# Are there slaves in Ireland?



## csirl (13 Sep 2011)

I'm sure everyones seen the news reports re: the Irish travellers arrested for slavery. News reports talk about groups of Irish travellers running large scale slave operations.

Given that these are Irish travellers who travel back here regularly, it would be hard to believe that this isnt happening in Ireland?


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## PetrolHead (13 Sep 2011)

I don't know about over here but Gypsys and Travelers in the UK have had dossers for decades. I'm amazed this has never been tackled before.


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## Vanilla (13 Sep 2011)

There are indeed slaves in Ireland, they're more commonly called women.

And yes, I am having a bad day.


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## csirl (13 Sep 2011)

Vanilla said:


> There are indeed slaves in Ireland, they're more commonly called women.
> 
> And yes, I am having a bad day.


 
You obviously dont know any hen pecked husbands


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## horusd (13 Sep 2011)

The English, it has to be said, have been very tolerant of some fairly irregular behaviour from Travellers. Particularly around planning etc. This will not do the cause of travellers rights groups much good no matter what why the court case goes. 

Don't know of this slavery thing is going on in Ireland, but it at least seems entirely possible.  Apparently tho we don't have adequate laws to address the issue of forced labour in IRL, so even if it exists, we can do nothing about it.


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## Purple (13 Sep 2011)

csirl said:


> You obviously dont know any hen pecked husbands



The "hen pecked" bit is superfluous.


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## Leper (13 Sep 2011)

I have just seen the news reports.  Once again, the good reputation of Ireland has been tarnished.


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## micmclo (13 Sep 2011)

Where is Vanessa Redgrave? Oh she was very quick to talk about their rights in Essex

Pavee Point being remarkably silent too, they are normally quick to comment if the gentle traveller folk have been wronged


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## horusd (13 Sep 2011)

micmclo said:


> Where is Vanessa Redgrave? Oh she was very quick to talk about their rights in Essex
> 
> Pavee Point being remarkably silent too, they are normally quick to comment if the gentle traveller folk have been wronged


 

It's the malaise of the modern world that everyone has "rights" and few have equally pressing "responsibilities".


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## onq (13 Sep 2011)

horusd said:


> it's the malaise of the modern world that everyone has "rights" and few have equally pressing "responsibilities".



+1

You'd still have to wonder who these eejits are who were keeping the slaves.


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## Sue Ellen (13 Sep 2011)

Vanilla said:


> There are indeed slaves in Ireland, they're more commonly called women.
> 
> And yes, I am having a bad day.



Here's your sister.  No one else in this house appears to know that we have a vacuum cleaner, dusters, polish and that Dunnes Stores is at the bottom of the road.  They sure know how to shift the food though.  I'm thinking of leaving them at it and goin' back to me Mammy


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## hastalavista (13 Sep 2011)

Sue Ellen said:


> and goin' back to me Mammy



and make a slave of her.... again


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## PetrolHead (14 Sep 2011)

onq said:


> You'd still have to wonder who these eejits are who were keeping the slaves.




Like I said above, its normal (afaik anyway) for travelers to have what they call dossers. 

I grew up in the UK close to several Traveler sites and went to school with quite a few traveler and gypsy kids. We would get told all about what the kid's fathers and elder brothers were doing. I guess the kids were bragging as kids do. 

We knew all about the dossers that worked for them and even at that age we knew they were effectively slaves. 





Leper said:


> I have just seen the news reports.  Once again, the good reputation of Ireland has been tarnished.



Leper, I'd have to disagree with this. Even with today's reports in the Daily Mail (accepting all the bias that this institution is known for) the sentiment seems to reflect a distinction between 'Irish' and 'Irish Traveler' (although I'm sure most of the comments will say 'send them back).

In my personal experience I would have seen this distinction made. While everyone knew they were of Irish heritage/origin/etc, Travelers on the whole were not regarded as Irish, just as Travelers. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...avellers-building-housing-estate-Ireland.html


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## liaconn (14 Sep 2011)

PetrolHead said:


> Like I said above, its normal (afaik anyway) for travelers to have what they call dossers.


