Niamh Shackleton
A woman who describes herself as a 'Gypsy Traveler' has discussed what it's like being part of the community and some of the 'rules' they follow.
Some famous faces you've likely heard of with Gypsy or Traveler ties include Michael Caine, Elvis Presley, and boxer Tyson Fury. There are said to be around 1,000,000 Gypsies, sometimes referred to as Romani people, in the US, as well as thousands of Irish Travelers whose biggest hub is thought to be in Murphy Village, South Carolina.
The key difference between Gypsies and Travelers is where they originated from.
Speaking to LADbible about this, Gypsy Traveller Charlotte-Ann Maguire explained: "Romani Gypsies originated from India a long, long time ago, and Irish Travelers originated from Ireland. I think that's the main difference. Also, they have their own unique language, which are seperate from each other."
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While there are some minor differences, all in all, Charlotte-Ann said that both communities share the same morals and values.
Elsewhere in the discussion with LADbible shared on YouTube, Charlotte-Ann also discussed the 'rules' that Travelers and Gypsies have to follow.
"To an outsider looking in who doesn't live the same lifestyle, they might percieve it as strict rules," she said, "but to us it's our lifestyle."
Charlotte-Ann continued: "It's our choice, and it's who we are. So, it's not a list of rules to us.
"It's not like when you're 13, your mammy don't hand you a to-do list and say 'do this, do that, live like this, live like that'. It just naturally comes to you because it's the way you've been brought up."
One thing Charlotte-Ann went on to note is that people may find 'strange' that the norm in Traveler and Gypsy communities is the fact that people rarely leave home before they're married.
"You stay at home and that's that," she shared.
Charlotte-Ann went on to say that she's now married but still chats to her mom multiple times a day, adding: "I always go back to see my family. I'm not saying that non-Travelers don't have a good family basis and people they can go to, but I think we're very family orientated, like, extremely, and some people could find it strange how close we are."
Charlotte-Ann shares a lot of her life on TikTok, where she boasts an impressive 230,000 followers.
One of her videos has amassed over 4.5 million views, while many of her other clips have generated thousands of views and likes.
You can find her page here.