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Old 28-08-2013, 21:46
Espresso
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Can't say as I have got the faintest idea who Nick Hewer is, but he's a pretty articulate man and obviously not lacking in the brain department and he's got very little of the rose tinted spectacles that are so common in a lot of the people who do these programmes.

A prominent Catholic on the Falls Road who opposed Home Rule in the early 1900s? Good God, I'm surprised he lived long enough to sire any offspring. Bulletproof, obviously.
I wonder what he knew about whom
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Old 28-08-2013, 21:47
northlad
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Although I am of Irish descent nothing bores me more than Irish politics and especially the BBC version of it. I do like Nick Hewer but I quickly gave up!
What exactly is the BBC version of Irish politics?
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Old 28-08-2013, 21:47
Englishspinner
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Hewer is great though, getting down to the nitty gritty without the artificiality of so many others.
So far following Gary Lineker's inspirational lead by not bursting into tears at the first mention of an ancestor who might have had a hard time.

I do admire Hewer, who always comes across as one of the sharpest knives in the drawer. Mmy guess he has known and is well familiar with most of the stuff he's standing around listening to or reading with mild interest.
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Old 28-08-2013, 21:47
JezR
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Tedious in extreme this week.
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Old 28-08-2013, 21:50
David-Scotland
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Tedious in extreme this week.
Diff'rent strokes for different folks I suppose
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Old 28-08-2013, 21:51
Leicester_Hunk
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I don't like Irish politics either but I like Nick and this is a good episode I think.

My girlfriend has got her tree back to 1565 and is overly excited
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Old 28-08-2013, 21:51
northlad
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This has been one of the best WDYTYA ive seen,covering the Irish rebellions and Charles 1 reign.
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Old 28-08-2013, 22:14
Prince Monalulu
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Can't say as I have got the faintest idea who Nick Hewer is, but he's a pretty articulate man and obviously not lacking in the brain department and he's got very little of the rose tinted spectacles that are so common in a lot of the people who do these programmes.

A prominent Catholic on the Falls Road who opposed Home Rule in the early 1900s? Good God, I'm surprised he lived long enough to sire any offspring. Bulletproof, obviously.
I wonder what he knew about whom
BIB At that time with the general violence going around, influence with the great and the good isn't going to stop 'the man on the street' from setting about you.
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Old 28-08-2013, 22:16
sheepiefarm
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Really enjoyed tonight's ep.
It's been a while since we've had one which went as far back as tonight's.

I thought Nick Hewer came across really well - a natural communicator.

Best ep of the series.
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Old 28-08-2013, 22:27
hooter
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I don't like Irish politics either but I like Nick and this is a good episode I think.

My girlfriend has got her tree back to 1565 and is overly excited
I`m jealous as I`d have to trawl most of Europe to do that
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Old 28-08-2013, 22:35
Espresso
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BIB At that time with the general violence going around, influence with the great and the good isn't going to stop 'the man on the street' from setting about you.
I would seriously doubt that, given the time and place we're talking about.
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Old 28-08-2013, 23:16
Kapellmeister
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Really enjoyed tonight's ep.
It's been a while since we've had one which went as far back as tonight's.

I thought Nick Hewer came across really well - a natural communicator.

Best ep of the series.
Agree completely. It was a great episode and the best of the series.
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Old 28-08-2013, 23:38
Tangledweb7
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I like Nick Hewer and had high hopes for this, but it's not working. I've always been bored stiff by the sectarian politics of Ireland and can't be inspired to follow it.

Hewer is great though, getting down to the nitty gritty without the artificiality of so many others.
Although I am of Irish descent nothing bores me more than Irish politics and especially the BBC version of it. I do like Nick Hewer but I quickly gave up!
Please explain to me what you mean by the BBC version of Irish History? I would like to know as someone from the Republic I quite enjoyed it and not just because I'm Irish. And considering his family background it was probably considered necessary to inform the viewer of Ireland's past. Just as they did for England's.
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Old 29-08-2013, 00:44
Mystic Dave
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Not a version that suits his particular view (such attitudes keeping the trouble going endlessly).

I have some Irish ancestry, so I was surprised to see that the records are more extensive than I thought - as I thought much had gone up in flames in Dublin during the fighting.

The ECW part was very interesting too. It prompted me to look up the main branch of one family I come from in Surrey - there is a letter from the head man talking about the fighting around Marlborough in 1642, although it was all quiet round his way! (My family seems to have avoided all wars).
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Old 29-08-2013, 00:50
Lisa.B
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Not a version that suits his particular view (such attitudes keeping the trouble going endlessly).

