No matter where your roots lie – Irish or French – DNA will reveal many hidden connections between France and Ireland. Discover where these bridges may exist today.
From 1620s-1640s, Munster began moving large numbers of its people into Brittany and Anjou. Keep an eye out for new arrivals in parish records – Irish merchant families also began appearing there.
Origins
Medieval Ireland and France shared a sense of common heritage. By early modernity, however, there had emerged an increased surge of immigration as well as fractured national identities.
Irish kings supported Catholic James II when he attempted to claim the throne of England, Ireland and Scotland in 1688; this support was seen as treachery by William of Orange’s Protestant son-in-law who defeated James at the Battle of Boyne.
Irish immigrants settled throughout all levels of French society from lowly laborers to elite citizens, including many Irish troops in France’s military that often served in separate regiments. My mother in law’s DNA test results indicate she has both Scottish and Irish roots – her DNA shows they share approximately equal proportions.
Migration
Irish immigrants to France in the 17th and 18th centuries often sought religious freedom, economic opportunities or simply improved lives.
New France records were an invaluable source of documentation for French and Irish ancestry research, including baptisms, marriages, deaths, censuses, legal documents and census records. This made tracing them simple despite any variations made when recording Irish surnames for legal documents or census purposes.
Relations between Ireland and France have since blossomed to an intimate partnership marked by numerous diplomatic visits, most significantly Charles de Gaulle’s journey back through his mother’s Irish ancestry in 1969 when he visited Ireland to retrace his roots on that side of his family tree.
Ethnicity
Irish and French nationals participated in clandestine resistance networks against Nazi occupiers during World War II. For instance, Katherine Anne MacCarthy worked as a Franciscan nun who provided intelligence reports and plotted escape routes with other group members.
Charles de Gaulle made an historic visit to Ireland in 1969, coinciding with Ireland joining the European Economic Community (EEC). This trip helped increase awareness of relations between France and Ireland.
Irish people tend to possess high proportions of Bronze Age Pontic-Caspian Steppe ancestry genetically, placing them among the top five populations with this admixture globally. This likely reflects their mixture with immigrants from Northern France that came after Normandy was invaded in 11th century.
Culture
Irish people have made tremendous contributions to French culture from literature to film and gastronomy. Beyond their own language, Irish immigrants have left behind an indelible mark through Alliance Francaise and Centre culturel Irlandais (the Embassy’s cultural center). Additionally, their patriotism coexists seamlessly with contributions made toward new homes including politics, business and sports activities.
As France and Prussia were at war in 1870, support committees in Ireland were set up to raise money for troops. Irish losses are memorialised on both the Arc de Triomphe and Fontenoy monument. Since then, relations between both nations have been marked by a steady influx of young French people into Ireland who bring with them modern attitudes and ways of life that have had profound effects on both culture and language.
Language
Gaelic has been Ireland’s official language since 1928. This music-inspired language features melodic lilt with an emphasis on vowels that is still spoken by a few Irish speakers today.
France, as an influential world language, has had a major impact on Irish. French was further reinforced when Vikings came in the 9th and 10th centuries with Old Norse; Normans brought with them their language which has become an integral part of modern Irish.
Campus France Dublin promotes exchange programs at universities throughout Ireland and encourages students to study in France by offering joint degrees, joint certificate or joint diploma programmes. Furthermore, it serves as the host for an alumni network from France.