The Irish were definitely fond of lining up with whoever was fighting the English at any particular time, most recently in 1798 (during the Napoleonic period) when the French, who were at war with Britain at the time anyway for reasons that went far beyond Irish issues, landed a force at Kilalla in County Mayo that was eventually defeated at Ballinamuck. The Irish joined in, subscribing heartily to the ancient dictum, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." This particular adventure probably didn't net much in the way of continental blood in Ireland, however, because the French stay was very brief, occuring within the space of less than a single year. Since the French army was in combat mode throughout and continuously on the march, fraternization was somewhat limited. There are, however, other times when there were definite and large infusions of foreign blood into the native stock. Leaving aside the arrival of the Celts, who joined the Firbog in Ireland early in the Bronze Age, there were, as you point out, a certain number of Saxons who made it across the Irish Sea. (St. Patrick, however, appears to have been a Celt and therefore of roughly the same ethnicity as the Irish population of his time. That was helpful for a missionary, because he already more or less had the language.) In the eighth and ninth centuries, the Norse/Danes--and red hair--came to Ireland as they did to England, France, and Sicily at the same period. They founded and/or settled in Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Cork, and Limerick, among other smaller enclaves. More significant in numbers and long-term influence was the Anglo-Norman penetration that began in 1169. Since most of the Norman adventurers in Ireland were actually recruited in France for that expedition, the result was a massive infusion of French blood. Among the Irish families that are descended from the Norman-French invaders are Lacy, Bellew, Taaffe, Jourdan (Jordan), Plunkett, Verdon, Costello, Fitzgerald, Peppard, Roche, Moore, Terry, Montgomery, Prendergast, Nugent, Courcy, Hackett, Clare, Savage, Logan, Barry, Condon, Barrett, Burke, Dillon, and Ormond. (This is not an exhaustive list, but all that I can think of on the spur of the moment.) However, the infusion of foreign blood that most genealogists can discover traces of runs from the 17th (especially after the sieges of Limerick in 1690-91) to the 19th century. This is the time when being an Irish Catholic in Ireland was to submit to deprivation of the most basic civil rights, severe reduction of socioeconomic status including extreme strictures on the right to own land and/or pass it on by inheritance, wholesale poverty, lack of access to education and practice of the professions (except in the 19th century), and religious harrassment. Beginning in the 17th century, the Wild Geese flew off from Ireland--going mainly to France and Spain (including the Spanish Netherlands, which now makes up the country of Belgium), but also to Portugal, Italy, and Austria, among other destinations--with the greatest number leaving after William III defeated the Irish at Limerick in 1691. Since Wild Geese descendents sometimes came back as punitive laws against the Catholics in Ireland loosened up toward the end of the 18th century, there is quite a lot of relatively recent French and Spanish blood mixed with that of the native Irish because many of the Wild Geese had taken wives in their new countries. Some came back because it was again legally possible to own land in Ireland, which they were now able to buy with the capital they had amassed as they grew prosperous in trade, especially in wine and textiles, during the time of their exile. Many remained in international trade but maintained homes in Ireland as well to use as bases in that country. Others, notably the Walsh clan in France, became extremely rich from smuggling to the West Coast of Ireland, where it was nearly impossible to keep them from getting through. (Just as a matter of general interest, perhaps, some Wild Geese descendents never came back. Examples are Patrice (Patrick) McMahon, who! became President of the Third French Republic; Count Edward Taaffe, who became Chancellor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the skier Jean-Claude Kiely, whose ancestors pronounced their name "Kelly.") Other sizable infusions of foreign blood were the French Hughenots, who came during the late 17th century (the Lafroys are an example of this) and the Palatine Germans who came to Ireland early in the 18th century. Although these last groups were from within the British Isles, it is possibly useful for completeness to mention the massive infusion of Scots into Ulster beginning in the Middle Ages, joined by English during the Ulster Plantation of the early 17th century, and the subsequent plantation of Scots and English in what is now the Irish Republic as a part of the Cromwellian settlement in the 1650's. That is where some of these names that I see some people of the list like Armstrong and Thompson came from. Nancy Gray -------------- Original message from <[email protected]>: -------------- > ...something to consider...in the 5th century St Patrick was kidnapped by > Irish marauders and sold into slavery as a child (he later escaped and > returned to Britain, only to return to Ireland to convert the population) > but there could have been others like Patrick (ie, > Brits...anglo/saxon/roman) who were similarly abducted and sold into > captivity in Ireland. Also, didnt the Irish support the French during some > war a few hundred years ago...perhaps that also could explain an infusion of > continental blood carrying your far reaching lines. > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2005 10:57 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [LONGFORD] Re: > http://www.countylongford.com/Longford_Towns1.htm > > > In a message dated 2/10/2005 10:26:49 PM Eastern Standard Time, > [email protected] writes: > > > > Not anglo saxons...long story short---area belonged to the OFarrell Clan. > > When King Henry (Plantagenet) II invaded Ireland (1170-1171 approx) the > land > > was given to Hugh de Lacy who in turn passed it to Sir Richard Tuite > > (knight) for his participation in the invasion (typical act of feudal > > period). The abbey was built in the early 1200's and, ironically, ended > up > > being run from time to time by OFarrell abbots...in fact it was an > OFarrell > > who turned the abbey over to the crown during the dissolution of > monasteries > > under Henry VIII. > > > > (Toward the end of his life Tuite was also one of Irelands Lord Chief > > Justices.) > > > > I am the ggggggrandson of a stone mason in Ardargh 1770s .When I tested I am > whats called e3b, which is basicly old neolith settlers of europe, if you > by > that. But more importantly I have matches in Germany France one person > is > close to the Plantagent line with his paperwork trail. Another is working > on > a line a decendent of an illiget son of marie therese of the hapsbergs. > I am a decendent of stonemasons from Ardargh but some ties seem to be from > Germany and France . So any history that brings Anglo Saxons there or maybe > the French is important to figuring this out. > > > Jim Denning -Ygenealogist-MTgenealogist > using Genetics to connect > Chelsea,Ma.-Woburn,Ma.-denning-dennen-danin-dinan-dinihey-denningston-dinnin > g- > carlon-carroll-dever-cogan-malone-heslin-piscopo-mazzola-martini-farrell-mch > ug > h-farley-grimes-lynch-doherty-SanDanto,Ita-Adargh,longford-Revere,Ma-Wintrop > ,M > a.- and ever an growing list > > > > ==== IRL-LONGFORD Mailing List ==== > ~Even a small thorn causes festering.~ > > > > > ==== IRL-LONGFORD Mailing List ==== > ~Even a small thorn causes festering.~ >