Irish traveller bare knuckle fighting

I have no issue with you all wanting to box the heads off each other to prove how much of a man you are, but there are more pressing issues with your community that I hope you would address, but no sign of anything being done for decades now, so not holding my breath on those.

How can settling a dispute by bashing each other with fists be called a sport?

Is it true that Big Joe Joyce wrote a series of children's books under the pseudonym Esmée Blanchet?

There was a video circulating recently of a boxing match in Ballytivnan Sligo. Two fellas boxing the lugs of each other. Either they were punch drunk or simply drunk due to the lack of hits. They also were unfit probably for the intensity. What struck me about the fight was why we’re they fighting on the main road impeding traffic and actually were damaging peoples cars when there were plenty of fields right beside them where nobody would of batted a eyelid. I don’t mind a good fist fight. It’s a lot better way to sort out a grievance than knives , hammers, guns or any other implement. I have watched a few of the videos of scrapes and they seem well organised and in a strange way fairly moderated.

We obviously have different ideas as to what constitutes dialogue. I see it as two way conversation aimed at resolving the conflict. From the info you've given it seems you see it as threatening and antagonistic shouting followed by a good hiding.

As to your question of what's better- I'm guessing since you've mentioned court and financial compensation you might have a particular sort of conflict in mind involving theft or damage, in which case I would choose the legal and civilised way of resolving it, litigation. If you're owed something, what is beating the living snot out of someone going to get you, other than some temporary satisfaction and hands you can't use for a week?

Well the main benefit of bare Knuckle fights these days seems to be explaining how they came into possession of several hundred thousand on cash. There is some serious money at stake, apparently.

I won it on the fights boss. Nothing to do with armed robbery or drugs boss. All on the fights boss.

I haven’t seen a good bare knuckle fight involving Travellers yet. They are rubbish fighters in the main, unfit is the least of it.

There's seems to be a lot of research these days on the cumulative effects of brain trauma on people (memory issues, aggressive and impulsive behavior, etc).

Any thoughts on this and the tradition of bare knuckle fighting?

Is it legal ? I’m not a traveler but if I am having a row with a neighbor over a land boundary or loud music at 3 am can we choose to come to a mutual arrangement that we fight and the winner gets to impose their will ? I’m not sure if an organized fight would constitute assault probably not ? but I’m fairly sure it is in contravention of Section 16 of the Criminal Justice Public Order Act... so therefore it’s criminal.

if you have a tradition within your community that breaks the law, your community needs to change, not the law.

Bare knuckle boxing would rarely get that far , due to the damage received getting punched with bare knuckles.

Bareknuckle fights are a lot more cautious than gloves fight, a couple of decent punches can do pretty bad surface damage.

boxing where a fella can get the head pounded off him for 12 rounds repeatedly due to the padded gloves is a different story.

Can I ask why are the main reasons why traveller men mainly have a bare knucklebox?

Ya I'm aware of that side of things but they're still engaging in an activity with regular, fairly hard impacts to the head. From OPs post it sounds like something that happens quite frequently so things could add up quickly for some people (probably more so if you're pretty good at it cause you might do it more). I doubt anyone gets through a fight without at least a couple of blows to the head.

I'm curious if it's something that's considered within the community and if OP has any thoughts or observations on it

Do you declare the winnings (purse) for each h fight and why don’t you pay tax on it?

Also, what the fascination with elderly people living alone in the countryside, is urban theft too difficult?

I know it's not the done thing anymore however a good ould dust up can clear the air between two lads. Currently within the traveller community though it seems corrupted. Call out videos etc are very crass. A fight between two men can be a beautiful thing, when the going gets hard ya get the opportunity to examine yerself and ya also get a glimpse at the other man's soul at the same time. However with the travellers fights now a lot on money changes hands, what's that got to do with disputes?

I'll leave ye with this. I spend a good many years as a barman back in the day. One evening I came in to start my evening shift and one of the day staff had served two traveler women. I overheard there convo, one was trying to get the other to go out for the night. The other was saying that "he was at home with the baby, if i don't go home I'll be bet". The other one without blinking said, "come out it'll be great craic, shur take the baiting tomorrow".

I've had loads of run ins with travellers over the years but that was my worst one.