If your DNA test indicates Irish heritage, there’s a good chance some of that mixing came from French-rooted Normans who immigrated into Ireland centuries ago and helped form its history – providing evidence of France in your family tree.
Many Irishmen left home to serve in Europe’s continental armies between 17th and 18th century, which enabled massive migration of Irish across the continent.
Huguenots
Martin Luther’s action of posting his Ninety-Five Theses on Wittenberg church door in 1517 to launch the Reformation inspired many people across Europe to part ways with Roman Catholic Church, particularly middle class families and skilled artisans known as Huguenots in France.
Huguenot refugees emigrated to non-Catholic nations such as the Netherlands, Germany and England (and Ireland). Through assimilation and intermarrying they have made up the ancestry of most English readers today. Many may not realize it at first glance; names like Andrieu, Boulanger, Courtauld, de la Croix Forestier Garrick Minet and Tizard don’t scream out foreign origins – yet these Huguenot names serve as reminders of an extraordinary chapter in European history. Many refugees made valuable contributions to their new homes, from Pierre Bayle’s advocacy of toleration and freedom of conscience to his multi-volume Historical and Critical Dictionary to James Vauloue’s invention of a machine used to drive piles for London’s first Westminster Bridge.
Louis Crommelin
Samuel-Louis Crommelin (1652-1727) was a Huguenot who founded and oversaw a linen enterprise in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. His ancestors had been landowners and flax growers in France who adhered to Protestant beliefs; after the revocation of Nantes Edict in 1685 he moved with his family to Holland for refuge.
He soon met William, Prince of Orange and settled in Lisburn. With considerable business acumen, he rejuvenated the linen industry there by employing modern techniques and marketing strategies – earning himself the title “Father of Irish Linen”.
He established sailcloth mills in Waterford, Cork and Kilkenny before his death in 1727 and burial with other members of his family in Lisburn Cathedral Graveyard. Though his direct descendants no longer exist today, their name continues to be used by a branch of de la Cherois family who were influential members of 19th-century Irish society and have had several scholars investigate them as possible Huguenot connections in Ireland.
Quebec
Quebec, as Canada’s largest province, possesses its own distinct culture. First settled by French colonists and later by Irish immigrants who largely arrived during the 1840s famines.
Quebec is home to a predominantly French speaking population, though English is widely spoken throughout the region.
Quebec’s economic history is one of trade, as is seen throughout many regions worldwide. Beginning in the 1700s, its economy relied heavily on fur trading with France and other countries; this form of commerce formed part of a mercantilist system in which colonies exported natural resources while purchasing manufactured goods from larger metropolitan centers.
Researching early records from Quebec can yield some unexpectedly interesting findings about one’s ancestry. For example, Thimothee Sullivan first appeared in Tanguay records when he married Marie-Renee Gauthier. The record indicates his origin was Limerick with dit Lirlande added at the end to indicate their Irish ancestry.
Paris
Paris is the world’s most-visited city and home to some of history’s greatest works of art, serving as the capital of France. This episode of Everything Everywhere Daily explores this incredible place’s fascinating history from its start as a river settlement until becoming one of Europe’s major metropolises.
From Lutetia in 8000 BC to today’s Paris, its story is one of war, plague, kings and emperors – but also of arts, literature and science.
Parisians learned from London’s devastating fire of 1666 just how quickly their homes could be consumed by flames, so they began mandating that new houses be constructed of masonry rather than wood and established regulations on what type of structures could be allowed within city limits to help avoid similar tragedies in their city. These measures helped save Paris from experiencing its own catastrophic conflagration like in London and its environs.