutal — are so involving, both appalling and appallingly watchable even in smeariest video. It’s always the same: two men, with bare knuckles and sagging or ridged bellies, square off in a rural corner and smack each other to cheers and jeers of the crowd. It seems depressingly pointless.

Not that the fighters don’t have plenty of reasons to throw around, including tradition, pride, feuds — somewhere in the past, a caravan was destroyed and sometime later a man was killed — and money. As it turns out, the families bet heavily on the fights (the stakes are high), which effectively means that they’re helping support themselves by beating their own people bloody.

If Mr. Palmer sees any political significance in this ritualized feuding he doesn’t say, though the mournful string music suggests that he’d like you to see the fights in tragic terms. They are in a sense, though they’re also opportunistic and human. While it’s frustrating that Mr. Palmer doesn’t dig deep into the complexities of the fights, one of the movie’s strengths is the honesty with which he confesses his doubts about them. He also expresses reservations about his reasons for following the bouts, an admission that both speaks to the motivations of documentary cinema (why film?) and to those who have ever wondered why they can’t look away from violence. Year after bruising year, Mr. Palmer kept his sights on these grim battles, an epic endeavor that suggests that looking away was never an option.

Knuckle: Opens on Friday in New York, Los Angeles and Austin, Tex. Directed by Ian Palmer; directors of photography, Michael Doyle and Mr. Palmer; edited by Ollie Huddleston; music by Ilan Eshkeri and Essica Dannheisser; produced by Mr. Palmer and Teddy Leifer; released by Arc Entertainment. In Manhattan at Cinema Village, 22 East 12th Street, Greenwich Village. Running time: 1 hour 33 minutes.

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TT Spotlight: Founder of Travellers Against Racism Chris McDonagh

TT caught up with Irish Traveller and Traveller Movement Advisory board member, Chris McDonagh, to find out more about why he founded the Twitter page  TravellersAgainst Racism.

"If all Travellers and Gypsies spoke up for our rights, our voice would be hard to ignore." - Chris McDonagh 

My name is Chris McDonagh and I am an Irish Traveller. I was born just outside of Manchester, UK. I come from a large family and I am proud of who I am and where I come from. I am also a member of the Traveller Movement advisory board, where I help decide on campaigns that would benefit and help our community.

When not running the Twitter account, I am a self-employed gardener, and love to spend time with my family and raising my two boys with my beautiful wife of 4 years. 

I set up the Twitter account called TravellersAgainstRacism back in April 2020. I was watching the documentary 'The truth about Traveller crime' and was disgusted at the way we were portrayed on national TV. How was it allowed? I felt like I had to do something to help change the public perception of our community because I didn't feel there was enough being done for us, which led to the Twitter account. 

Since setting up the account, I've managed to educate people about us and help them see that we are more than the stereotype. I call out anti-Traveller racism and hate and try to hold people accountable for their racist and prejudiced words and actions. 

So far, we have managed to get public apologies, from huge multi-million-pound companies down to singular accounts. I also try to help with campaigns and often flag up anti Traveller issues and racism. I have also convinced some businesses of the need for specialist training concerning the treatment of ethnic minorities, such as ours, which they have since implemented. 

While its great to get an apology and help people see us as more than the stereotype, our main aim is to hopefully educate people and see us for who we are, not what the media portrays us as.  We are people who deserve to be respected and contribute to society. We are not stereotypes.

For the future, I hope our account, as well as the many brilliant pro-Gypsy, Roma, Traveller (GRT) accounts, can help turn the tide of hate and sweep away the stereotypical ideas of our communities. I don't want the things I went through growing up, the racism and hate, the fighting because I was "different", to happen to my children, and I wish for a world with more understanding and acceptance of us all. For the sake of our children and our heritage, we need change. If all Travellers and Gypsies spoke up for our rights, our voice would be hard to ignore.

There are a lot of brilliant organisations around the UK who do great work for our communities. The Traveller Movement, Friends, Families, Travellers, Traveller Times, just to name a few. I think if we can show the side of us that the UK public don't get to see, we could perhaps see some change in the way we are treated and how we are perceived. 

