Origins

The historical origins of Travellers as a group has been a subject of great dispute. Some argue that Irish Travellers are descended from another nomadic people called the Tarish. It was once widely believed that Travellers were descended from landowners who were made homeless by Oliver Cromwell's military campaign in Ireland and in the 1840s famine. However, their origins may be more complex and difficult to ascertain because through their history the Travellers have left no written records of their own. The closest to a legend of origin known to exist describes the Travellers as descended from a tinsmith who helped build the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. According to this tale, Christ cursed the tinsmith's line to wander the earth until Judgment Day.[4]
Furthermore, not all families of the Travellers date back to the same point in time; some adopted Traveller customs centuries ago while others did so in more modern times, yet all claim ancient origins regardless of noted assumption of the habits and customs. [5]
Dr. Sharon Gmelch, who has studied and written about the Travellers, states that the Dooley Clan is acknowledged by other Travellers as one of the "oldest families on the road." [6]. There are also many Irish people surnamed Dooley who are not Travellers.
Genetic studies indicate that the Roma of Eastern Europe are "isolates",[7] but Irish Travellers are sometimes considered to be derived from the general Irish population, as indicated by surnames. However, genetic studies by Miriam Murphy, David Croke, and other researchers identified certain genetic diseases common in the Irish Traveller population which are quite rare among the rest of the community, perhaps resulting from marriage only within the Traveller community, or suggesting descent from either a select group of Irish long ago or ancestors unrelated to the rest of the Irish population.