A Celebration of Diversity from County Kerry, Ireland : Polish Lads and the Pikeys

Our International Celebration of Diversity! It's always fair weather, when great folks get together!

Poles charged over fight with Travellers*
TWO Polish men appeared in court in Listowel on Thursday last charged in connection with an alleged altercation with members of the Travelling community on the previous weekend

Jan Bieszczanin (24) of 30 Cluainín, Listowel and 28-year-old Piotr Jaron of 89 Fairway Heights, The Kerries were each charged with possession of a baseball bat and three pickaxe handles, with intent to cause harm to members of the Mccarthy family.

The court was told that both men were initially arrested in Lisselton on Monday afternoon, February 6, and taken to Listowel Garda Station. However, both men were re-arrested and charged before Thursday's siting. The arresting garda said that in reply to the charge against him, Mr Jaron said: "I didn't have a baseball bat.'Both men were released on bail, subject to a number of conditions, to appear again on March 8. Solicitor Pa Daly was granted legal aid for the men, who are both in receipt of social welfare.

(emphasis my own) Aye, so and like the shtory.

*

Pikeys:Folks of no Fixed Abode -More recently, pikey was applied to Irish Travellers (also known as tinkers and knackers) and non-Roma Gypsies.In the late 20th century, it came to be used to describe "a lower-class person, regarded as coarse or disreputable."

Pikey's most common contemporary use is not as a term for the Gypsy ethnic group, but as a catch-all phrase to refer to people, of any ethnic group, who travel around with no fixed abode.