They rarely see the work for charity we do, the food banks being filled, the helping the needy and homeless, the toys we give to charities for kids every Christmas, the helping of the elderly and ill. These are only a few examples that the media will rarely show. If we can spread these things and show the people who we really are, and not the stereotypes they tend to believe, then I think it would be a good stepping stone to help change the image the media have painted of us. We are more than a stereotype. We are humans too and deserve to be treated with the same respect as everyone else.

Chris McDonagh - Traveller, Activist, Father

Oct 21 2021 | 00:41:31

• Apple Podcasts

Born to an Irish Traveller family in Manchester, Chris McDonagh is the founder of Travellers Against Racism as well as Campaigns Officer for Brighton-based charity FFT (Friends, Families, Travellers). We talk about Channel 4 documentaries, the public perception of Travellers, the notion of being “settled” and his hopes for the future.

Meanwhile Lorraine Maher, founder of IAmIrish, brings a unique and personal perspective to our Plastic Pedestals slot.

Episode Transcript

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Welcome to Meath Travellers Workshops

Who marries who, who marries who a snapshot.

This research was made possible by a generous grant from the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences

The weddings listed here were covered in the newsletter of the Parish of the Travelling People, 1991-2004. In some cases locations are given for both spouses, in others, none for either partner, or for the wedding itself. Sometimes the wedding venue alone is mentioned; when this is the case, it seems reasonable to assume that it is connected with the bride, so that’s the column I’ve put it in.

All marriages are listed by groom first. Where two weddings are listed for the same date and place, indicating a double event, I have put them in bold green, and include both under both grooms’ surnames (if these are the same, the double wedding is listed only once).

All but seven of the weddings that give locations include at least one spouse associated with the greater Dublin area, and all but one of the exceptions are in towns within an hour’s drive of Dublin city centre, in the neighbouring counties of Kildare, Wicklow and Meath (for more a detailed breakdown of where these places are, see “Surnames from Parish Newsletter”). In practice, the outreach of the Dublin-based Parish of the Travelling People does not appear to cover all of Ireland with equal intensity.

These weddings would not have featured in the newsletter of the Parish of the Travelling People unless at least one of the spouses were Traveller, but surnames not previously associated with Travellers [there are 13 of these, each followed by an *] may well indicate a non-Traveller spouse (see comments at the end).

It is interesting to note that the remaining 50 established Traveller names include all but 8 of the “top 35” noted by the 1963 Commission on Itinerancy survey, with McDonagh and Connors first and second most common in both, but some interesting differences as well. In my opinion, these mostly arise from the fact that the 1963 survey covered the whole of the country, and thus includes relatively localised “provincial” surnames such as Quilligan that don’t crop up as much in the greater Dublin area.

It is impossible not to be struck by the patterns here. Most marriages for each surname involve a small number of other surnames, or partners both bearing the same surname, and these intermarrying groups overlap very little: compare, for example, the surnames of Connors’ spouses with those of the Maughans.

Note: To respect people’s privacy, Dublin locations have been generalised to North, South, West and Central. Where locations given for bride and groom are identical (for example, the same halting site), these are underlined .

