I watched the film Knuckle with increasing astonishment last night as traveller men pounded the daylights out of each other for no obvious reason except some vague animosity between different families, or bad blood, as some of the participants described it. That struck me as an odd way to put it since most of the men fighting were close relatives due to the traveller tradition of first cousins marrying each other.
Film-maker Ian Palmer followed the feud for 12 years, from his first job filming a wedding until the final fight when the travellers decided he couldn't be trusted to film a grudge contest. In the course of that work, Palmer captured a world that most of us never see, a world of simple certainties where a slight is a slight, and an entire family can hate another for no obvious reason apart from harsh words exchanged between two men decades ago.
As I continued to watch, all I could think of was the behaviour of pre-school toddlers projected onto what seemed to be grown men. Petulance, aggression, immaturity and the inability to resolve differences as adults seemed to be the overriding characteristics of the people involved.
The three-cornered feud between the Quinn-McDonaghs, the Joyces and the Nevins descends at times into farce as the ludicrous Joe Joyce postures and preens, jumping around like a demented overweight leprechaun, threatening all manner of destruction on his enemies. I couldn't avoid the thought that perhaps it was this sort of behaviour that created the Hollywood stereotypes of the Irish, and maybe even the racist Punch cartoons of the 19th century. After all, if people think Big Joe Joyce and his like are typical of the Irish, who could blame them for supposing that we're all unstable buffoons ready to tear off our shirts at the slightest offence?
James Quinn-McDonagh, by contrast, came across as a quiet, intelligent, reflective man, a reluctant participant in the violence, and yet he too was willing to take part in the fighting, while at the same time proving himself a far superior fighter to the clumsy oaf issuing threats against him on Youtube. As the film progressed, James, who bears a disturbing resemblance to Robert Duvall, quietly took part in one bout after another, calmly dispatching his opponents with a clinical display of bareknuckle boxing, while at the same time collecting purses in the tens of thousands for each fight.
Even after his retirement, James acted as coach, but when the final fight ended in a draw, he seemed relieved. Maybe this will sort out a lot, he muttered, but it seemed like a misplaced hope as one traveller after another pledged unending hatred towards their first cousins in the other clan. The women knew it. In a revealing cameo towards the end, they spoke about the stupidity of the row, pointing out that all of the families are intermarried and closely related.
The feud spans not only families, but countries. Large numbers of both clans live in Britain and continue the war there, for reasons they don't understand themselves. Even the little children on camera spoke of their hatred for an enemy they've never met and know nothing about.
What on earth were we looking at? I couldn't figure it out. The sort of behaviour depicted in Knuckle wouldn't be out of place among a bunch of three-year-olds, if you ignore the huge wads of cash, but these were grown men prancing around and shouting stupid threats at each other.
This wasn't evidence so much of a tradition as a disorder.
Bock, I also watched Knuckle last night and was quite horrified. I know they have this 'tradition' though their 'fair fights' are not always caused by animosity but more usually as a way to make a quick buck for the combatants and those who gamble on them. Is it fair to say this was caused by some vague animosity given that two men died?.
What Mr. Palmer filmed and experienced was indeed sensational but as a documentary it was poor fare. He acted as an observer and by his own admission was not trying to portray the rights or wrongs of people pounding each other senseless but had probably become hooked on an adrenalin rush.
Sure it provided a fascinating insight to the travellers lives but it might have been so much better if he'd had taken it further, eg. interviews with other traveller families who participate in this savagery without bad blood as excuse or perhaps to have opinion of a psychologist for some insight as to why men behave so.
As to what you said about them being immature and unable to settle their differences as grown men…
Mr. Joyce does not seem to be a very reasonable fellow, I cannot imagine him sitting down to calm discussion for the purpose of overcoming personal problems with another. He is brutish and his way is the way of 'might is right'. Mr. Quinn – McDonagh by contrast seems like somebody who knew this was wrong but had been pushed into it (he did mention being bullied) and had decided for his families sake to protect them and heck, why not turn a few quid in the process. He's a smart lad if you ask me.
A quick question, do you have any idea why these people settle their differences so and other not of their ilk through dialogue and reason? Might education be key to the issue?
I think you made a very valid point about the stereotypical view of the Irish. That was the de facto image for them in the USA and UK early in the last century but it was not just travellers were tarnished with this brush, generally the whole nation was coloured so and maybe back then it was more difficult to see differences between the traveller groups and the so-called settled people. Again, I wonder if it is education that has seperated us from them?
I pity the children of these families or more-so the male members as they are exposed to this continuing hatred and will grow up with this instilled in them while there seems to be no discouragement from the fathers. What kind of parent would want their sons to grow up and willingly encourage them to participate in such savagery, risking injury or perhaps death?
I found it all quite disgusting but agree, it must be a disorder.
Seems others had the same idea, you've probably seen this on Facebook but just in case…
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/49034/Joyce%20V%20Haye.jpg
The "Feud" is only used as an excuse to carry out the fights. The real reason is gambling.
as an aside, I read something recently that stated bare knuckle fighting is safer then boxing as the there are less brain injuries suffered. Repeated blows to the head with a gloved fist will result in less facial injuries but more brain injuries as the repeated jolts of the head causes problems.
Both savage "sports. As I'm not a fan of neither, I say let them at it if that's how they get their jollies.