I have some Irish ancestry, so I was surprised to see that the records are more extensive than I thought - as I thought much had gone up in flames in Dublin during the fighting.

The ECW part was very interesting too. It prompted me to look up the main branch of one family I come from in Surrey - there is a letter from the head man talking about the fighting around Marlborough in 1642, although it was all quiet round his way! (My family seems to have avoided all wars).
They have the 1901/1911 and the newer census', but the ones before that were either destroyed after they were taken (1861/1871), pulped for the war effort in WW1 or destroyed as you said in the burning of the Public Record Office in 1922. There are a few rare surviving fragments from the burnt lot.
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Old 29-08-2013, 00:52
lundavra
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Not a version that suits his particular view (such attitudes keeping the trouble going endlessly).

I have some Irish ancestry, so I was surprised to see that the records are more extensive than I thought - as I thought much had gone up in flames in Dublin during the fighting. ....
Many records were lost, but church records are being indexed and digitised in the Republic. You don't hear as much about records in Northern Ireland.

I have had a few tries at finding out about my Irish ancestors but censuses rarely have any more than 'Ireland' under place of birth. My GGGM has Ireland, America, Canada and Quebec in various censuses!
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Old 29-08-2013, 09:56
kwynne42
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Blimey, Nick Hewer's Grandmother looks like the wicked witch from Wizard of Oz
It was the hat heh.
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Old 29-08-2013, 09:58
kwynne42
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Good to go so far back. I'm impressed how easily and quickly Nick was able to read that will, i found the writing quite tricky to make out.
I always like it when they go shooting back in time like it did in this ep, modern history can be a bit tedious sometimes.
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Old 29-08-2013, 10:12
valkay
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Agree completely. It was a great episode and the best of the series.
I disagree, dry as dust, nearly as boring as Linekers. After 10 generations we have over 1000 gt, gt grandparents to choose from.
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Old 29-08-2013, 11:48
lundavra
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Good to go so far back. I'm impressed how easily and quickly Nick was able to read that will, i found the writing quite tricky to make out.
Don't forget that TV normally does everything numerous times and edits it all together, I think he was out of shot when reading it so they would probably use one soundtrack of him reading it and that could be reading from a transcript.
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Old 29-08-2013, 11:54
lundavra
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I disagree, dry as dust, nearly as boring as Linekers. After 10 generations we have over 1000 gt, gt grandparents to choose from.
Not very practical to feature all 1000 GGGPs!

They usually pick two parts of the tree and concentrate on them which is what they did last night. I am not particularly interested in Irish politics but it was good to learn a bit more about that period. What other programme who devote nearly half an hour to the subject at peak viewing time? Same with the Civil War, most people only know a few things about it, I don't know much more than the Bolton Massacre, so good to learn more on other aspects.
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Old 29-08-2013, 13:06
karousel
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Blimey, Nick Hewer's Grandmother looks like the wicked witch from Wizard of Oz
It was the hat heh.
I said exactly the same thing to my husband and he just laughed at me. Of course as it was a black and white photo of her she might well have been green
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Old 29-08-2013, 13:19
tq21
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I actually enjoyed this one, I suppose it helps that I'm Irish & in a 'mixed marriage' (always found that term to be somewhat odd since my husband is also Irish, we just come from different religious backgrounds yet neither of us are particularly religious)

Can't say as I have got the faintest idea who Nick Hewer is, but he's a pretty articulate man and obviously not lacking in the brain department and he's got very little of the rose tinted spectacles that are so common in a lot of the people who do these programmes.

A prominent Catholic on the Falls Road who opposed Home Rule in the early 1900s? Good God, I'm surprised he lived long enough to sire any offspring. Bulletproof, obviously.
I wonder what he knew about whom
It probably helped that he was a business owner, unfortunately for the working man, to be catholic in Belfast at the time, it was difficult to get work, as job opportunities were often based on your religion.

I liked the contrast then of his English side, who also, almost came undone thanks to Cromwell.

I think both sides were astute businessmen in completely different landscapes divided by a gap of 300 years.

Nick came across well, I think he's probably still got the pragmatism that his ancestors before him had.
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Old 29-08-2013, 18:16
saralund
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I found it quite dull, perhaps because we didn't learn more about Nick Hewer the person than we already know from his TV appearances. He might as well have been fronting a programme about a third party, rather than himself. I wasn't engaged.
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Old 04-09-2013, 01:50
DFI
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I don't like Irish politics either but I like Nick and this is a good episode I think.

My girlfriend has got her tree back to 1565 and is overly excited
I'll see your 1565 and raise you a 1475
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