Researcher: Dr Sinead Ni Shuinear

GROOM LOCATION BRIDE LOCATION

• Brown Kildare McLoughlin* Dublin West
• Cash none given Purcell none given
• Cash none given O’Brien Southside
• Carthy Dublin West Cash Dublin West
• Carthy Dublin West Reilly Dublin West McCarthy England Hanley Dublin West
• Carthy none given Maloney none given
• McCarthy none given Moorehouse none given
• Cassidy none given Wall Dublin West
• Cawley none given McDonagh Dublin West
• Collins Northside Collins Northside
• Collins Northside Joyce Northside
• Collins Northside Power Navan
• Collins Dublin West Green Dublin West
• Collins Dublin West Collins Central Dublin
• Collins none given Collins none given
• Collins none given Collins Northside
• Connors South Dublin Cranny* South Dublin Connors Dublin West McDonagh Dublin West
• Donoghue Dublin West McDonagh Dublin West***
• Connors Dublin West Connors South Dublin
• Connors Dublin West Connors Dublin West
• Connors Dublin West Cash Dublin West
• Connors Dublin West Maloney Dublin West
• Connors Dublin West Dunne Dublin West Connors South Dublin O’Leary South Dublin Connors South Dublin Connors South Dublin Connors South Dublin Connors South Dublin Connors Wexford Connors South Dublin Connors none given O’Brien none given
• Connors none given Connors none given
• Connors none given O’Driscoll none given
• Connors none given McInerney none given
• Connors none given McDonagh none given
• Connors none given Connors Dublin West Connors none given Connors Dublin West
• Corcoran none given Reilly Dublin West
• Corcoran Dublin West Stokes Dublin West
• Mongan Dublin West Corcoran Dublin West**
• Cox* none given Cash Athy
• Doherty none given Kiely Ballyowen
• Doherty Clondalkin McGinley Clondalkin
• Doherty Birmingham Kiely Lucan
• Donoghue Dublin West McDonagh Dublin West
• Connors Dublin West McDonagh Dublin West***
• Donoghue none given McDonagh Dublin West
• Doran Celbridge Doyle Celbridge
• Doyle Longford Keenan Northside
• Flynn none given Flynn West Dublin
• Gallagher Northside McDonagh Northside
• Gavin none given McDonagh Northside
• Gavin none given Cunningham Northside
• Hanrahan none given Ward Dublin West
• Hoey* Armagh Connors Dublin West
• Hutchinson none given McCarthy central Dublin
• Joyce none given Carey* Dublin West
• Joyce none given Nevin Northside
• Joyce none given Ward none given
• Joyce none given Keating* Northside
• Keenan Cork McDonagh Northside
• Kennedy* Dublin West Maughan Dublin West
• Lawrence Northside Ward Northside
• Lawrence none given Maughan none given
• Lawrence none given Lawrence none given
• Lawrence none given Hennessy* Northside
• Lawrence none given Mongan Dublin West
• Mongan none given Mongan Dublin West****
• Lynch Dublin West Joyce South Dublin
• McAleer Northside Joyce Northside
• McAleer none given Connors Dublin West
• McCann Northside McDonagh Dublin West
• McCrea* Dublin West Price Northside
• McDonnell Northside Collins Northside
• McDonnell none given Collins Northside
• McDonagh Dublin West Connors Dublin West McDonagh Dublin West McInerney Portlaoise
• McDonagh Dublin West O’Donnell Northside
• O’Donnell Northside McDonagh Dublin West*****
• McDonagh Northside McDonagh Dublin West McDonagh Roscommon McDonagh Northside
• McDonagh Roscommon McDonagh Northside
• McDonagh Roscommon Ward Northside******
• McDonagh London O’Donnell Northside
• McDonagh South Dublin McDonagh South Dublin
• McDonagh Dublin Mongan Dublin West
• McDonagh Northside Stokes Dublin West
• McDonagh Donegal Reilly Dublin West McDonagh Leitrim Stokes Northside
• McDonagh England Corcoran Dublin West
• McDonagh none given Stokes Northside
• McDonagh none given Ward Northside
