The Ethnic minority;
The 'Ethnic minority' or Traveller's or Tinkers or Pikeys, Didicoy, Gypsies, Knackers or whatever you want to call them, that we civilized folk are told to respect and not to discriminate against because we are all 'God's children' and all citizens of the Irish state.
I will 'Bite my tongue' and just state the facts of my Taxi journey from the Friday night of the June bank holiday weekend 2019;
It's 2.30am in the morning and I'm driving my cab down Pembroke street in Cork city center looking fer a fare, this auld fella staggers out of a pub and disrespectfully shouts at me; "Hey Glasses !", I have a long look at him and see his wife/partner behind him, she seems an elegant mature lady so I take the fare. He sits in the front and the lady in the back requesting to go to Fairhill and then he starts with the gammon/knacker accent and I'm thinking to myself; 'Oh FFS !'..
The pair of them were the same age as myself, mid-Fifties, yer man was dressed similar to me with a check shirt but with a much bigger pot-belly than mine and a good few teeth missing and also with multiple scars on his face which I didn't spot on the street, herself was done up to the 'Nines'.... Hair, Nails, Tan, Dress all immaculate. The journey started well, him telling me why I'm wasting my time as a Taxi driver while there was serious coin to be made in London, I politely ignored him and he then turned his conversation to the lady in the back-seat telling her that he wanted to drive an Ice-cream van in London, she howled in laughter at his seemingly stupid idea and that kinda got the Ball Rolling. She was talking of the New Travellers and how they would all be going to college in a few years time, Etc.... All was good fer the start of the journey and as we got to Fair hill they started arguing about where to go, after a minute or so it was decided that they would go to someone's house, a friend of theirs at 2.40am to get more drink, so we arrive at a house and yer man is out banging on the house doors and windows with no reply, herself in the back rolls down the back window shouting; "She is 3 months pregnant ! she is nor gonna answer ya !", so he sits back in and they continue their conversation in the knacker gammon accent which I can't understand. I'm directed to a Second house this time the house has big gates at the front and yer man is out again hammering on the gates and shouting over them at 2.50am in the morning. Herself in the back telling me of all her Woes of all the brothers, children and parents who had died on her in recent years. Two minutes later she again rolls down the back window and shouts out at him; "Will ya get back n de Fookin cab ya Fookin ejit ya !". Yer man staggers back to the cab pulling out a cigarette and asking me fer a light, I refuse his request telling him; "No, No light, sit in to the car and I'll bring ye home", really wishing that herself had stepped out fer a nano-second so that I could drive off and dump them.
So we are still parked outside the Second house, herself telling me that she is an honest woman and I will be paid fer the fare whilst arguing with yer man in the gammon accent, I ask them where they wish to go next, she flippantly replies; "I don't know, ask him !" but Him is much more interested in his drunken argument with her, 100 more times I ask fer their address with him slurring all sorts and her ignoring me, eventually he calls her a 'Whore' and she loses the plot lashing him in the face from her back seat position and screaming at him; "I'll tear those last few teeth out of your Fookin miserable head !". He tries to wedge himself between the Two front seats to get a dig off at her, but she catches his hand and instead I get the dig in the ear and that was kinda the end of Me being Mr Nice Guy Taxi driver, I roar at them; "COP THE FOOK ON, SIT DOWN, NO MORE HITTING, I HAVE JUST BEEN ASSAULTED AND IF I HEAR ANOTHER PEEP OUTTA EITHER OF YE, THEN IT'S A GARDA JOB !". That worked fer about 20 seconds with herself apologizing to me fer being hit saying; "He didn't hit you, it was me just pushing his hand away". And then it all flared up again with me trying to get an address to dump them at and them roaring at each other, eventually he said 'Barrack street' which is on the Southside, the opposite side of the city to where we were, I tell them; "There is 25 on the meter already, do ye have cash to pay fer this ?", herself reassures me that she is a Honest Woman and I will be paid, so I drive on and the argument flares up again with herself now stating; "Take me home to Blarney, I Fookin hate this so and so ....Etc....". So I head fer Blarney but yer man doesn't want to go to Blarney so I pull in and open his passenger door telling him Not very nicely to 'GET OUT', but he won't get out and then herself concedes to; "Let's go back to the Barracks" which was actually an address by Collins barracks on the Old Youghal road in the Mayfield/Glen Northside area, again I drive on telling the pair of them very harshly; "NO TALKING, NO HITTING, SILENCE ALL THE WAY HOME !" and they did respect my wishes again fer about Thirty seconds before yer man came out with; "See that sign-post there I should put you up on it as a Whore !" and of course she belted the head off him yet again with me trying to drive the cab and keep them separated.
We arrive at their home address after a most turbulent 30-minute journey. Up herself in the back pops in with; "I've No money". There is 33.40 on the cab meter and yer man pulls out a Tenner saying that's all he has. I remind the lady of her earlier promise to pay me and she replies; "I am an honest woman and I will pay you, I have some coins here" and she comes up with 3.40 in loose change showing me her seemingly empty handbag. So I turn on yerman (not very politely) asking what he has ? He roots in his pocket and comes out with a load of pub receipts, I see a Fiver and grab it from his hand and then I see another Tenner and go to grab that too but yerman holds on to it and it tears in Two between us with him stating that; "He needed the Tenner fer ....." I opened his fist and extracted the Second half of the torn Tenner before I very unpolitely told them both to 'GET OUT' ! He offered his hand to shake apologizing fer 'What went on' and fer not having the full fare, I refused his hand.