Ireland – the land of scumbags and skangers.

“Knacker”.

It’s an interesting word, and one with several meanings. Beyond these shores it is someone who slaughters horses, en route to the manufacture of equine glue, or suchlike. Within them and beyond, it can be used as a verb, as in “to knacker” something, or an adjective as in “the whole country is knackered”.

Exclusively in Ireland, it is predominantly utilised in reference to an individual member of the travelling community (those of you abroad who are unfamiliar with Ireland's travellers might look at the film "Pavee Lackeen" to get some idea). Sometimes the term is employed as an ersatz word for “skanger”, a distinctly urban Irish underclass of scumbag who lives on the dole (though some do work), steals your car, and sticks bangers up your cat’s arse at Halloween . Whenever I use the term it is always in the latter sense, never the former - but it’s probably best to just to use the term “skanger”, as that avoids any possible confusion.

Some time ago, I played in a pub covers band which contained a sizeable proportion of skangers who you would trust as far you could throw (definitely not far). Funny thing is, they would refuse point-blank to perform at traveller weddings. At the time, I mused on what was it, exactly, that made these people feel they were superior to anyone else? Knowing some of them, it certainly wasn’t honesty or integrity.

The subject of travellers is quite a heated one here in Ireland, but it’s one of the few things I would not get hot and bothered about. In short, travellers have never actually bothered me throughout my life to date, whereas skangers have – and there are lots more of them, particularly here in Blanchardstown.

There’s a Traveller halting site not too far away from me on the Porterstown Road, but I have never heard any reports – or experienced – any problems coming from that quarter of Dublin 15. Can you say the same for many of the “settled” estates in the area? No. Skangers are the problem for me, not travellers.

Sure, sections of the travelling community feature disproportionately in reported crime – just as they are underrepresented in education – and some of their internecine feuds are unimaginably vicious and entrenched. But you also have to wonder if an individual traveller attempted to get a job and live and work with settled people, would he/she ever be accepted by the wide majority? My guess is no.

Not even by the skangers.

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