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John’s hurt to find he has no Irish roots I RECENTLY
watched the excellent BBC programme Who Do You Think You Are? which featured
the wonderful actor John Hurt seeking to prove a connection to the Marquis
of Sligo.
He had believed that his great great grandmother was the illegitimate
daughter of the then Marquis and thought that this accounted for the fact
that he felt instantly at home the first time he visited Ireland.
He was shattered to discover after a lengthy investigation that the chances
are he has no connection to Ireland whatsoever.
This assumed Irish identity — which on the face of it appeared to
have some genuine foundation — was very important to him.
John’s son was born in Ireland and the belief in his Irish roots
has played a huge part in his life over the years.
He wanted so much to have his Irish ancestry confirmed and the look of
disappointment on his face was totally genuine and indeed quite moving.
I really felt so sorry for him because he seemed shocked and devastated.
It must be a very emotional moment to discover that your roots are not
what you thought they were.
My advice to John Hurt would be to remember the words of the poet Thomas
Davis who said that it was not blood that made you Irish but a willingness
to be part of the Irish nation.
Perhaps he could draw some comfort from this because of his great affection
for Ireland and indeed the affection in which he in turn is held.
If John Hurt wants to be Irish then that is good enough for me. |
