Irish Traveller Community Traveller Irish IRISH TRAVELLER COMMUNITY The wagon was the traditional home of nomadic Irish Traveller families. Traditionally Travellers burned the wagon that the person died in. In modern times many may not wish to continue to live in the trailer, the home that some nomadic families now live in, if a person dies there. 97 Summary of Essential Practice Points: Please refer to the full text of the highlighted points related to the following summary points. General cultural features and 6 Family and community visits: 1 social experience: An ill or dying Traveller is likely to have a high Travellers tend to experience discrimination and volume of visitors. Ascertain who will represent racism in service provision. Members need to be the family and mediate in interactions with hospital treated with dignity, respect and non-discrimination staff. in healthcare settings in line with current equality legislation. 7 Death-related religious rituals: Beliefs about the treatment of The Roman Catholic chaplain or, if preferred, the 2 illness and Traditional Medicine: person’s own priest should be called to administer religious services. Many Travellers have strong beliefs in the power of prayer, religious icons and holy water. In addition to their respect for Western medicine many tend 8 Initiation ritual/infant baptism: to use traditional folk healing practices including oils, ointments and cures. These beliefs, including Travellers are likely to want to have their child any folk healing remedies that the person carries baptised if there is a threat to life. See Roman and religious symbols, need to be treated with Catholic section for details of this practice. respect. It is advised to check if the person is using any traditional remedies in addition to medical prescriptions. 3 Religious practices: Roman Catholic ceremonies, religious practices and rituals will usually apply for illness and death. The Roman Catholic chaplain can be called on to provide or source religious support as needed. 4 Treatment needs: Many Travellers, particularly older community members, experience difficulties in relation to literacy. Any written treatment requirements, including prescriptions for medication, should also be explained verbally. 98 Profile of the Irish Traveller 1 Community Essential Practice Point Travellers also experience discrimination Travellers are an indigenous minority who have and racism in service provision, largely as a been documented as being part of Irish society for result of inbuilt prejudices and stereotyping. centuries. The group has a long shared history, Discriminatory and racist treatment of Travellers identity, language and value system, which makes in healthcare provision is unlawful under the them a distinct group. provisions of the Equal Status Act 2000 to 2004. Such experiences also have implications for While Irish Travellers are native to Ireland, they how many Travellers will present themselves have much in common with European Travellers and interact with health services. For these and Gypsies. Officially, the Irish Government reasons, dignity, respect and non-discrimination recognise Travellers as a cultural minority, while need to be part of the approach to Travellers in the group continues to campaign for ethnic minority healthcare settings. status in line with the Roma and other similar groups across Europe. Some features of Traveller culture and social Traveller representative organisations indicate that experience are given here for guidance. These there are approximately 30,000 Travellers living in need to be applied recognising that there is wide the Irish Republic. It is estimated that there are diversity and that each person is unique. 1,500 Irish Travellers living in Northern Ireland and 15,000 in England, Scotland and Wales. • Religious devotion and cures: The vast majority of Travellers are Roman Catholic and they tend to be devout in religious observance. The community retain beliefs about cures General Cultural Features and to be found in various natural phenomena, Social Experience discussed below. • Extended family: Extended family is of particular importance, with a strong sense of family loyalty and duty. This point is important The Travellers are distinguished by a rich storytelling for family visits in hospital. and musical heritage. Many Irish musicians, for example Christy Moore, openly acknowledge • Language and literacy: While the group has their debt to Traveller musicians who retained the a traditional distinct language, called Cant, musical heritage of the land. Travellers use English as a main language in everyday life. However, many Travellers, The Travellers’ experience is one of exclusion particularly older group members, may have from rights and privileges enjoyed by their settled literacy difficulties. For example Travellers may counterparts. For example, Travellers have a higher not be able to read the letter-based reading stillbirth rate, a higher infant mortality rate and a tests due to literacy and not eyesight issues. lower life expectancy than the settled population. • Nomadism: Moving from one place to another is part of the lifestyle of many, though not all, Travellers. At times of the year the population 99 of Travellers increases overall as relatives • Some community members have return from England and the populations knowledge of cures for particular conditions, of particular towns increase as Travellers such as thrush, warts, etc. This is given by migrate. the healer as a service to others, usually • Marriage age, birth rate and social position without payment. The healers may be of women: Travellers now marry older and visited by community members who have have smaller families than was the traditional these ailments. Community members in custom. Unmarried births among Travellers are hospital may have ‘cures’ sourced from unusual while there is now a small incidence healers for a particular condition. of this pattern. Traveller women participate in • Travellers tend to respect medical opinion social affairs on an equal footing with men and in addition to retaining their belief in the many have taken on leadership roles in the power of traditional cures and religious community. practices (detailed below), prayer and • Dress/jewellery: Traveller dress sense is relics. It is advised to check if the person is similar to that of the rest of Irish society. Family using any traditional remedies in addition will wish to retain any jewellery on the body of to medical prescriptions. a deceased relative. • Situations may arise where traditional healers wish to use hands-on healing and Care of the ill this may conflict with medical requirements that necessitate that a wounded area is not touched. Should this arise, discussion will be Beliefs about the treatment of illness needed so that a mutual solution can be found and Traditional Medicine that satisfies a family. Religious practices Essential Practice Point 2 Essential Practice Point 3 3 • Many Travellers have strong beliefs about the power of prayer and many wear icons of religious figures andrelics of various saints Travellers are likely to welcome the support (See Personal items for more information). of the Roman Catholic Chaplain who will also administer all necessary religious ceremonies, • There is a rich heritage of traditional or folk practices and rituals related to illness and death. healing practices among Travellers, some Others may also wish to see a priest that they of which are similar to practices indicated have developed a relationship with over the in the section on Traditional and Ancient years. Religions. Travellers also hold strong beliefs in the healing power of water taken from holy wells as well as oils/ointments infused with particular herbal remedies prepared by traditional healers. 100 Treatment needs Death-related religious rituals Essential Practice Point 4 Essential Practice Point 6 Due to the literacy issues highlighted above, The Catholic chaplain or, if preferred, the person’s plain English is necessary in any communication own priest should be called to administer the about healthcare issues. Written instructions customary rituals preceding death. such as prescriptions need to be explained verbally. Cleaning and touching the body Blood Transfusion and Organ The body may be washed by mortuary staff and Transplantation dressed in clothes provided by the family. • There are unlikely to be objections to these Postmortem requirements procedures. There are unlikely to be culturally specific objections • Consideration needs to be given to literacy to a postmortem. issues if documentation is to be signed or consent sought for any of these procedures. Interment ritual Care of the Dying Travellers usually bury their loved ones and many prefer to be buried in the areas that families lived in and have an affinity with. Family and community visits Religious Icons and Symbols Essential Practice Point 5 Personal and religious items • A critically ill or dying Traveller is likely to • Many Travellers are likely to have a number have a number of visitors. Traveller repre- of religious and personal items with them. sentatives have indicated that it is important These may include images of Mary the Mother to ascertain who will represent the family of Jesus Christ, images of saints, medals, in interactions with hospital staff. This will holy water, oils and ointments. Due to the help in mediating between the needs of rich religious and folk healing heritage in the the healthcare