List of Irish Travellers

This page makes mention of prominent individuals of Irish Traveller descent.

Johnny Doran was one of the most influential uilleann pipers in the history of Irish music, active during the first half of the 20th century.
John O'Donnell, boxer
Tyson Fury, boxer
Bartley Gorman was the "king" of the gypsies and undefeated bareknuckle boxing champion until his death in 2002.
Francie Barrett has been a professional boxer since August 2000, and now fights at light welterweight, out of Wembley, London.
Paddy Keenan, piper, is a foundational member of the Bothy Band in the 1970s and a key figure in the transition of Irish traditional music into the world of Celtic-dominated music. He comes from a family of Traveller musicians and is perpetually on tour across much of the United States and Europe.^[1]
John Reilly was a traditional Irish singer and source of songs. On Planxty's 2004 music album Live at Vicar Street, Christy Moore mentions hearing Reilly sing for the first time and calls it a "life changing" experience, going on to dedicate the song "As I Roved Out" to his memory.
Brendon Fearon, career criminal in Nottinghamshire and major player in the attempted robbery of Tony Martin's farmhouse which left Fearon's partner, 16 year old Fred Barass, also a Traveller, dead, and Fearon wounded, after the homeowner shot the intruders.

Andy Turley; first traveller to join An Garda Siochana

Margaret Barry was a Traveller from Cork who became a well-known name on the London folk scene in the 1950s, with her distinctive singing style and idiosyncratic banjo accompaniment.
Pecker Dunne is a well known Traveller and singer from County Wexford, Ireland.^[2]
Michael Gomez, a professional boxer based in Manchester, England, was born to an Irish Traveller family in County Longford.
Wayne Dundon, gang leader and convicted criminal.^[3]
Shayne Ward, singer and former winner of X Factor, whose parents are Irish travellers who settled in England.
John Paul Morris, social worker/radio personality.^[4]
Patrick "Paddy" Doherty, a former bare-knuckle boxer. He is best known as one of the interviewed Irish Travelers in My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and the winner of Celebrity Big Brother 2011 (UK).

References