• McDonagh none given Corcoran Dublin West
• McDonagh none given Kerrigan Northside
• McDonagh none given Joyce Northside
• McDonagh none given Lawrence Northside
• McDonagh none given McDonagh none given
• McDonagh none given McDonagh Northside
• McDonagh none given McDonnell Dublin West
• McDonagh none given Connors Northside
• McDonagh none given Reilly Northside
• McDonagh none given Connors Dublin West
• McGinley none given Doherty none given
• McGinley none given McGinley none given
• McGovern* none given Stokes none given
• McMahon none given Cawley Northside
• Maguire Drogheda Cunningham Tallaght
• Mason* Bray Flynn Dublin West
• Maughan Dublin West Green Dublin West
• Maughan Northside Maughan Belfast
• Maughan Northside Maughan Northside
• Maughan Northside Stokes Northside
• Maughan Northside McDonagh Northside
• Maughan South Dublin Mongan Northside
• Maughan Central Dublin Collins Northside
• Maughan none given Maughan Dublin West
• Maughan none given Maughan Northside
• Maughan none given Maughan none given
• Maughan none given McDonagh Northside
• Maughan none given Lawrence Northside
• Maughan none given Maughan South Dublin
• Mongan Roscommon Mongan Dublin West
• Mongan Dublin West O’Reilly Dublin West
• Mongan Dublin West Corcoran Dublin West
• Corcoran Dublin West Stokes Dublin West**
• Mongan Northside Maughan Mayo
• Maughan South Dublin Mongan Northside******
• Mongan none given Corcoran Dublin West
• Mongan none given Mongan Dublin West Lawrence none given Mongan Dublin West****
• Mongan none given Stokes Navan
• Mongan none given Maughan none given
• Mongan none given Gallagher none given
• Moorehouse none given Carroll Kilcoole
• Nevin Portlaoise Ward Cork
• Nevin none given Maguire Northside
• O’Brien Bray Donovan Galway
• O’Brien Wicklow Connors South Dublin
• O’Brien Wicklow Brien Wicklow
• O’Brien none given Moorehouse none given
• O’Brien none given Brown none given
• O’Donnell Northside McDonagh Dublin West
• McDonagh Dublin West O’Donnell Northside*****
• O’Donnell none given Lawrence Maynooth
• O’Donnell Northside Reilly Northside
• O’Donnell Northside Stokes Northside
• O’Donnell Dublin West Stokes Dublin West
• O’Leary none given Joyce none given
• O’Sullivan none given O’Sullivan Cork
• Reilly Northside Maughan Northside
• Reilly Dublin West Stokes Athlone
• Reilly Dublin West Wall Dublin West
• O’Reilly Dublin West Stokes Dublin West
• O’Reilly Waterford O’Reilly Dublin West
• Reilly Navan Stokes Northside
• Reilly none given McDonnell Northside
• Reilly none given Stokes Dublin West
• Power none given O’Reilly Dublin West
• Stokes Dublin West Stokes Dublin West
• Stokes London Mongan Dublin West
• Stokes Dublin West Nolan Dublin West
• Stokes Dublin West McDonagh Northside
• Stokes none given Stokes Navan
• Stokes none given Stokes Dublin West
• Sweeney Dublin West O’Rourke South Dublin
• Wall Dublin West Cash Dublin West
• Wall Dublin West Berry Dublin West
• Wall none given Cash none given
• Wall none given Connors none given
• Wall Dublin West Gorgon* [sic] Dublin West
• Ward Galway Ward Dublin West
• Ward London Mongan Dublin West
• Ward none given Ward Dublin West
• Ward none given Moorehouse Dublin West
• Windrum* Northside Maguire “Dublin”
• WHO MARRIES WHO?
• Putting together all individuals of every surname (note that each, male and female, is included here, so that a bride and groom of the same surname count as two individuals each of whom is married to a partner of that surname) we get the following:
• 1 Berry marries a Wall
• 2 Browns marry 1 each McLoughlin* and O’Brien
• 1 Carey* marries a Joyce
• 1 Carroll marries a Moorehouse
