Growing Up Travelling
The experience I had photographing the grit and beauty, that is the everyday life of a Traveller child, is one that inspires me everyday. Their deep respect for family and cultural values is refreshing, one that can be quite difficult to find in an age with the convince of social media. Not always immediately accepting of an outsider holding a large camera, I took my time getting to know and understand these faces that represent the new generation. My ever growing fascination with the children of today has lead my all over the world, capturing their innocence or in some cases loss of, in its most raw form. I now am able to go back to these sites whether it be France or Ireland and know that I am welcomed.
Unlike most children they are unable to refer to a history book to learn about their ancestors, a part of this journey was being able to document an era that is so different to any other I have shot. It is one that is and will always be rapidly changing, every time I visit it is a whole different world yet with the relationships I have been lucky enough to make, it seems to feel like I never left. My days with the Traveller’s are often filled with quite personal and intimate events which I am ever so grateful to be invited to, numerous religious ceremonies inside beautiful medieval churches and family bbqs where everyone is singing and dancing in harmony whilst sharing an array unique traditional cuisines, and daily school lessons and prayer. I am exponentially grateful the young people documented and that I have come in contact with over my years of visiting are able to call me their friend and I can happily say the same.
