Sebastiaan Franco, Anásha

Anásha is a word in Traveller’s cant or Gammon, used to point out something that’s out of the ordinary, to make someone pay attention. Irish Travellers are tradionally a nomadic group within Irish society. With 40.000 in Ireland they are considered an ethnic minority even though they are in fact Irish. While living in clans they would travel across the country selling their wares or finding work with farmers to earn a living and move on. Though lawmakers, through the Vagrancy Act, took away their right to roam and had them settle in permanent or fixed halting sites. These were mostly located in impoverished areas around big cities, forcing them to integrate in a society that has shunned them for generations. Now the Traveller community lives in limbo, with a few trying to hold on to their own culture and customs but many falling victim to the pitfalls to modern society. Drug- and alcohol-abuse are big issues, as well as illiteracy, unemployment and mental health issues caused by this way of life.Turning a community that once played a vital role in Irish history, into modern day down-and-outs as once described by George Orwell. For over two years I’ve lived with Paddy Keenan and his family on their site in Finglas, Dublin. First being an intrusive outsider I gained their trust by photographing all their events and spending a lot of time with them. It got to the point where I was offered a trailer on their site which I had been living in until the Spring of 2019. I’ve experienced many joyful as well as heartbreaking moments with the Keenans and by becoming part of their family this project ended up being a visual diary of my life in a community that might not exist anymore in a few generations.

Anásha is a word in Traveller’s cant or Gammon, used to point out something that’s out of the ordinary, to make someone pay attention. Irish Travellers are tradionally a nomadic group within Irish society. With 40.000 in Ireland they are considered an ethnic minority even though they are in fact Irish. While living in clans they would travel across the country selling their wares or finding work with farmers to earn a living and move on. Though lawmakers, through the Vagrancy Act, took away their right to roam and had them settle in permanent or fixed halting sites. These were mostly located in impoverished areas around big cities, forcing them to integrate in a society that has shunned them for generations. Now the Traveller community lives in limbo, with a few trying to hold on to their own culture and customs but many falling victim to the pitfalls to modern society. Drug- and alcohol-abuse are big issues, as well as illiteracy, unemployment and mental health issues caused by this way of life.Turning a community that once played a vital role in Irish history, into modern day down-and-outs as once described by George Orwell. For over two years I’ve lived with Paddy Keenan and his family on their site in Finglas, Dublin. First being an intrusive outsider I gained their trust by photographing all their events and spending a lot of time with them. It got to the point where I was offered a trailer on their site which I had been living in until the Spring of 2019. I’ve experienced many joyful as well as heartbreaking moments with the Keenans and by becoming part of their family this project ended up being a visual diary of my life in a community that might not exist anymore in a few generations.