A ground-breaking new documentary called Knuckle shows one man’s 12-year mission to infiltrate some of the most closely guarded communities in Britain: pikeys. Director Ian Palmer spent over a decade filming James Quinn McDonagh, nicknamed King of the Gypsies, and his family, even living with them, while documenting three feuding gypsy families for a new film.

This is real life Snatch. It’s about disagreements between warring gypsy clans and family pride.

It’s real money, real punches and real drama.

Director Ian Palmer:

I had never planned to make a film about bare-knuckle boxing. I stumbled across this secretive world and was drawn into it. In 1997 I knew very little about Travellers and I knew nothing about their feuding and tradition of organised fist fighting.

I had been introduced to a Traveller family called the McDonaghs who lived in the small town of Navan about twenty miles north of Dublin. As I got to know the McDonaghs I started to research a film about their family history and traditions.

Taking it all in, Quinn McDonagh is actually quite modest about his title:

It’s not that I’m proud of the title, but because I’ve always won my bare knuckle fights, the other clans put me on that pedestal and keep sending fighters for me. I was forced into this life, I was asked to take on every fight.

And if someone wants to fight for family pride, you’ve gotta do it.

Check out the website for more.

[Source: Knuckle]