• 6 (Mc) Carthys marry 1 Cash, 1 Hanley, 1 Hutchinson, 1 Maloney, 1Moorehouse and
• 7 Cashes marry 1 Carthy, 1 Connors, 1 Cox,
• 1 O’Brien, 1 Purcell, 2 Walls
• 1 Cassidy marries a Wall
• 22 Collinses marry 1 Green, 1 Joyce, 2 McDonnells, 1 Maughan and 1 Powers, but mostly (16!) other Collinses
• 2 Cawleys marry a McDonagh and a McMahon
• 37 Connorses marry 1 Cash, 1 Cranny*, 1 Dunne, 1 Hoey, 5 McDonaghs, 1 McInerney,
• 1 McInerney, 1 Maloney,
• 3 O’Briens, 1 Driscoll and 1 O’Leary – but over half (20 ) marry other Connorses
• 6 Corcorans marry 2 McDonaghs and one each Maughan, Mongans, Reilly and Stokes
• 1 Cox* marries a Cash
• 1 Cranny* marries a Connors
• 1 Cunningham marries a Maguire
• 4 Dohertys marry 2 Kielys, 2 McGinleys
• 2 Donoghues marry 2 McDonaghs
• 1 Donovan marries an O’Brien
• 1 Doran marries a Doyle
• 2 Doyles marry a Doran and a Keenan
• 1 Dunne marries a Connors
• 3 Flynns marry 2 Flynns and a Mason*
• 2 Gallaghers marry a McDonagh and a Mongans
• 3 Gavins marry a Cunningham and 2 McDonaghs
• 1 “Gorgon” [sic*] marries a Wall
• 2 Greens marry a Collins and a Maughan
• 1 Hanley marries a McCarthy
• 1 Hanrahan marries a Ward
• 1 Hennessy* marries a Lawrence
• 1 Hoey* marries a Connors
• 1 Hutchinson marries a McCarthy
• 9 Joyces marry 1 each Carey*, Collins, Keating*, Lynch, O’Leary, McAleer, McDonagh Nevins and Ward
• 1 Keating* marries a Joyce
• 2 Keenans marry one each Doyle and McDonagh
• 1 Kennedy marries a Maughan
• 1 Kerrigan marries a McDonagh
• 9 Lawrences marry 1 Hennessy*, 1 O’Donnell, 2 Lawrences, 1 McDonagh, 2 Maughans 1 Mongans and 1 Ward
• 1 Lynch marries a Joyce
• 9 (O’) Briens marry 2 Briens, 1 Brown, 1 Cash,
• 3 Connorses, 1 Donovan and
• 1 Moorehouse
• 7 O’Donnells marry 1 Lawrence, 3 McDonaghs, 1 Reilly and 2 Stokeses
• 1 O’Driscoll marries a Connors
• 2 O’Learys marry one each Connors and Joyce
• 2 McAleers marry a Connors and a Joyce
• 1 McCann marries a McDonagh
• 1 McCrea* marries a Price
• 4 McDonnells marry 2 Collinses, 1 McDonagh, 1 Reilly
• 49 McDonaghs marry 1 Cawley, 5 Connorses, 2 Corcorans,
• 2 Donoghues, 1 Gallagher, 2 Gavins,
• 1 Joyce, 1 Keenan, 1 Kerrigan,
• 1 Lawrence, 1 McCann, 1 McDonnell,
• 14 McDonaghs, 1 McInerney, 2 Maughans, 1 Mongan,
• 3 O’Donnells, 2 Reillys, 5 Stokeses and 2 Wards
• 3 McGinleys marry 2 Dohertys and 1 McGinley
• 1 McGovern* marries a Stokes
• 2 McInerneys marry 1 each Connors and McDonagh
• 1 McLoughlin* marries a Brown
• 1 McMahon marries a Cawley
• 3 Maguires marry 1 each Cunningham, Nevins and Windrum*
• 2 Maloneys marry 1 each Carthy and Connors
• 1 Mason* marries a Flynn
• 32 Maughans marry 1 Collins, 1 Green, 1 Kennedy,
• 2 Lawrences, 2 McDonaghs,
• 20 Maughans, 3 Monganses, 1 Reilly and 1 Stokes
• 15 Monganses marry 2 Corcorans, 1 Gallagher,
• 1 Lawrence, 1 McDonagh,
• 3 Maughans, 4 Monganses,
• 1 O’Reilly, 1 Stokes and 1 Ward
• 4 Moorehouses marry 1 each Carroll McCarthy O’Brien and Ward
• 3 Nevinses marry 1 each Joyce, Maguire and Ward
• 1 Nolan marries a Stokes
• 14 (O’) Reillys marry 1 each Carthy, Corcoran, McDonagh, Maughan, Mongan, McDonnell, O’Donnell, O’Reilly, Power and Wall, and 4 Stokeses
• 1 O’Rourke marries a Sweeney
• 2 O’Sullivans marry each other (2 O’Sullivans)
• 2 Powers marry 1 each Collins and O’Reilly 1 Price marries a McCrae
• 1 Purcell marries a Cash
• 22 Stokeses marry 1 Corcoran, 5 McDonaghs,
• 1 McGovern, 1 Maughan,
• 2 Monganses, 1 Nolan, 2 O’Donnells, 4 O’Reillys and 5 Stokeses 1 Sweeney marries an O’Rourke
• 7 Walls marry 2 Cashes and one each Cassidy, Berry, Connors, Gorgon [sic*] and Reilly
• 12 Wards marry 1 each Hanrahan, Joyce, Lawrence, Mongan, Moorehouse and Nevin, 2 McDonaghs and 4 Wards
• 1 Windrum* marries a Maguire

