Roma Gypsies

Roma or Romani people are an ethnic group whose origins can be traced to medieval India. Also known as Gypsies, they have arrived in Ireland in fairly large numbers over the past 10 years, mostly from Balkan and middle European countries. Some people confuse them with Romanians, but although some of them did actually come from Romania they are just as likely to come from other countries in Eastern Europe.
They still maintain their traditional style of dress, have their own language (divided into several dialects) and rarely marry outside their own ethnic group. Marriages are usually "arranged" and they often marry at a very young age - sometimes as young as 16 or 15. They have been in Europe for at least 700 years and have often been persecuted, indeed Hitler and the Nazi's murdered hundreds of thousands of Roma during the Holocaust. To this day they are often viewed with suspicion and distrust in many European countries - including Ireland, and suffer discrimination and marginalization. Roma women and young girls can often be seen begging at traffic lights, while Roma men are often seen "busking" (as in my photograph ) - indeed they have a very strong musical tradition.