This body of work depicts the rapid transition from child to adult for the Donovans, a family of Irish Travellers. Due to their alternative lifestyle and customs, the transition into adulthood is expedited. Once the comforts of childhood diminish, expectations are met and roles are filled. This transition is not independent to the Traveller Community; instead it is something most can empathize with.
“I like…I like being in a caravan an’ a house. See it’s even because sometime like in a caravan there’s lots to do like, you can like… well the worst with caravans there’s not much room in them. The best of being in a caravan is like you’ve nothing to do really…nothin’ like, you don’t have to clean your room…anything like that.
Am, I like living in a house like, you might think you don’t like living in a house but you do… am I like living in a house because…it’s…it’s big, you’ve a lot of room and… there are like… you can, you can fit a food bit of stuff in there… there’s sittin’ room and kitchen, there’s stairs, there’s hallways…there’s mirrors and stuff and everything in it, you can do whatever you like there, you can bring anything.”
“I like being a Traveller. Am… because you could be… My favorite thing about it is I’ve a lot of sisters like and you’ve a lot of cousins you can play with… you’ve a lotta aunts and uncles.”
“I love school… I love school because at home you’ve to mind kids and… so I, I like school for like meeting your friends for like play like and enjoying like people and friends.”
“Mouse is my dog. I’m a getting a new pup, his brother or his sister and I’m going to call it Lady after the pups mother. And my dog have a girlfriend. A small one. Same size as him. Same as him. I call it Lady. My dog got stuck together with his girlfriend.”
“I’ve a mother called Kaka and I’ve a father called Martin… I don’t know their ages but anyway. The first born is Martin as well… he’s 11, 12, sorry. And the second born is Mary Bridget and third is Norren and that’s me! And the fourth born is Margaret and the fifth born is twins call Pamela & Sue ellen and the sixth, I mean seventh born is baby Paddy.”
“I wish I had all the money in the world but I kind of like I wouldn’t like to have all the money in the world because you could get kidnapped.”
“I’ve loads of cousins and aunties…one auntie was sad and wanted to go to heaven… she died and her name was Eileen… she died a few days ago… she was the best auntie… she’s an angel now, she loves it. We all miss her but she… she misses us but she likes it up there…”
“I worry about… am doin’ everything like… I worry about that you get stuff done in school and if you ever got in trouble.”
“My favorite thing to eat is bacon, cabbage, potatoes. No onion. For dessert I like to have ice-cream and custard ah, ice-cream, custard and strawberries. Am, my mother makes it for me. I like my, I like my potatoes mashed and all butter all over em. I like salt on my potatoes too.”
“If my mother has twins again, I’m running away from home.”
“It’s not always good sharing a room… the children they go to bed early. They might wake up about… my sisters get up at em… six at the dot.”
“I like being a kid.”
