I agree it didn't seem like an episode of WDYTYA. Why on earth was the BBC featuring the history of a foreigner, surely there are more worthy and interesting Brits to cover?

The Grandfather was not quite as innocent as portrayed, he was a member of the IRB and supplying arms.

Especially when (I think) RTE do an Irish version of the programme.

Yes they were the occupying force , they ruled by the gun

I think what many need to take into account, is that there's a vast difference between the IRA of the 1920's and cowardly scum which came to the fore in the late 60's

Totally agree, I have watched every episode from all the other series but really haven't enjoyed this one at all. I have been watching the old one's on Watch and much better when they can trace back both sets of ancestors. I think part of the problem this time is the people they have chosen, hopefully we will get a few interesting one's.

Yes, but the IRA were a legitimate guerilla army with the full support of the Irish population. Sinn Fein won a landslide majority in Ireland in the 1918 British General Election and the IRA were their military wing......an armed militia in full military uniform with ranks and everything.

The Sinn Fein and IRA of later years had absolutely nothing to do with the people of 1919-21, they simply stole the name.

They should do mine, I've got it back as far as 120AD

Full support? I would think those in Ulster, at least, would take issue with that statement!

Replying to the BIB and other points from other posters. I have no problem with Irish celebs being included in the programme, especially when they are de facto "British" celebrities in that their work is as well known here as to make no difference that they are from elsewhere. To back that up one of the best was the Jerry Springer episode (yes he was born here but he is not British - but a very legitimate programme - as opposed to him just doing the American version).

Also I loved the Graham Norton one on many levels. On the one hand I had no clue that he came from a Protestant background and then that his family came from Yorkshire (?) originally. I, like Graham, would have assumed they were Scottish originally. That episode is a fav and is exactly what you were after - a different angle - and a fascinating episode.

Edit: Thank you - has made me do a wee Google search and sitting down for an hour.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXyRMtwSZ_M

And quite a few in Southern Ireland even if they did get a majority in the election.

I love the series but I was disappointed in this as it was simply about the murder of one person and not really in keeping with the search through a family tree the show is supposed to be about.

Did I miss something or did they never say what happened to Hardy in the end? That annoyed me, surely they must have known how old he lived to be and the circumstances at the end of his life.

I too was surprised they didn't at least tell us to what age Hardy lived. I am sure O'Carroll must have asked. There is a Wikipedia page for Hardy though which tells us. Interesting to find out he could include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle amongst his friends.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jocelyn_Lee_Hardy

Of course, I should have said within what would have been nationalist Ireland at that time. Unionists in Ulster were violently opposed to Home Rule for Ireland within the UK never mind an independent Irish state.

Yet again I was surprised that when Tasmin vsited the grave of her grandfather like many before her on similar visits to graves she did not offer to either repair or indeed replace the headstone. Some celbs express shock that the headstones are either non existant or in bad repair but never seem to offer to get them sorted as an act of remembrance or recognition of their relative. I vaguely remember one celeb doing so but it was a few years back. If someone can put me right please do so as it really gets to me that so few have done this.

They won 73 seats out of 79 in what is now the Republic. Sinn Fein were a revolutionary movement with an armed militia so it does appear the War of Independence was fully supported by the (nationalist) Irish population.

Prior to 1914 of course the peaceful Irish Home Rule Party were the dominant one, but WW1 and the execution of the 1916 Rising leaders changed everything.

Hoppy Joyce was a paid assassin and torturer, he killed many Irishmen in upholding British Rule , Churchill sated that "he was an most unimpressive individual" mainly because he was an ardent supporter of Oswald Mosley fascist movement in the UK and Joyce was interned along with Mosley.

In the end the KIng and Country which he murdered for locked him up without trial for associating with Mosley which really says it all, as it was he who murdered in Dublin as judge jury and executioner.

Bruce Forsyth did that for his ancestor who turned out to have been a bigamist - or at least had a family on each side of the atlantic! The ancestor had a real rollercoater career but died in poverty in New York with an unmarked grave.
Brucie

What was the percentage who voted for them, with First Past The Post voting even with 72 out of 79 there can be a lot of people opposed to them.

A few celebrities have done something about graves, often unmarked graves, and more could have done without publicity. In the early series the producers said that they did not want graveyards in the programme. Seemed ridiculous because if I was take somewhere and told about an ancestor I would want to know where he was buried.

Actually a fair point : they received 47% of votes on the island of Ireland and 65% of votes in what is now the Republic (most of the other votes in nationalist Ireland went to the successor of the Home Rule Party).

It could certainly be said that the majority of nationalists supported the War of Independence anyway.....it would probably be called a "popular uprising" these days.

Blimey, a war hero and from the sounds of it a very strong and resillient man. Not that I condone him murdering people though!

Thanks for that.

I remember that one. Of all the ancestors who "deserved" a headstone he was probably the least deserving. Awful man, abandoning wives and children to poverty and lying through his teeth half his life as I recall.

So nice to have found a forum for Who do you think you are - I really don't know why I didn't look ages ago

I thought the episode with Brendan O'Carroll was okay. I generally don't like it when they only go up one or two generations - and this was more of a whodunnit.

The best episode for me (so far) is the Brian Blessed one. I usually can't stand the bloke but his ancestors story was quite moving.

without having a real go at anyone (and sh*gging happily. joyiessly (sp) all communities , I find it hard that my ex finds me a supposed Prod except the fact I have been an atheist since 11 (30 years ago-officially) never, in my heart...

That is why I have an ex-catholic best friend. Oh! we are neither. we are both the same - atheists. Strange how we get on eh???

And there is your problem!