# Who are the Gypsies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [June 26, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-gypsies/409517 "2007-06-26T20:16:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-gypsies/409517/41 "2008-12-30T18:09:09Z")
I’m not sure if it’s been made clear here, but Irish travelers are not Gypsies (i.e., not Romani). Ethnically, they are the same as other Irish. They’re apparently Irish people who were made homeless some generations ago and now travel around like the Gypsies. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-gypsies/409517/42 "2008-12-30T18:52:18Z")
> [@Kal](#): > > My understanding is that the Indian group related to the Romani peoples are the Banjara. Both they and Romani intellectuals at least do seem to acknowledge a link. That’s interesting. Do you have a cite for more info? ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-gypsies/409517/43 "2008-12-30T19:03:44Z")
[QUOTE=Wendell Wagner] I’m not sure if it’s been made clear here, but Irish travelers are not Gypsies (i.e., not Romani). Ethnically, they are the same as other Irish. They’re apparently Irish people who were made homeless some generations ago and now travel around like the Gypsies. [/quote] No, but the Irish travelers are called “gypsies” informally, and classed as such under English law, which leads to much confusion. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-gypsies/409517/44 "2008-12-30T19:27:45Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > That’s interesting. Do you have a cite for more info? Not readily to hand and I’m in the middle of cooking, but there’s some stuff to be found on the [Banjara Times.](http://www.banjaratimes.com/27601/index.html) Other than that I think useful Google keywords would be Patrin, WR Rishi and Roma Publications Chandrigah. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-gypsies/409517/45 "2008-12-30T20:06:38Z")
Capt. Ridley’s Shooting Party writes: \> No, but the Irish travelers are called “gypsies” informally, and classed as such \> under English law, which leads to much confusion. No? No to what question? I don’t understand what you’re saying here. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-gypsies/409517/46 "2008-12-30T20:21:45Z")
No, as in to confirm that Irish travelers aren’t “Gypsies”. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-gypsies/409517/47 "2008-12-30T20:26:01Z")
never mind… ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-gypsies/409517/48 "2008-12-31T14:30:12Z")
So you agree with someone by saying “No”? Now I am confused. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-gypsies/409517/49 "2008-12-31T15:04:57Z")
The “affirmative no”? I thought you were a linguist 😛 ([AskOxford.com](http://AskOxford.com) says it’s especially common in South Africa; I don’t know where I got it from. Agreeing with, or embellishing, a negative claim with a “no” seems natural to my ears.) Anyway, enough hijacking. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-gypsies/409517/50 "2008-12-31T15:55:21Z")
> [@Kal](#): > > Romani folk are just as good at being shitheads as anyone else. It’s pronounced “shih - THEE - ahd” :mad: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-gypsies/409517/51 "2009-01-12T16:18:06Z")
A friend of mine found a copy of the report. It’s dated 26-Jun-2007 and written by Gfactor and Silenus if that helps. I can also provide a copy, if it’s lost. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-gypsies/409517/52 "2009-01-23T18:22:27Z")
> [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](#): > > No, as in to confirm that Irish travelers aren’t “Gypsies”. Interestingly enough, the media in the UK seem to muddy this a little bit. For example in today’s Guardian there’s an article entitled: [Gypsies on greenbelt site face eviction after court ruling](http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jan/23/greenbelt-gypsies-evicted) Within the article the quoted “Gypsy” has an Irish name, which presumably means the group are Irish Travellers rather than Gypsies. In the Irish media they generally use the term Traveller rather than Gypsy for the ethnically Irish group. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-gypsies/409517.md?page=2)