Where do you come from?

Exit

I've been doing some family research lately, so I'm interested in this subject. I realise that not everybody is interested in genealogy but I'm sure most people know at least a little of their family history.

I grew up in Clonshaugh, Dublin, but for the first 10 months of my life I lived in Ballymun. For anybody who knows Ballymun, I lived in one of the cottages that used to be at the crossroads. The house was in our family since it was built in the early 1900s. So, I was born there, as was my mother and was my grandmother. My great-grandparents, however, were born in The Boot Inn, Cloghran, Co. Dublin and Coolboy, Co. Wicklow. My grandfather was born in Inchicore, Dublin with his parents being from a place called Dernegaragh in Westmeath.

On my dad's side, he was born in Dolphin's Barn, as was his father, and probably his grandparents too. His mother was a Protestant and born in Shankill, Co. Wicklow. Her family apparently disowned her because she married a Catholic.

I'm not asking for intricate details, but I'm just curious where people come from. Are you 100% Irish as far as you know?

Huggles

Yes i'm 100% as far as I know.

I was born in Glasnevin, my Mother born in Cabra and my Father in East Wall.

My Mothers father was from dublin and her Mother from Westmeath. My Fathers father was from Offaly and his Mother Dublin.

Interested to delve a little deeper when I get some free time.

spurious

I was born in Dublin, both my parents were born in Dublin.
Father's parents were born in Laois and Tipperary. mother's parents were born in Clare and Armagh.

tman

I was born in Norfolk, the mother's side of my family comes from Scotland (pretty much as north as you can get - the Orkney Islands) and London
My father's side of the family comes from New York

I also have some Irish blood in there, but I'd say its about 1% at this stage due to that mixed heritage:p

SpitfireIV

Both my parents are from Carlow, but my family name seems to be more or less unique to Co. Meath, my surname definately isnt Irish, there may be a British connection along the line somewhere, but thus far I've not been able to trace it back too far.

How many generations do you have to go back before you can say you are 100% Irish? My parents are Irish, my granparents are Irish as to were my great great grandparents.

mike65

Zero Irish AFAIK but deffo some Welsh. Proberly mainly hunnish

Mike.

KBarry

My father and his family are from Yorkshire in England. The surname is Scottish but no idea when or how they ended up there.

Mother's side is a bit more complicated. Her father is an Armagh man who met and married a local woman when he was working in England during WW2. He brought her back to Ireland after the war where they proceeded to turn out an impressive number of children, before returning to England in the early 60s. I recently learned that his mother was a Protestant, and was also disowned by her family for marrying a Catholic. Strange I only discovered that after all these years. Not sure if it was kept quiet or just not very interesting, lol. One day I'd like to delve a bit deeper into that branch of the family tree.

Years ago I helped my mum do a bit of research into her mother's family and, as far as we can tell, they are real English yokels. They all seem to have married people who were born in the same village or in a few miles radius.

Exit

CroppyBoy1798 wrote:

How many generations do you have to go back before you can say you are 100% Irish? My parents are Irish, my granparents are Irish as to were my great great grandparents.

It wasn't my intention to focus on this particular issue. It was just a question I threw in at the end.

But what I meant by it was, within your knowledge of your family tree, are you 100% Irish? I am (in the sense that all of my tree that I know of were born in Ireland), but because one branch of my tree is Protestant, it would be safe to assume that there is British blood in me too.

SpitfireIV

Exit wrote:

It wasn't my intention to focus on this particular issue. It was just a question I threw in at the end.

Oops, perhaps I phrased that wrong, I was just curious myself as to whether there was any 'set' amount of Irish ancestry before you could deem yourself 100% Oirish

Fratton Fred

My mother’s father was Newcastle through and through (Although he died when my mother was 13 so I never had the privilege of meeting him, my mother’s mother was Portsmouth through and through, as was my paternal Grandmother.

My Father’s Dad has a bit more of an interesting background, his mother was definitely Irish, born in Cork but it is a it harder to find about my Great Grandad. He was in the British Army but I don’t know if he was British or Irish, Anglican or Catholic. They met in their late teens and my great Grandmother’s family disowned her but I’m not sure if it was his religion or the fact he was in the army. They were both forced out of Cork and ended up in Portsmouth, where my Grandfather was born.

I recently met someone from Cork who is an Anglican and has the same surname as me, so it would be easy to presume my Grandfather was an Irish Protestant. It’s something I plan to do a bit more research on.

My Great grandmother was apparently a lovely lady who was very good at always seeing the best in people, when she left Ireland, she never returned and as far as we know, had no more contact with her family. It’s hard today to imagine a hatred that could force someone to completely disown a family member or a love that would make someone choose to excommunicate themselves from their relatives.

