Irish? How Much? Where is your family from?

[HEyHEY]

My Mother's family came from Belfast around 1910 or something like that.

Finnish people are welcome to participate...so we can make fun of them! ;-) :-)

[Avalux]

1. Yep

Grandmother's family from County Tyrone - have letters they wrote back and forth after moving here; around 1890. Pretty boring stuff -mostly about sheep.

[bookman]

2. 100%

Both my mom and dad are of Irish descent. Not sure where exactly.

[SiobhanClancy]

29. Me,too..

Irish only as far back as I can go(at least to all 2xgreat-grandparents in all lines,and further on most). Most of my people came from Cork,with some from Clare,Armagh,and one line is from Kerry.

[Pale Blue Dot]

3. Both of my parents are mostly Irish and German

Our families came over about the turn of the century.

[DODI]

4. 1/38th, County Cork, 1840's

[populistmom]

5. Zero Irish in me

I'm mostly English (some Scottish and Welsh thrown in that mix, but I don't think any Irish), 3/8 Swedish, 1/16th German.

My children though are half Irish as I'm married to someone of 100% Irish ancestry.

[Palacsinta]

6. From Ulster, Irish & Scots-Irish

My g-g-grandparents (Boyds & Alexanders) immigrated to Canada around 1840. They were Presbyterian missionaries...came over to convert the Indians......poor Indians.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. 1/128

my 4 great grandfather was born in "the north of Ireland" ca 1804. He came to this country around 1820 to work on building canals. He later moved west and settled in Illinois. Intersting that his grandchildren, when asked their nationality, all wrote "Irish", even though they were all born in this country!

[HawkerHurricane]

8. 1/2

Father's side of the family. Legend says the first one to America walked off the boat from Ellis Island into New York in 1862, where he came across a man in uniform saying 'Sign here to be a American Citizen'. He signed, and BAM! Found himself enlisted in the Union Army.

[trof]

9. 1.0 liter

Bushmills

[Xithras]

10. 50/50 Irish/Scot, with a branch going back to the 1760's

The story is that mu uber-great grandfather on my moms side was on an Irish whaler that ran aground and broke up on the coast of modern day Maine. He never went back :)

[XanaDUer]

11. Irish, both sides

eom.

[Whitacre D_WI]

12. I'm just like Tom Hagen.

I'm German/Irish.

[greatauntoftriplets]

13. My father's father's father emigrated from County Mayo in 1867.

Family legend has it that he had to leave Ireland suddenly. On my father's mother's mother's side, they were Wild Geese -- Irish who emigrated to France about 1690 (after the Battle of the Boyne). They intermarried in France for a couple of generations and ultimate came to Canada in the 1700s. From there, they came down to Illinois.

[seemslikeadream]

14. County Wexford

Great grandmother and grandfather settled in Chicago about 1845. They owned a marine goods shop at 45 W. Kinzie. The family surived the Chicago fire by standing in the canal! My dad had 18 brothers and sisters.

[HEyHEY]

17. "Oh there was an old woman from Wexford!"

[seemslikeadream]

25. Oh there was an old woman from Wexford

and from Wexford she did dwell.
She loved her old man dearly but an other one as well.

With your rum dom dom dom dei-ro and the blind man he could see.

One day she went to the doctor some medicine for to find
She said "will you give me something for to make me old man blind".

Feed him eggs and marrowbones and make him suck them all
And it won't be very long after till he won't see you at all.

The doctor wrote a letter and he signed it with his hand
He sent it round to the old man just to let him understand.

She fed him eggs and marrowbones and made him suck them all
And it wasn't very long after till he couldn't see the wall.

Says he: I'd like to drown myself, but that might be a sin'.
Says she: I'll go along with you and help to push you in.

The woman she stepped back a bit to rush and push him in,
And the old man quickly stepped aside and she went tumblin' in.

Oh how loudly she did yell and how loudly she did call,
Yerra hold your whist old woman, sure I can't see you at all.

Now eggs and eggs and marrowbones may make your old man blind
But if you want to drown him you must creep up close behind.

