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]
