In this first comprehensive and accessible history of Travellers in twentieth-century Ireland, Aoife Bhreatnach describes the people who travelled Irish roads, showing how and why they were distinguishable from settled people. She demonstrates that the alienation and increasing unpopularity of this cultural minority were a consequence of developments in state and society from 1922. The widening social gulf was often precipitated by government intervention at local and national level which led to conflict over the distribution of resources, particularly of land and welfare. Becoming Conspicuous examines the circumstances that have shaped expressions of anti-Traveller prejudice, thus demonstrating some of the social implications of the evolution of urban and rural landscapes in twentieth-century Ireland. An epilogue describes developments in Traveller-settled relations since 1970, a period distinguished by settlement housing policies and the emergence of Traveller representative groups. The book also contains a useful appendix describing nineteenth- and twentieth-century legislation relevant to Travellers in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Introduction; 'Gipsies' and 'tinkers': identifying nomadic groups in Ireland; Intimate strangers: the people of the roads; Travellers in urban areas: landscape and community; Welfare and entitlement: assessing 'impatient and promiscuous charity'; Some practical suggestions: the government response, 1949-63; Assimilation and absorption: the settlement programme, 1963-70. Conclusion; Epilogue: Resettlement and resistance since 1970; Appendix: Legal glossary; Notes; Bibliography; Index.