Mary , These people traveled Australia during the great depression 1929 to 1935 looking for work I remember as a small child , we were luckey enough to own a small car. My dad would always give them a lift and a feed. They wore felt hats with corks dangleing from the brim to keep the flies off and carried their swag[bedding] But then most people were hit hard , those days have gone where people would lend a hand to others. At the time of the Depression my Dad was fairly comfortable , he married late at 42 in 1929. He was first violinest with the Sydney Orchestra , as it was then called . He some times lent money to friends before the depression and got very badley burnt He lent 12.000 pounds [a lot of money in those times] to Sir Isack Isack's who took advantage of the Moratorium Act and never repaid one penny. This broke my dad and he seem to go down hill from then on . Some times you wonder where the young ones are going. They never knew hardship and want everthing TODAY , not tomorrow when they can pay for it Trish Hello Jack, Checked the word in the Concise Oxford Dictionary and it reads " Tinker. A mender (esp. itinerant) of kettles and pans etc"., and a few other meanings also. When I was a little girl (many many years ago) I remember the rhyme "Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Sailor,Rich man, Poor man, Beggarman and Thief". This rhyme was used on a circle of friends, to pick out the one who had to be "in" for Hidey. My Welsh Dad used to say they were men who wandered around and did mending or patching of pots and pans or anything you wanted fixed. Over here in North Queensland, I remember as a child, seeing what we called "Swageys" who were men who were out of work and called at houses to do this type of work or sharpen knives and scissors etc. All they wanted was some tea, sugar, and maybe a little butter and bread which they put into their little tins and Swaggy Bags they carried over their shoulders. The ones who called at our house were very respectful old men and I often wondered what had happened in their lives to send them out on the road looking for little jobs like this, and camping in the sheds around the area, while I was so comfy in my own home. If their work was good, they also got a few pounds from Dad to help them on their way. They had many stories to tell about their travells and Dad and Mum heard also of terrible tradegies that had sent some of them out on the road. My parents always had a handout for any of these poor people as they had both come from families who had struggled to bring up their large families in Wales and Ireland and knew what it was like not to have much money. In our town, we never heard of any Swaggys causing any trouble with any person or property. In those bygone days, we could leave our houses open and were never pestered or robbed. How things have changed!! Well you can go to bed now Jack after hearing my idea of the word "Tinker." Kind regards, Mary ----- Original Message ----- From: "John L. Sweeney" <sweelab@enter.net> To: "Ray Marshall" <raymarsh@mninter.net>; "Kerry List" <IRL-Kerry@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 1:09 PM Subject: [IRL-KERRY] Subject: [IRELAND] Tinker Tribes - CLAFFEY, SHERLOCK,DRISCOLL, CASEY, CARTHY, COFFEY, McQUEEN > Good Evening All: > > "Traveller" is an American expression. "Tinker" is what I knew for so > many > years and is still applied to those of us who are what we know are > "Tinkers" > in our homeland. > > Contributed by Jack Sweeney, [one of my favorite people], who still lives > in > Palmer, Pennsylvania. > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > IRL-KERRY-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to IRL-KERRY-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.467 / Virus Database: 269.8.0/818 - Release Date: 25/05/2007 12:32 PM