LIMERICK-based artist Willzee has released ‘Travelling Man’, the first single from his forthcoming album Deep T’inker, blending Irish folk melody with rap and spoken-word poetry. The tune is an absolute banger and a powerful reclaiming of Traveller identity “I’m a TraBuffer — Traveller blood, Settled rearing. I’ve tapped into my settled artistry for years. Now it’s time to give the Traveller in me a go,” says Willzee.
For him, this release is more than a song – it’s a call to reimagine how Ireland sees its Indigenous nomadic people. It confronts the trauma of assimilation, shines a light on Traveller excellence, and gives voice to those often left voiceless.
The official video, directed by ‘Kreated by Naty’, features Willzee’s children Cayne and Dakota, nephew Baby Mike, cousins Paddy and John, and niece and nephew Lexi and Ian Clancy. “I wanted to bring the young family into it because, in essence, they’re the ones who will carry the flame,” he explains. “The aim was to showcase what constitutes Willzee—a little bit of street, Traveller, traditional music, and of course family, all sprinkled with a bit of Casey charm.”
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Deep T’inker, due early next year, draws on ancestral storytelling and aims to dismantle prejudice.
Rooted in lived experience and academic research, the album emerged “from studying how policies have harmed our people”, including the 1963 Commission of Itinerancy. “But it’s also about the stories, the love, the music I grew up with around the fire. I wanted to go back to the grass roots of Traveller music—and honour the uncles and aunties who inspired me.”