Mick86

Fratton Fred wrote:

It’s hard today to imagine a hatred that could force someone to completely disown a family member or a love that would make someone choose to excommunicate themselves from their relatives.

It sure is. Hopefully that kind of sh!t is in our past. For the sane 99.9% anyway.

As far as I know all my people were paddies. My great grandmother may have been English though. I base that suspicion on her Maiden name. Father's family came from North Tipp but the family name is actually from the Leitrim/Cavan area. My mother's father came from Clonmel and her mother from Clerihan. However my grandparents married and settled in Co. Waterford where my mother was born. My parents moved to England in 1960 and I was born in London. They moved back home in 1964. The furthest back I have been able to trace my family tree is the 1830s.

When I get my hands on a time machine I'm going back to the 1880s to visit my great grandparentS and tell them- "Buy Land, Buy LAND":D

Mick86

CroppyBoy1798 wrote:

Oops, perhaps I phrased that wrong, I was just curious myself as to whether there was any 'set' amount of Irish ancestry before you could deem yourself 100% Oirish

You can have all the Irish ancestry you want and live in Ireland for 40 years. When you go to the Garda station to get your passport and produce a Red Birth Cert you might as well be a Nigerian straight off the plane.:D

SpitfireIV

Mick86 wrote:

You can have all the Irish ancestry you want and live in Ireland for 40 years. When you go to the Garda station to get your passport and produce a Red Birth Cert you might as well be a Nigerian straight off the plane.:D

Very good, haha.....and heres another thing, I do actaully have to get a passport form signed at the local Garda station in the next few days, should be an interesting experience so:D

Danie Gerber

I was born in South Africa, My parents and their parents were born in SA. My great-grandparents AND to the best of our knowledge their parents, were born in SA. Before that it's all a bit hazy.

Able to establish that 14 of the 32 great-great-great grandparents were born in SA and 2 of the 32 were definately not, but the other 16 are lost.

Does that mean I'm 100% South African. I'd say so (Even if I am white).

BrianCalgary

Born in Toronto. Mum in Dublin, dad in Newtonards. Maternal grandparents in Dublin. Paternal Grandparents in Newtonards.

Maternal Great-grandparents don't know, althoughg I think one or two may have been Scottish.

Dad's family moved to Co Down in the 17th century.

Although that scottish side apparently moved from Ireland in the 7th century.

Irish government says I'm Irish, they gave me a passport.

Mrs. MacGyver

Born in Bantry West Cork, Mother born over the border in Kerry, Father from North Cork (near Mallow).

Granny on Mother's side was from the Muscrai Gaeltacht Also as was my Grandfather on that side (they had a 'matched' marriage when they were 16, it was the done thing in the gaeltacht in the 1930's). My granny's grand-parents were married for 80 years (they died when she was 96 and he was 98) theres a gravestone to them in the local church yard!) He died on a Sunday morning and she died immediately afterwards from shock and lonliness.

Granny on Father's side was Welsh (Cardiff) and her husband was from Bantry. Great grand-parents were from the Beara peninsula, the other set were from Bantry.

Can trace family tree on father's side back to 11th Century (uncle has done a lot of work on this).

Exit

Mrs. MacGyver wrote:

(they had a 'matched' marriage when they were 16, it was the done thing in the gaeltacht in the 1930's).

How did that work exactly? Just like an arranged marriage where the parents come together and say "You're marrying him"?

ednwireland

born in yorkshire mum from SE poland (family in gdansk) dad from belarus
not much irish there apart from i live here

ejmaztec

Droit du seigneur anybody?

Wasn't there a lot of that carry on in these parts?

It would certainly throw the "where are you from?" up in the air.

Ruu_Old

Born in Meath, my Mam was born just over the border in Cavan and so was my Dad. Mams parents were both born in Cavan as well, my grandad (90 this year and looking great) served with the RAF in WW2. He can still tell me all the countries around the world that he visited, spent a lot of time in India and got there by boat (mostly) and then plane. Most of my Dads siblings moved to England but he stayed here. My Dads parents were from Cavan as well.

Mrs. MacGyver

Exit wrote:

How did that work exactly? Just like an arranged marriage where the parents come together and say "You're marrying him"?

Yup exit, pretty much that. He was apparantly a good catch, he became a vet (don;t know how he managed that when married to my Gran at 16). Both sets of parents agreed and my gran and grandad had no choice at all.

Shutuplaura

From Clonmel.
My dads family mostly all from the town. I never bothered tracing the line back so only know as far back as his grandfather, who worked for the town corporation. His mother was from a place just outside the town called Powerstown.
Mother from a farm in the hills south of the town. They seem to have lived in the hills for a long time. Certainly look like it.