 
It might be 'normal' but its still illegal. I used to have a lot of sympathy for travellers but that has worn very thin over the last few years as I have come into more contact with them. An awful lot of them seem to be very quick to demand 'respect' for their way of life, but show little or no respect for anyone else's rights.


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## PetrolHead (14 Sep 2011)

Don't take me wrong Liaconn.... by 'normal' I most certainly didn't mean 'acceptable'...!!!


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## liaconn (14 Sep 2011)

PetrolHead said:


> Don't take me wrong Liaconn.... by 'normal' I most certainly didn't mean 'acceptable'...!!!


 
Hi, sorry, no you didn't come across as defending it. Should have said that in my post.


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## Firefly (14 Sep 2011)

Sue Ellen said:


> Here's your sister.  No one else in this house appears to know that we have a vacuum cleaner, dusters, polish and that Dunnes Stores is at the bottom of the road.  They sure know how to shift the food though.  I'm thinking of leaving them at it and goin' back to me Mammy



Who let you out of the kitchen?


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## Sue Ellen (14 Sep 2011)

Firefly said:


> Who let you out of the kitchen?



Never leave except to go to Dunnes.


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## PetrolHead (15 Sep 2011)

Firefly said:


> Who let you out of the kitchen?



Reminds me of the old joke....

What do you do if the Wife is giving you grief while you're in the living room watching TV...?

Shorten her chain to the kitchen sink.....


(All views and opinions above are not necessarily shared by the blah blah blah....)


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## onq (16 Sep 2011)

PetrolHead said:


> Like I said above, its normal (afaik anyway) for travelers to have what they call dossers.
> 
> I grew up in the UK close to several Traveler sites and went to school with quite a few traveler and gypsy kids. We would get told all about what the kid's fathers and elder brothers were doing. I guess the kids were bragging as kids do.
> 
> We knew all about the dossers that worked for them and even at that age we knew they were effectively slaves.



News to me I have to say.

We lived in Churchtown for a while and there was a travellers encampment on what is now the site of the Nutgrove SC - since has a permanent houses built on it. Hadn't heard a thing about "dossers".

Afterward lived in County Wicklow for a while and near Newtownmountkennedy in the nineties there was a 300-strong traveller encampment - again nothing about "dossers".

Travellers tend to keep to themselves and for the most part were good people.

I'm not saying they don't exist in Ireland, just that with a reasonably extensive knowledge of them, including peripheral knowedge of them being moved off development sites in Rathfarnham and Condalkin, I haven't come across them.

ONQ.


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## Vanilla (16 Sep 2011)

Sue Ellen said:


> Here's your sister. No one else in this house appears to know that we have a vacuum cleaner, dusters, polish and that Dunnes Stores is at the bottom of the road. They sure know how to shift the food though. I'm thinking of leaving them at it and goin' back to me Mammy


 
Can I come too?


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## Sue Ellen (20 Sep 2011)

Vanilla said:


> Can I come too?



Of course, the more the merrier.  Sisters are doin' it for themselves, just have to figure out how to get rid of Father because he'd only cramp our style


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## Firefly (20 Sep 2011)

Sue Ellen said:


> Of course, the more the merrier.  Sisters are doin' it for themselves, just have to figure out how to get rid of Father because he'd only cramp our style



Is he a "dosser"?


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## Sue Ellen (20 Sep 2011)

Firefly said:


> Is he a "dosser"?



Little chance of that.  Like most men wouldn't work in a fit


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## Firefly (20 Sep 2011)

Sue Ellen said:


> Little chance of that.  Like most men wouldn't work in a fit



Why should we?


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## Purple (20 Sep 2011)

Sue Ellen said:


> Little chance of that.  Like most men wouldn't work in a fit



He obviously put the work in at the front end and trained you well. 
If only I'd had the foresight.


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