General question- Irish perspectives on their own family histories?

Most people here do know a little about their roots, but not as much as you might expect. Folk rarely know their ancestors back 10 generations (as visitors sometimes hope), nor is there ever a magical family bible with all the names in. Unless there is a direct interest in family history then they can usually go back about 3 generations. If it’s a farming family then often they know they have lived there for many more generations (but they usually wouldn’t be able to name them) but a lot of folk have also moved around for work.  Ireland is not an open air museum and there has been a lot of change and population movement in the past 100 years. (20% of the current Irish population were born outside Ireland, and many people have moved from rural areas to the cities for work, so sometimes losing some links with their roots).

I asked my wife about her knowledge (she has no interest in genealogy). She knew her parents and grandparents and that’s it. They had a shop in a rural town in Co. Fermanagh but there were relatives scattered all around the county who they visited when she was a child. She didn’t always know how they were related to her.  And she has no interest in earlier generations that were dead before she was born. Her ancestors presumably lived in that area for hundreds of years but we have no definite proof. And in recent generations most of her extensive family have moved away from Fermanagh to Australia, the Isle of Man, England and the US for the usual economic reasons.

There are still strong bonds in many families that I know but not necessarily much interest in their genealogy.  Many folk do like going back to the area where they were brought up, but I don’t suppose that’s unique to Ireland. I can also think of a couple of friends who were brought up in a quite rural area in the hills of Tyrone and as young adults couldn’t get out of it quick enough. The bright lights of Dublin, New York or indeed almost anywhere were calling. And they didn’t go back.

Hi Blaney,

In my experience usually only one or two people in the extended family will have a great interest in the genealogy of their family. Most will only know or care about the family back to grandparents. The interest is greater if there is an interesting story involved such as an ancestor directly involved in the War of Independence, performed some remarkable deed or if there is a family secret to be solved. As regards roots I have noticed some of my peers late 50's-60's  returning more often to where they grew up perhaps just to reminisce but sometimes to retire. This may be due to the individual area itself and what it has to offer. Even if people have lost touch with where they grew up they still tend to be very proud of the county they come from especially when living in other parts of Ireland. This is especially true if their county is performing well in the GAA   ( Gaelic Athletic Association) sports such as Hurling or Gaelic Football. 

Hope this throws some light on your question.

Majella

Elwyn and Majella, Thanks so much! Most of the people I’m researching came over 1840-1900, and it appears they were farmers. So, that gives me a light on how they might have seen themselves. I have gotten a little obsessed with trying to figure out what counties they came from, and townlands, if possible. It’s good to know that it’s more of a niche interest!
Really appreciate reading your thoughts on it all. 
I have one patient from Ireland who has had family living in his particular area for at least a thousand years, and an important family name in the area’s history. Pretty neat for him. He got me wondering if such deep connections to an area were common.
I’ll start keeping tabs on the GAA and try to time my research such that I’m asking questions about a county when it’s doing well. Thanks again!