Many Irish people have French ancestry; for instance, Huguenots immigrated from France and settled in Dublin, Cork, Kilkenny, Portarlington and elsewhere in Ireland.
Their descendants can be found across Canada, whose stories continue to tie us all together and foster our national identity.
French Influence
Over the centuries, there has long been a close cultural link between Ireland and France. From poet Sheridan Le Fanu to modern writer Samuel Beckett who earned the City of Paris medal for his service during French Resistance wartimes – there have been many famous Irish people with French connections from Sheridan Le Fanu to Samuel Beckett who received this honour from City of Paris medal awarded as recognition.
Charles de Gaulle was invited to visit Ireland in 1969 by Eamon De Valera – his grandmother was from Ireland! While in Ireland he met with De Valera who then served as president.
Even so, much of France’s educated elite was unaware of the complexity of Irish domestic political, religious and ideological conflicts. Their perception was of exotic Irish as slothful dirties depicted by various scholarly tracts they read about Ireland and Irish people as exotic figures who indulged in laziness, filthiness and prolificacy; which many French academics portrayed accurately through books about them.
Huguenots
Huguenots were French Calvinists persecuted by Catholic rulers during the seventeenth century. Fleeing France for England and Wales, Ireland, Dutch colonies, Cape Colony Switzerland as well as Brandenburg and Palatinate electorates within Holy Roman Empire were only some of their destinations.
Huguenots were well-known for their linen weaving and other skilled trades, becoming major players in Ireland’s economy through entrepreneurship and establishment of businesses by many community members. Notable descendants include Sheridan Le Fanu and 20th-century Irish politician Sean Francis Lemass (Huguenot settlements include Portarlington, Youghal, Cork Dublin Waterford Lisburn). Over time they blended into Irish society through intermarriage as they adopted local languages; some also immigrated to America as refugees.
Norman Invasion
The Norman Conquest had profound repercussions. Beginning in 1066, William of Normandy, Duke of Normandy in northwestern France, invaded England and defeated its ruling Anglo-Saxon aristocracy at Hastings Battle.
He then confiscated their lands and distributed them among his supporters – thus creating what became known as feudalism, an economic system tethered to land ownership.
As a result, the King’s court and government became more centralised than before. Nobility called Lords granted parcels of their land to peasants, who in return paid tribute in either money or soldiers in times of war – creating the Cambro-Norman period in Irish history.
Slavery
At its height in the seventeenth century, Nantes became a key center of a flourishing slave trade that saw ports such as its Irish population thrive as trading hubs for textiles, brandy, firearms and tobacco bound for Africa from Europe – as well as West Indies sugar for trade purposes and European tobacco as an export commodity destined for African colonies. Merchants across Ireland profited greatly from this industry as did Irish colonization colonies abroad.
Creaghs of Limerick were known for many voyages and plantations ventures in the Caribbean. Additionally, other families such as Presbyterian McCammons from Newry invested heavily in this trade.
But it took much longer before Ireland joined in on the abolitionist movement. Douglass’ criticisms of America’s Protestant churches over their support of slavery met with hostility in Ireland.
Protestant Influence
Once the Edict of Nantes had been annulled, many Huguenots fled to England and Ireland for safety. Ireland proved particularly hospitable; many settled in cities like Dublin, Cork, Portarlington Lisburn Waterford. These skilled migrants’ expertise – particularly flax cultivation – contributed to the growth of Ireland’s linen industry.
Calvinism was also brought with them; its elders could oversee moral behavior while deacons provided poor relief, making it a highly practical religion that was important in helping establish Friendly Societies, churches and charitable organisations in Britain. Descended of these refugees would play an influential role in English churches such as Presbyterianism and Anglicanism while playing an essential part in early Methodism history.