:toast:

[Lefty48197]

15. About 50%

several family branches came from the Emerald Island. Co's. Sligo, Galway, Mayo, & Limerick. (all "REAL Irish" as an old ancestor wrote in a letter long ago. He noted that we therefore have "nothing to be ashamed of")

[MAlibdem]

16. 1/2 Wexford County

Rosslare. 1840s or 50s I believe. Were coopers. Before Cromwell were better than that.

Rathmacknee Castle, Bargy Castle, etc. f*ck cromwell


Other half eastern european jews

[Pithlet]

18. Irish from my dad's side,

Scottish and English on my mothers' side. My maiden name is Irish.

I don't know where my family is from, however. I'd really like to find out more about that.

[leftofthedial]

19. Oi'm a thord Oirish meself

(actually half)

Some from Cork and some from Galway near as we can tell. (1700's it was).

[Cuban_Liberal]

20. 0% in me, 100% in Paddy.

He's from Athlone, which is in County Westmeath in the west of Ireland.:)

[NewHampster]

21. 1/2 Russian Jew 1/2 German Jew

So that must make me Irish


:toast:

[Mr. McD]

22. How much Irish? Who Knows?

I am of Clan Iain Mhoir, The Antrim branch of the MacDonald’s of Scotland. There were about 10 generations of my family living in Ireland before coming to America in the late 1700’s. Many generations served as Gallowglass (mercenaries (known as gallogladh, Anglised as gallowglass, which is Irish for foreign warrior). Many names of the women were not recorded.

There is also some Irish on my mother’s side (Maginness.)

So here's to the Irish.

:toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast:

[Emboldened Chimp]

23. Clonmel, Tipperary

My grandfather came over in 1927. My grandmother's folks came over, but I'm not sure from where.

[CBHagman]

24. It's a matter of some debate.

I'm one-quarter Swedish, half Hungarian (the messy, pre-1918 Hungary), and the rest is Irish and possibly English. I'm currently on the hunt for the exact birthplaces of great-great-grandparents (Beckett, Duggan, McCloskey, Devitt) and have yet to find out through which ports they came and from where. I suspect some were from the North.

[HereSince1628]

26. Orange Hand

[bubblesby2002]

27. Yep from both sides

My Mother's Dad came from County Armagh, my Dad's Mother's family came from county Mayo. So not only do I have Irish from both sides - one side is Catholic and the other Protestant. And I'm neither.

[TheMightyFavog]

28. I'm 1/4 Irish

They came over in the mid 1840s, from Cobh, County Cork.

[greatauntoftriplets]

30. For those of us of the Irish diaspora...

Spancil Hill

by ?

Last night as I lay dreaming of pleasant days gone by
My mind being bent on rambling to Ireland I did fly
I stepped on board a vision and I followed with the wind
And I shortly came to anchor at the cross of Spancil Hill.

It being the 23rd June the day before the fair
When lreland's sons and daughters in crowds assembled there
The young and the old, the brave and the bold their journey to fulfill
There were jovial conversations at the fair of Spancil Hill.

I went to see my neighbors to hear what they might say
The old ones were all dead and gone and the young one's turning grey
I met with the tailor Quigley, he's a bould as ever still
Sure he used to make my britches when I lived in Spancil Hill.

I paid a flying visit to my first and only love
She's as white as any lily and as gentle as a dove
She threw her arms around me saying "Johnny, I love you still"
Oh she's Ned the farmers daughter and the flower of Spancil Hill.

I dreamt I held and kissed her as in the days of yore
She said, "Johnny you're only joking like many's the time before"
The cock he crew in the morning he crew both loud and shrill
And I awoke in California, many miles from Spancil Hill.

