The Irish Travellers of Ireland

The Irish Travellers of Ireland, numbering approximately 6,100 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community of Ireland They are an Indigenous people, in the Anglo-Celt people cluster of the Eurasian Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Christianity - Roman Catholicism. They primarily speak Shelta.

Irish Travellers in Ireland photo
Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Irish Traveller

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: European Peoples
Country: Ireland
People Cluster: Anglo-Celt
Primary Language(s): Shelta (sth)
Primary Religion(s): Christianity - Roman Catholicism
Population: 6,100
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG000299
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Irish Travellers of Ireland

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Christianity - Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

%
Christianity - Roman Cath… Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Shelta
Language Family: Speech Register

%
Shelta Speakers

Media Resources in Shelta:

Films:

No entries found for: Shelta(sth). Help build some!

Bible Resources in Shelta:

Or check out the Shelta bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

Next steps for the Irish Travellers

The Irish Travellers are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Irish Travellers

The Irish Travellers are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Next steps for the Irish Travellers

The Irish Travellers are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Irish Travellers of Ireland

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
readPsalm 19:1

Pray that those who are lost will look to the heavens and see the glory of God displayed, leading them to seek Him and know Him as their Creator and Savior.

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
readPsalm 22:27-28

Pray that entire families will turn to the Lord in repentance and faith, and that they will worship Him and declare His righteousness to the nations.

I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.
readPsalm 3:5-6

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and experience isolation or other persecution, God will sustain them and give them confidence and rest in Him.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
readEphesians 6:10

Ask God to strengthen believers with His mighty power so that as they cross cultures to share the gospel, they will stand firm against the schemes of the enemy.

Irish Traveller (ROP3 - 108929) reported in the following countries:

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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