Sorry Nick,
I had no intention of giving offence.
During the time I was recording Travellers in London many of them became close friends. I saw the rat-infested sites they were forced to live on, and I saw them driven out of those sites by local bigotry. I witnessed evictions close up, I was with them when they were barred out of the pubs and I took part of their campaign to get decent sites and conditions.
As bad as it was in the UK, it has reached 'ethnic cleansing' proportions here in Ireland, something we see daily, particularly here in County Clare where I live. 18 months ago in this town, a family who had been made homeless by a caravan fire and who had been temporarily housed to help them get through the winter, were driven out by a local mob.
When I hear Travellers being slagged off with the usual old garbage I get pissed of - it may seem academic to you, but it doesn't feel like it to me.
I could pass by on the other side and say nothing, but my'victimhood by proxy' won't let me so I choose to comment. However, as this thread is about giving away tapes I'll take my bleeding heart elsewhere.
Best,
Jim Carroll