[SiobhanClancy]

33. One of my great-grandfathers,aged 16...

was drafted into the Union army as soon as he got off the boat from Cork(literally). No choice...citizenship papers in one hand,draft papers in the other. Here's one for him and all the others who found the same welcome waiting for them:

Paddy's Lamentation
Well it's by the hush, me boys, and sure that's to hold your noise
And listen to poor Paddy's sad narration
I was by hunger pressed, and in poverty distressed
So I took a thought I'd leave the Irish nation

Here's to you boys, now take my advice
To America I'll have ye's not be going
There is nothing here but war, where the murderin' cannons roar
And I wish I was at home in dear old Dublin

Well I sold me ass and cow, my little pigs and sow
My little plot of land I soon did part with
And me sweetheart Bid McGee, I'm afraid I'll never see
For I left her there that morning broken-hearted

Well meself and a hundred more, to America sailed o'er
Our fortunes to be made we were thinkin'
When we got to Yankee land, they shoved a gun into our hands
Saying "Paddy, you must go and fight for Lincoln"

General Meagher to us he said, if you get shot or lose your head
Every murdered soul of youse will get a pension
Well meself I lost me leg, they gave me a wooden peg,
And by God this is the truth to you I mention

Well I think meself in luck, if I get fed on Indian buck
And old Ireland is the country I delight in
With the devil, I do say, it's curse Americay
For I think I've had enough of your hard fightin'

and so on for some more verses.......

[greatauntoftriplets]

35. I have a CD from a PBS program.....

about the PBS program "Long Journey Home". (Not "Out of Ireland" as I previously said before editing -- just remembered). Think it has Sinead O'Connor singing that song on the CD. Extremely powerful. Great CD altogether.

My great grandfather was fortunate that he was able to stay until 1867 and avoided all of that. Such a sad legacy we have.

[SiobhanClancy]

36. I remember that program...

I really wish they would run it again. Lovely music...including the anthem by Elvis Costello/Paddy Moloney.

Excerpt:
So I had to leave from my country of birth
As for each child grown tall
Another lies in the earth
And for every rail we laid in the loam
There's a thousand miles of the long journey home

But as you ascend the ladder
Look out below where you tread
For the colors bled as they overflowed
Red, white and blue
Green, white and gold

[greatauntoftriplets]

37. That is a wonderful song, as well.

I need to find that CD. And listen to it!

[fortyfeetunder]

31. One sixteenth...and I don't know any farther back

My great great grandma was the product of an Irish slaveowner and a Native American slave. I have a picture of her. I don't know any farther back...if I did you know I'd be looking up family, hee hee...

[camero]

32. Irish, British and French

Mother's side Emigrated from England in 1900. Father's side came from Ireland in the 1600's. Some French on my mom's side I'm told.

[Lostmessage]

39. Slego

I am a mutt!

English, Scots, Irish, Dutch, 1/8 American Indian, Italian.

[camero]

40. Cool

I got some Cherokee in me too. :)

[Lostmessage]

41. That's nice

People from the South tend to have American Indian blood in them.

My Mom's family also had Pennsylvanian Dutch in them and they were Mennonite's. Kinda weird right?

[camero]

42. Not really

Considering some of the marriage patterns in the 1800's. First cousins getting married and things like that. I think we're all mutts to some extent.

[scarlet_owl]

34. My great-grandmother's parents were from County Cork.

They came here about 1930, I think.

[dawn]

38. 1/2 Scotch-Irish...

The other half is Italian (Sicily). People assume I naturally have a horrific temper. They're wrong...most of the time! :)

[corporatewhore]

43. 1/8 irish -county cork rest of me is mexican Iam the brownest irish person

I know of any way

[corporatewhore]

44. 1/8 irish -county cork rest of me is mexican Iam the brownest irish person

I know of any way

[REP]

45. 0%

Had one ancestor who was in Ireland long enough to kick some ass for the English, but for the last 400 years, we're 0% Irish.

[maveric]

46. 1/2 Irish fron Cork, 1/2 Sicilian from Palermo

A truly lethal combination.

[RebelOne]

47. Almost 100%.

Irish on both sides. My great-grandmother on my father's side came from County Cork. And John McCabe, an ancestor on my mother's immigrated from Ireland. My grandfather on my father's side was from England. Then there is some Scottish sprinkled in among the ancestors.

[MaineDem]

48. All 4 grandparents emigrated from Ireland

All from County Galway...Spiddal and Carna.