* The following names are not noted on ANY existing list of Traveller surnames, including those collected by me 2004-06: Carey [could be misprint for Casey, an established Traveller name]; Cox;Cranny[but one historical source, Sampson 1890 “Tinkers and their Talk” in JGLS vol. 2 no. 4 Oct. 204-21, has “Creenie”); “Gorgon” [almost certainly a misprint as it is not to be found in the Sloinnteoir or Dublin phonebook; perhaps Goggins, a Traveller surname]; Hennessy; Hoey; Keating; Kennedy; McCrea; McGovern; McLoughlin; Mason; and Windrum. To place this in the broader Irish context: Carey, Cox, Cranny/Creaney, Gogan/Goggin/Gordon, Hennessy, Hoey, Keating, Kennedy, Mac Rae, Mac Goveran/Magauran, McLaughlin, Mason and Windham [but not Windrum] are all found in the Sloinnteoir Gaeilge [Ó Droighneáin M. and Ó Murchú M. A., 1995, Coiscéim, Baile Átha Cliath] an English-to-Gaelic index of all surnames (regardless of origin) established in Ireland.

** In these double weddings, the same locality is given for all four spouses.

*** In these double weddings, the same locality is given for both grooms, and a different one for both brides, strongly suggesting that the brides, or grooms, or both, are siblings.

**** Double wedding in which no location is given for the grooms but a single location is given for two brides of the same surname – probably sisters.

***** In this wedding, a bride and groom of one surname marry a groom and bride of another. One bride and groom are listed for one locality, the other for a different one, suggesting a brother and sister marrying a sister and brother.

****** Here two grooms of the same surname and locality marry two brides of different surnames living near each other but not the exact same locality.

****** Here one bride and one groom of the same surname and location, marry a groom and a bride of another surname, one located in Dublin the other in the West of Ireland.

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Irish Traveller community keeps faith despite hardships

August 27, 2018 CNA Daily News News Briefs 0 Print

Dublin, Ireland, Aug 27, 2018 / 12:24 pm ( CNA ).- Despite generations of poverty and prejudice from both the government and ordinary Irish citizens, the faith of the itinerant Irish Traveller community today is strong, say local Catholic leaders.

On Saturday, a Traveller woman named Missy Collins offered her testimony at the Festival of Families at Croke Park, Dublin, during the World Meeting of Families. She told Pope Francis that Travellers are “a people who have experienced injustice and persecution and are forced often out onto the margins of society,” who found their strength in God as well as their families.

“We are proud of our heritage and culture. And proud to be Travellers,” she said.

There are about 40,000 Travellers in Ireland, about 0.7 percent of the population. In 2017, the Irish government recognized Traveller as an ethnic minority.

Travellers have a distinct cultural life with unique traditions, and many still prefer to live in caravans. Generally, Travellers marry very young – the popular television show “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding” showcased the elaborate weddings of Irish Travellers. (Despite the name of the program, Irish Travellers are a different group than the Roma or English Traveller communities, and are not generally referred to as “gypsies.”)

Travellers are majority Catholic, and “strong believers,” said Margaret McDonagh, a member of the pastoral council for the Parish of the Travelling People. In their faith lives, Travellers place an emphasis on the importance of pilgrimages as well as a belief in cures.

Above all, McDonagh explained that the Travellers consider the family to be the most important thing in their lives. Typically, a Traveller would not move far away from their families.

“Families stay together and keep each other strong. In times of need, they will band together and stick by each other,” she said.

The nomadic lifestyle of the Travellers presents interesting challenges for sacraments, said  Fr. Paul O’Driscoll, parish priest for the Parish of the Travelling People.

