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The Catholic Church is the place of worship for the Shelby family. It is located in Birmingham, England. Tommy will often have private conversations and meetings at the church.
Tommy Shelby and his kin are Irish-Romani (sometimes spelled Romany) Gypsies, a unique cultural and ethnic group present in Britain since the 1500s. The award-winning Peaky Blinders is directed by Steven Knight and has run for 6 seasons, the most recent hitting U.S. Netflix in June 2022.
Christian Beliefs
Aunt Polly is a Christian and quotes the Bible almost every time she speaks.
Even though Tommy is an atheist, spirituality and gypsy beliefs remain pervasive within the series. Despite this strong family inking, the Shelbys never stop trying to redefine their status.
Murphy was raised Roman Catholic and had been verging on agnosticism until researching his role as a physicist and astronaut in the 2007 film Sunshine, which confirmed his atheism.
Contrary to popular opinion (see below), the name of the gang may have actually originated with style: Peaky for their peaked caps and Blinder as Birmingham slang for a striking gentleman.
Romani is the only Indio-Aryan language that has been spoken exclusively in Europe since the Middle Ages and whose vocabulary and grammar are related to Sanskrit. The language used by Romani people is a source of great pride, facilitating the connectivity and communication between people across the world.
Freddie died of "pestilence," likely the Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918–1920, before the series begins. At Freddie's funeral, Thomas reveals that he made a promise back in France to speak over Freddie's grave should he pass away before him, which he fulfills.
– The Romani gypsy words spoken by Ruby in her fevered state appear to be “Tikno mora o beng o beng”. In this English/Romani dictionary, 'tikno' means child or small, 'mora' or 'maura' means to slay or kill, and 'o beng' means 'the devil'.
The song features a line about "being up to our knees in Fenian blood," with "Fenian" being used to describe supporters of Irish nationalism and/or Irish Catholics. There's also a nice lyric about telling their enemies to "surrender or die."
St Chad's Church, Leeds - Peaky Blinders
The main protagonist, Thomas Shelby, is often found in one of them, St. Chad's Church, built in 1868, which is actually located in Leeds.
Throughout the Peaky Blinders Gypsy storyline, Tommy, Aunt Polly, and several other characters speak what they call “Romani,” but the language used in the show is a version of Romanian, whereas the Romani people are believed to come from India.
Yes, Peaky Blinders is actually based on a true story. Well, kind of. Technically, Peaky Blinders follows the Shelby family, a gang of outlaws who infiltrated late 19th-century England — the Shelby's weren't reported to be real people, but the Peaky Blinders gang did exist.
So if you are addicted to Peaky Blinders, you probably already know that the series is based on true events and true characters. So let's dive into the fascinating world of the real-life Peaky Blinders. Steven Knight, mastermind and creator of Peaky Blinders, based the show on his personal life.
Many Roma refer to themselves by one generic name, Rom (meaning “man” or “husband”), and to all non-Roma by the term Gadje (also spelled Gadze or Gaje; a term with a pejorative connotation meaning “bumpkin,” “yokel,” or “barbarian”).
In fact, if a person has Roma blood, many of the DNA tests will indicate South Asian ancestry as well as Middle Eastern, and then, perhaps, also European ancestry such as Hungarian, Bulgarian, Swedish, or Portuguese, but it might be any mix.
Tommy and others are seen smoking Opium throughout the series as a coping mechanism. over 5000 cigarettes were smoked on the show. Characters drink frequently on-screen, become drunk, and act violent and clumsy. One character has an opium habit, and a 10-year-old child smokes a cigarette on-screen.
Etymology. The folk etymology of Peaky Blinder is that the gang members would stitch disposable razor blades into the peaks of their flat caps, which could then be used as weapons.
That gang was in turn usurped by one run by Charles Sabini, another of Peaky Blinders's recurring characters. And though there was no Tommy Shelby to be an MP, the show's most recent baddie, Oswald Mosley, was indeed a real life politician who was a player in bringing the fascist movement to Britain in the 1930s.
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.
Tommy Shelby has four tattoos that have appeared on screen. The most famous is the sunray design on his left breast. This was based on a real tattoo that had Jesus in the middle; but Tommy's not the religious type, so only the sunrays were used.
Origin:Irish. Meaning:bright-headed. For a name as promising and multi-faceted as baby's future, give Cillian a go. This Irish boy's name means "bright-headed." This name could also mean "monastery, church," as cill is the Irish word for church, letting you give a nod to your faith if you want.