Irish ancestry
Stephen and I were listening to a music mix on U Tube last night when once again I was taken away into a deep part of my soul. The music in question was an Irish ensemble, with Sinead O’Conner as the lead vocalist, accompanied by several other musicians, including a flautist. The haunting music was played outdoors in a barn type set-up, with a stone building visible in the background.
For some reason, this type of music always has the same effect on me. It creates a nostalgic feel, for something I have loved deeply in the past, like I am homesick for my old country. But I have never lived in Ireland in this incarnation, although I did travel through it when I was on my OE. However, I do have Irish ancestry through my maternal grandmother. Don’t they say that some things pass down genetically through the mother’s line? I sometimes react to Scottish music in the same way, having that blood from my maternal grandfather, but it is nowhere near as strong as the Irish music.
My blood is a mix, with Welsh, English and French coming from my father and Scottish, Irish and English from my mother. When I had my DNA done, I expected to see this reflected, but there was no mention of the Irish or Scottish which was lumped together as English, while the French was instead interpreted as Northern Italian. I guess Northern Italy does border with France so it is probably difficult to establish one from the other. I do want to redo my DNA with another company though, to see if this picks up the Irish and Scottish sides.
Whilst I relate heavily with my Native American Indian life from my past lives, it is the Irish music that pulls up these memories from within. I guess one or two of my lives could have been lived in Ireland and not England, but I feel this pull is a genetic one. I am not sure exactly when in the 1800s my grandmother’s family left that country, but something has traversed genetically to me. It was only a month ago that I let my subscription to My Heritage lapse, where I could have found this answer out. However, when I take my new test, I will endeavour to get this information.
It must have been extremely difficult for our New Zealand ancestors leaving behind everything they knew to start a new life. I suspect the Irish side would have been extremely poor and probably never returned to their roots. I bet there was a lot of homesickness on their part, although the reasons for moving in the first place, were probably for a better life. I have just uncovered something from a book and it seems the gold rush played a big part in some of these people moving, while the potato famine was behind others.
Regardless of why my ancestors moved, all of them would have been away from their families and countries. I am sure for some, that was worse than others. Perhaps some husbands were keen to travel, while the wives mightn’t have been. I have just read the sad case in the Herald this morning of the woman who murdered her children. She had recently moved from South Africa and realised she did not have her support network anymore. She didn’t like it here, and the result was something she will have to live with for the rest of her life. So very sad. I guess all of our ancestors were in the same boat.
I am however, several generations down. New Zealand is my home and I wouldn’t have it any other way. However, that music is still creating a deep longing within, calling out to me, telling me, this is who you are really.