His parish, for instance, does not have a set church for Mass. Instead, they borrow churches throughout the Archdiocese of Dublin for liturgical celebrations.

“Our parish actually has the same footprint as the Dublin diocese,” he said. Marriage preparation classes occur in central offices, but “otherwise, we’re on the move.”

While Travellers, like people of any other ethnicity, are free to belong to their geographical parish, many prefer to worship among other Travellers, explained O’Driscoll. This is due in part to discrimination, or the families just feeling unwelcome among the “settled” people.

O’Driscoll was quick to say that this is certainly not true of all Irish parishes, but added that “sometimes, attitudes are passed on from generation to generation without much understanding.”

“Discrimination against Travellers in Ireland today is the last form of accepted discrimination,” said McDonagh. “There’s no respect.” Refusal of service to Travellers at shops and hotels has been documented in the country.

McDonagh told CNA she works with a program to teach Irish schoolchildren about the Traveller lifestyle in an effort to promote diversity and dispel stereotypes.

O’Driscoll believes the discrimination that the Travellers experience has lent itself to a deepening of their faith lives.

“Education, accommodation, employment. These are the elephants in the room for a lot of young traveller people,” he said. Travellers who attempt to “better themselves” in these areas often face prejudice, as well as internalized cultural oppression.

This vulnerability, he said, leaves Travellers with a “greater openness to the faith dimension.”

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Travellers jailed over caravan thefts

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A gang of travellers thought to have been responsible for nearly half the country's caravan thefts over a three-year period were jailed today.

Family members Charlie Ward, 28, Martin Ward, 21, John McDonagh, 31, and Martin McDonagh, 29, were found to be in possession of more than £700,000 in stolen caravans, cars and motorhomes, jewellery and cash when they were arrested in Wiltshire in 2007, police said.

After they were detained, thefts of caravans fell from 848 to 454 in a year.

Winchester Crown Court heard the Ward-McDonaghs began stealing caravans from driveways and motorway service stations in 2004.

The men were found guilty of conspiring to steal after the three-month trial, but cleared of money laundering.

Fathers-of-five Martin McDonagh and Charlie Ward were sentenced to four years and five years to be served consecutively for two conspiracies.

John McDonagh and Martin Ward received four years for their part in one of the conspiracies.

Only around half of the value of the goods had been recovered by police.

Sentencing the men, Judge Patrick Hooton said the crimes had caused distress and anguish to the victims.

"This trial lasted for three months and during the course of it I heard evidence of repeated thefts of caravans and motor vehicles which in total could be described as theft on a grand scale repeated time after time after time."

The judge said the conspiracy was well organised.

"All four each in their own way, in particular you Charlie Ward and Martin McDonagh, were responsible for all this."

The men, who travel between the UK and the Republic of Ireland, showed no emotion as the sentences were handed down. All of them had previous convictions related to the theft of caravans.

Confiscation proceedings will now take place against the gang to seize their assets, the court was told, and the men were ordered to co-operate with detailing their worth.

Detective Inspector Matt Davey, from Wiltshire Police, revealed at the end of the trial officials from the insurance industry reported a 47 per cent drop in national caravan thefts following the gang's arrest.

Nineteen police forces were involved in the operation to catch the men.

Mr Davey said: "Those sentenced today were responsible for committing crimes across the country many of which had a prolonged and serious affect on their victims.

"They were responsible for not only the theft of caravans, motor homes and vehicles but of people's personal and often irreplaceable possessions.

"The sentences given today reflect the organised nature and extent of their offending and will hopefully bring some closure to all those affected by these crimes."

Rita Sadler, from caravan and motor home insurer Safeguard UK, said: "Caravan thieves are using more sophisticated methods to get away with their crimes.

"Locks and alarms are no longer a security guarantee; however, there are various measures caravanners can take to ensure the safekeeping of their vehicle.

"Specially designed tracking devices and mechanical devices such as wheel clamps can greatly reduce the risk of theft. As well as deterring thieves, security conscious caravan owners are likely to receive discounts on their insurance premiums."

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