Are the Shelbys in peaky blinders Irish?
Emily Sparks
Published Jan 21, 2026
The Shelby Family is a small and wealthy family of Irish-Traveller descent originating from Birmingham, England. While being a small family, their influence is large and extends over a large portion of Birmingham and London. The Shelby Family run the Peaky Blinders and their own company, Shelby Company Limited.
Is Thomas Shelby Irish in Peaky Blinders?
Thomas Michael Shelby was born in Birmingham, England around 1890 to an Irish Traveller and Romani family and grew up in the Small Heath neighborhood of Birmingham.
Are the Shelbys Irish or gypsy?
The Shelbys are of Irish-Romani descent, referring to themselves and other Romani as “gypsies” in the show.
Is Thomas Shelby Irish or Scottish?
A small and wealthy family with Irish and Traveller origins from Birmingham, England, the Shelby Family has an impact throughout Birmingham and London. Despite being a small family, the Shelbys are highly influential and have an enormous amount of influence.
Is the cast of Peaky Blinders Irish?
Alongside the four Irish stars, joining the show are English actor Sam Claflin and American actress Anya Taylor Joy. Kate Dickie, Cosmo Jarvis, Elliot Cowan and Neil Maskell are some other names who will be lending their talent to the award-winning series.
36 related questions foundWho is the Irish girl in Peaky Blinders?
'That's a wrap' - Irish actress Charlene McKenna says goodbye to Peaky Blinders 'family' for the final time. The Monaghan woman starred as IRA boss Captain Swing in the fifth season of the show, appearing on screen for just a couple of minutes.
Are the Shelbys Catholic?
Author Robert Jeffrey told BBC Scotland the two main gangs in the 1930s were the Billy Boys and the Norman Conks. "It was a religious divide," he said. "The Billy Boys were protestants and the Conks, who centred on Norman Street, were Catholics."
What is Cillian Murphys accent?
Since landing the part of Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders, Cillian's 'real accent' has baffled fans. The talented actor has never lost his authentic Cork accent, but his character portrayal of Shelby means he has adapted a strong Birmingham accent for the role.
What nationality is Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders?
Thomas Michael "Tommy" Shelby (born 1890 - died 19??) was a British politician and gangster who led the Peaky Blinders gang in Birmingham before later turning to politics as the Labour MP for Small Heath. He was the younger brother of Arthur Shelby, the gang's former leader.
What is the Irish Traveller community?
The Travelling Community is an Irish ethnic minority group. Travellers traditionally lived nomadically, moving from place to place, and followed their family routes around a region in Ireland looking for work and visiting fairs.
What language do Irish Travellers speak?
Shelta is a language spoken by Irish Travellers. It is widely known as the Cant and De Gammon to its native speakers in Ireland. It was often spoken to exclude outsiders from understanding conversations.
What did Sabini take from Tommy's mouth?
Their raid gains the attention of the other faction in London, the Jews, who invite him to a sit down. However, Thomas is set upon by Sabini and his thugs, who slice the inside of Thomas's mouth with the sharp end of a razor, while his sister Ada is also accosted.
Are the peaky blinders IRA?
Why Tommy Shelby Is Working With The IRA
The Peaky Blinders have massive amounts of influence over all of England, but hold considerably less outside the country. In order for the opium deal to go through, Tommy is reliant on the IRA to facilitate the transport of goods from their port to the United States.
What are common Traveller surnames?
You may have Romani, Traveller or Gypsy ancestry if your family tree includes common Romani or Gypsy surnames such as Boss, Boswell, Buckland, Chilcott, Codona, Cooper, Doe, Lee, Gray (or Grey), Harrison, Hearn, Heron, Hodgkins, Holland, Lee, Lovell, Loveridge, Scamp, Smith, Wood and Young.
What language is Romani closest to?
Romani, fascinatingly, originates in South Asia and is in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. Its grammar and core vocabulary, therefore, is related to Sanskrit and the other Indic languages like Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi.
What is Tommy Shelby's accent?
Tommy Shelby, Cillian Murphy
The actor, famous for his roles in Inception and 28 Days Later was born in Douglas, an Irish suburb in Cork, but he masterfully manages to switch his Irish accent into Tommy Shelby's Birmingham lilt.
What accent does Arthur Shelby have?
Peaky Blinders marked a change of approach. As Cillian Murphy dropped his soft Irish lilt for Tommy Shelby's understated Brummie, he demonstrated that the accent could be serious, subtle and spoken by sharp-minded people.
Is Cillian Murphy a Brummie?
The final season marks the end of the Peaky Blinders journey on TV. BBC Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy has shared how he spent time in Birmingham pubs to "perfect" the Brummie dialect. His accent in Peaky Blinders is a key part of his Tommy Shelby character.
What kind of gypsy is Tommy Shelby?
Over the years, Thomas' parents welcomed three more children, John, Ada and Finn Shelby. Thomas' parents were both Gypsies, making him and all of his siblings full-blooded Gypsies as well. It is implied by Thomas' paternal aunt, Polly Gray, that the Lee Family are the Shelby Family's kin, through their mother.
Is Grace in Peaky Blinders Irish?
Grace Helen Shelby (née Burgess) was an Irish barmaid who took up employment at The Garrison Pub, and secretly operated as an undercover agent for the Birmingham Police. Her mission involved getting close to Thomas Shelby whom she fell in love with.
Who are IRA Peaky Blinders?
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is any of several paramilitary movements in Ireland committed to Irish republicanism, uniting Ireland into one state not under British control.
Do they drink real alcohol on Peaky Blinders?
Peaky Blinders is filmed using Gallglennie whiskey. doesn't really exist, as it is only an invention of the series' makers. Filming takes place without the actors drinking real whiskey. Their beverage of choice is tea rather than whiskey.
What illness does Tommy Shelby have?
Following the X-Rays he was forced to take at the sanatorium where Ruby was treated and died, Tommy also gets a diagnosis. His lungs are clear of tuberculosis, but he has developed a tuberculoma.
Is Sabini Italian?
Biography. Sabini was born Ottavio Handley, the illegitimate child of Italian immigrant Ottavio Sabini and Englishwoman Eliza Handley in Saffron Hill, London in 1888.