EamonnKeane

I can trace back all my great-great-grandparents. 14 had Gaelic surnames, one Norman (Fitzgerald) and one Sassenach (Baker), which makes me shockingly Irish, unless there are a few skeletons in th'oul closet. Also know of a 7-greats grandfather who was a small landlord in Clare in the 1650's.

gurramok

Born in London to Irish parents who kept moving back and forth between Ireland/UK in 60's/70's before settling here permanently in 1977
Raised here in Dub since age 3.

Mother and her parents are from Galway city, the inner part
Their parents before that were born and raised there including my grandfather who fought in war of independence and civil war.

Father and his parents are from Dublin(Ringsend to be precise), father's mother was catholic, fathers father was Protestant(the working class type).

My present surname is a common one with Irish roots found here and common enough found in UK with English roots so complicates things on whether any English blood exists..LOL

After saying that, my Dub side are often mistaken for Mediterranean types as we have dark eyes/hair complexion.

Haven't bothered going back far enough past 1900's yet to check the greats, must do some day

dubtom

My greatgrand mother on my mothers side was from wexford,my grandmother was born in dublin I think. My grandfather was a dub too, know nothing else of his ancestry. I have an unusal surname, comes from a village in england. so on my fathers side ancestry was defo from the uk, but aparently they owned a lot of land in the meath area in the 1700's and some in terenure. They also, according to a name sake i met once, built st peters church in phibsborough. One of them must have blown all the money because I'm pennyless.
So if half my side have been in Ireland since the 1700's can I count myself as 100%.

cp251

You can be pretty sure that anyone born in a garrison town with an English name has some English in him or her. Plus, cities like Dublin, Waterford, Galway etc were essentially English for centuries.

In my own case, my family name goes right back to the Dalcassian sept in Munster and has connections to Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf. So very Irish. On the other hand there are English names all over my family tree and indeed a connection to a lord who actually has a monument erected to him in Limerick. One of my grannies was protestant from that line. I even suspect there is some Jewish connection.

I believe we in Ireland are all connected to England, Wales and Scotland in some way. The pure bred Irishman barely exists.

My wife has a Viking name and it turns out looks nordic. Very blonde. We went to visit Iceland a few years ago. I was amazed at how many women there looked like her cousins. Indeed she was constantly addressed in Icelandic by the locals who took one look at me and spoke English. I can't help imagining there's a bit of connnection there.

But we are all Irish. How long does it take to be Irish? As soon as you are ready. I always say 'Being Irish is a state of mind'.

Mick86

cp251 wrote: »

....My wife has a Viking name and it turns out looks nordic. Very blonde. We went to visit Iceland a few years ago. I was amazed at how many women there looked like her cousins. Indeed she was constantly addressed in Icelandic by the locals who took one look at me and spoke English. I can't help imagining there's a bit of connnection there....

I read once that a lot of Icelanders have Irish ancestry from slaves nicked by the Vikings and brought there.

cp251

That's true, the guide there told us about that. But my wife does look very Scandinavian. So it maybe the opposite in that case.

Mint Sauce

i was born in london my self, lived in ireland since 1998, both parents born in ireland and both sets of grandparents born in ireland

of my own family name, know quite a bit of the ancestery and decedents, my father, one of 6, my grand father, one of 5, great grand father, who was on of 9, were all born in fermanagh, ireland, great great GF and his brother both born in scotland, would't have any details on his decedents, and great great great GF born in scotland around 1800

mother and both her parents born in donegal, ireland, all great grand parents on mothers side from ireland, but one born in america, to irish born parents

so pretty much irish through and through apart from my own birth place, plus the passport says i am as well

Balmed Out

im from cork city, mother from macroom as is her mother while her dad was from kerry. Dad is from Milstreet with his parents being from that general area too. Well travelled!

metaoblivia

My father's parents are from Armagh, but I don't know exactly where. My father was born and raised just outside of New York City.

My mother was born in Kansas. Her paternal grandmother was Choctaw and she grew up on a reservation in Oklahoma. Her maternal grandmother was Cherokee and she also grew up on a reservation in Oklahoma. The Choctaw lived in Mississippi/Alabama and the Cherokee lived across the Southeastern US until they were moved to the Midwest by the government in the 1800s during the Trail of Tears.

Both of my mother's grandfathers are white, of English and Scottish origin and can trace their roots back to the colonization of New England in the 1600s. One of the families (my grandmother's - they have the English surname) fought in the American Revolution, and both families pioneered out West in the early 1800s.

Many people assume I'm Hispanic or Mediterranean. They're always surprised with the Irish surname. When they find out I've got Cherokee and Choctaw blood, they assume that's why my hair and eyes are so dark... but my Dad's hair is just as dark as my Mom's!