h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

One Christmas he went down to the local poultry market to get a turkey for our Christmas dinner. When he got there, they were selling live ones cheaper than dead ones, which had been plucked and prepared for the oven. So trying to save a few pennies he bought a live one. When it came to Christmas Eve no-one in the family had the nerve or desire to kill "Thomas" (who even had a name by then, and had become the family pet), so Thomas lived with us for another five years. We had chicken that Christmas, as Thomas strutted around the house like he owned it!

Oh that is a cute story!! Sounds like something I would do, make the turkey into a pet I mean!!!

A few years later my parents and I emigrated to England, and he died when we were over here, so I never saw him again. It's funny though, even after all these years I still remember those stories like they happened yesterday.

So you were born in Dublin?? Why did you never see him again?? It's close, not like you were here!!

Yes, I'm Irish by birth. When we moved to England we went back for the odd holiday every now and then, but Grandad died suddenly while we were all over in England. He had a severe heart attack, and it killed him pretty much instantly. He was already dead by the time we even heard about it. We went back over for the wake, half the street came.

Oh I am sorry!!!

No problem. It was all a very long time ago. I only have very happy memories of my grandparents anyway. My Grandmother was a daft as he was. One day she left the gas oven on (unlit), and went down to the shops. Of course the house filled with gas, and somehow it ignited when she was out. She blew the roof off the kitchen!

Okay that does not sound good at all!!!

So you said you are Irish by birth, has your family always been there or did they orginally come from somewhere else??

All my family are Irish as far back as you can go. Of course my own children are English, as is my wife. All my cousins are Irish, aunts and uncles etc. I have an English accent, as I've lived in Coventry since I was about six.

Oh okay!! I am adopted and just recently found out that my grandmother from birth was from Wexford and my grandfather was from Kilmarnock in Scotland, it is kind of neat to finally have some ancestory!!

You're a celt like me then. (Knew you were cute)!

That makes me cute??

Have you found your tartan?

No I haven't!!

Anyone with a Celtic ancestry is entitled to wear a special tartan associated historically with their own clan. What was your surname at birth?

See that is the problem, I am adopted and in the middle of looking for my birth parents, I have just finally gotten that little bit of information from the adoption agency!!

My adopted last name was Gaelic, been tracing his family history also, they have been in the US since 1703, which is not an easy thing to do by the way!!!

Impressive history for one family. Are you trying to trace your family tree then? Once you start to go back, you never know who you might be related to, or what you might discover. A real adventure! History speaks to us across the ages. Only yesterday I was in a church which is over 900 years old. It was built by the Normans in the Dark Ages, and people are still worshiping in it today. As you can imagine it's wonderfully atmospheric.

Yes I am, I am working on my father's family tree and searching for my birth parents!!
I have found out that he had a relative that died at the Alamo and I have also found a lot of things that I wouldn't be so proud of too!!

Ah, they're the really interesting bits! The ancestors who would shame us if they were alive today, are always the most facinating ones to discover!

Oh I don't know about that!!! Put it to you this way, during the Civil war my father's great, great, etc... grandfather was a Southern planter!!! Found tax records and everything!! So not a very interesting person and not someone I would ever really want to meet!!!!