Murphy Village, A Gypsy Camp In South Carolina, Is Home To The Largest Population Of Irish Travellers In The Country
Most people are surprised to learn a band of Irish Travellers has called South Carolina home since the 1940s. Also known as “gypsies,” which is a bit outdated and skirts a political incorrectness rife with uneasiness, the Irish Travellers that live outside of the city of North Augusta in South Carolina are the largest community in the nation. The population is said to currently be approaching 3,000 people. But the group is an extremely closed-knit society and few people from the outside fully penetrate this culturally different community. Here’s what we know to be true of the Irish Travellers in South Carolina today:
They do not travel in a group around the country in rounded, horse-drawn carriages.
We can toss that stereotype right out the window. Times have changed and so has the lifestyle of the old-time travellers that first called South Carolina home.
They settled here in 1940 after an Irish minister from up North inherited a parish north of North Augusta. His name was Murphy and his village would soon become known as Murphy Village.
The priest encouraged the travellers to set up camp next to the church — and they did! Soon, a trailer park would become the main camp for the travellers.
Some 70 years later, the Travellers still attend services at St. Edward Catholic Church.
Some reports say the women run the show since the men are gone most of the time. However, it's said the men are all always at home three times a year: during the World Series, Easter, and for Christmas.
And only about a dozen surnames exist within the community. For this reason, the men are all given nicknames and go by their nickname instead of their birth name. It is thought that marriages between cousins are commonplace.
Speaking of birth, soon after a child is welcomed into the community, a marriage is arranged (for a much later date, of course).
Marriages are arranged very early but cannot take place until the girl reaches the age of 16.
South Carolina’s Murphy Village is the single largest village of its kind for Irish Travellers in America. Other villages are found in Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Texas. Over the decades since Murphy Village came into existence, the village has made headlines for a number of reasons. Have you heard of Murphy Village or the Irish Travellers that live here before now?
Robin Jarvis is a travel writer and editor for OnlyInYourState.com with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. Her love for travel has taken her to many parts of the world. She's lived in the Carolinas for nearly three decades and currently resides in Charleston. When she's not working, she loves to cook with friends and check out new adventures. General questions and FAM tours: rjarvis@onlyinyourstate.com.
