What's Traveller Genes?

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Scottish Travellers, Irish Travellers, and Romanichal or Romany populations of the British Isles and Ireland are traditionally nomadic communities. They were socially isolated from settled populations until recently. Some genetic studies have been carried out, but Scottish Travellers, in particular, have not been part of such research.

Traveller Genes will use genetic analysis to understand the origins of Scottish Traveller communities and their relationships with each other.

We're looking for people who have at least two grandparents who are or were Travellers. This includes Scottish Travellers, Irish Travellers, Romanichal or Romany, or Welsh Kale. Traveller Genes aims to recruit 200-400 people to:

• Identify the genetic origins and relationships of the Scottish Traveller community e.g. Highland Travellers, Lowland Travellers, Borders Romanichal Travellers
• Work out how Scottish Travellers relate to each other, to the Irish Travellers and English Gypsies, as well as the “settled” Scottish and neighbouring populations
• Understand overall patterns of health, disease and genetic risk factors in the Traveller community.

The chance of developing conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease and some cancers, is affected by your genes. Genes are passed through the family and are ‘written’ in your DNA.

Traveller Genes will also look into whether Traveller populations have different patterns of health or carry different genetic risk factors to the settled populations of the British Isles. This information could be important for healthcare.  We’ll use current and historical records, along with DNA from your saliva sample, to create family trees of volunteers. This allows research into the genetic history of Travellers.

The research we do will always consider what the Traveller community wants us to achieve and we will always seek community advice and support.