Atch
11 Jul 2025
Genealogy / Polish and gypsy traditions [140]
When I was a kid, they used to go door to door. They've stopped doing that now. Back in the day the men would come and offer to do odd jobs, gardening, the classic tarmac your drive Sir, or the really ancient fellas would mend cast iron pots, sharpen knives etc. The aul fellas were generally very courteous with a kind of old-fashioned chivalry, They always asked for 'the lady of the house' when they came to the door, addressed the young girls as 'Miss' and the older ones as 'Ma,'am'. They were a relic of the old days of Ireland when itinerant workers and labourers offered their services to big farms and the gentry. So they behaved accordingly, using the manners of a century before. At some point, when they realised that the people in the houses were mostly just new rich and rough as old bags themselves, the younger ones, thought 'f@ck that for a game o' soldiers' (as we say in Ireland) and though they were still civil enough, they didn't tug the forelock quite as much, or take so much care over the work.
The women would always come begging, either with a child/children or a 'babby' as they called it. 'Would you have a drop of milk for the babby/a drink o' water for the child. Have you a few old clothes for the 'chillder' Missus?'. They were always a bit cheekier and pushier than the men, and addressed the lady of the house as plain Missus, rather than Ma'am ;) You had to be careful with them as they were known to dodge into the house and nick something if you left them on the doorstep while you went to get the milk or something for the child. A lot of kindhearted women would tell them to wait outside while they went and looked out some outgrown clothes to give the children and would close the front door while they did so. Later that day, they'd find the clothes dumped at the side of the road somewhere nearby. The women incidentally were always wrapped in a tartan travelling rug, a legacy of the old Gaelic days when people wore a cloak, known as the Irish mantle. There were a few nice old women though, who were selling 'holy pictures' - what you'd call icons. If you bought one, they'd give you a rapturous eulogy in the old Gaelic style and then a blessing 'God bless ya on the height of your journey Missus' or similar. But we had one who came to the door on Christmas Day who cursed us - lovely stuff :))
They've moved on to various more elaborate ways of making a living these days. Insurance fraud is a favourite. 'Ah Jaysus, Missus, I'm after fallin' on somethin' and breakin' me arse above in the supermarket' etc etc
Every depiction of Irish Travellers and English Gypsies I've seen - shows them as thieving bastards.
When I was a kid, they used to go door to door. They've stopped doing that now. Back in the day the men would come and offer to do odd jobs, gardening, the classic tarmac your drive Sir, or the really ancient fellas would mend cast iron pots, sharpen knives etc. The aul fellas were generally very courteous with a kind of old-fashioned chivalry, They always asked for 'the lady of the house' when they came to the door, addressed the young girls as 'Miss' and the older ones as 'Ma,'am'. They were a relic of the old days of Ireland when itinerant workers and labourers offered their services to big farms and the gentry. So they behaved accordingly, using the manners of a century before. At some point, when they realised that the people in the houses were mostly just new rich and rough as old bags themselves, the younger ones, thought 'f@ck that for a game o' soldiers' (as we say in Ireland) and though they were still civil enough, they didn't tug the forelock quite as much, or take so much care over the work.
The women would always come begging, either with a child/children or a 'babby' as they called it. 'Would you have a drop of milk for the babby/a drink o' water for the child. Have you a few old clothes for the 'chillder' Missus?'. They were always a bit cheekier and pushier than the men, and addressed the lady of the house as plain Missus, rather than Ma'am ;) You had to be careful with them as they were known to dodge into the house and nick something if you left them on the doorstep while you went to get the milk or something for the child. A lot of kindhearted women would tell them to wait outside while they went and looked out some outgrown clothes to give the children and would close the front door while they did so. Later that day, they'd find the clothes dumped at the side of the road somewhere nearby. The women incidentally were always wrapped in a tartan travelling rug, a legacy of the old Gaelic days when people wore a cloak, known as the Irish mantle. There were a few nice old women though, who were selling 'holy pictures' - what you'd call icons. If you bought one, they'd give you a rapturous eulogy in the old Gaelic style and then a blessing 'God bless ya on the height of your journey Missus' or similar. But we had one who came to the door on Christmas Day who cursed us - lovely stuff :))
They've moved on to various more elaborate ways of making a living these days. Insurance fraud is a favourite. 'Ah Jaysus, Missus, I'm after fallin' on somethin' and breakin' me arse above in the supermarket' etc etc