Time Changes

[Alex]

I'm half Welsh, and when forced to pick I always put Welsh on official forms. I think it was that that got me into Cardiff Uni back in the day

 

I just consider myself half and half, but I pick that based on the fact I'm a tiny bit more Welsh. Very very technically

 

So yeah, time changes...

[~ Jen ~]

Were you born in Ireland, Jen or in England?

 

 

England. I know I'm entitled to dual, not sure if I actually have it or not! Thankfully most forms tend to lump us all in as "white European" so I don't have to mess about with it. Depending on who's asking depends on the answer I give to the nationality question; the only people I love to mess with are the Census people because Mum taught me it's great fun to call them up and ask how you record dual on the forms...

[Hawker]

Ah, I just wondered - I know a lot of people say that they're the nationality of one (or both) of their parents, but I always think of their own place of birth as having importance too (although obviously problematic in some cases!).

 

It's always interesting to see which nationality people have an affinity to and their reasons (I.e. they were born there, their family is from there etc) for it. Do you like Ireland as a place?

[~ Jen ~]

Ah, I just wondered - I know a lot of people say that they're the nationality of one (or both) of their parents, but I always think of their own place of birth as having importance too (although obviously problematic in some cases!).

 

It's always interesting to see which nationality people have an affinity to and their reasons (I.e. they were born there, their family is from there etc) for it. Do you like Ireland as a place?

 

 

To hijack the thread... welcome to Jen's family history!

 

My maternal grandparents were/are Irish. Born, bred, generations spanning back. After the Second World War they moved to London (Gran was a nurse, Granddad a soldier and work was more available) which is where all five of their children were born and raised. Gran died, the kids grew up, Granddad went back to Ireland.

 

When my parents got married they had a two week honeymoon before Dad was called back to sea (he was in the Navy at the time). Mid November he calls Mum up and says that they're docking in Singapore for Christmas and New Year, he has permission to go ashore and he's buying her a plane ticket. Mum digs out her (English) passport to find that since the honeymoon six months prior, it's expired. She calls up the Embassy and is basically told there's no chance of getting a new one this side of Christmas. Her sister then points out that as both their parents are Irish naturals she could be eligible for an Irish one. Worth a shot. Early December she calls them.

 

EMBASSY: Well, I'm really sorry Mrs R, but the Ambassador is out at a function tonight. The earliest I'll be able to get him to sign the papers is tomorrow morning but I'll make sure he does it first thing. We'll process everything, but I'm afraid that we can't get a passport to you any quicker than 72 hours...

 

Mum was kinda OK with that! So that started her having the Irish passport as she'd applied for and got nationality and it was just easier to renew it.

 

When it came time for my brother and I to get passports of our own, Mum and Dad asked if we wanted an English or an Irish one. We opted for Irish and it was figured that it would probably be for best as we were more likely to travel with just Mum or as a family than just Dad and if the three of us were all on Irish passports then we couldn't really be separated.

 

The family history... When my Gran died, my Mum was nine years old (the youngest was not even five). The Social at the time told my Granddad that as he had five children all under the age of fifteen, they'd take the younger two into care to "help him out". He told them in no uncertain terms they were not taking his children and they all banded together to help out and stay together. The elder two got jobs, Mum (as the middle child) helped run the house and look after the younger two... The end result, many decades later, is that Mum is very, very close to her brothers and sisters, and my cousins on that side of the family are more like extra siblings. Ever since Granddad went back to Ireland we've gone over so much - every summer when I was growing up - and have the same closeness to the extended family out there.

 

To me, the Irish side of my family *is* my family. My Dad has siblings, I have cousins on that side too, but I am in now way as close to them as I am to my Mum's side. Dad's side are more hatch, match, dispatch, birthdays and Christmas people. Mum's side we'll randomly drive down to London for a weekend where we do nothing but drink wine all night and laze around all day, most likely ordering takeaway! As that's my family as it were and they just happen to be Irish - a mixture of naturals, first and second generational - then that's where I feel I belong too. Might not be a 100% card carrying Celtic gal, but if they say home is where the heart is, then a part of that is in a small town in County Offlay, smack bang in the centre of the Republic if Ireland, striking distance to friends and family in Dublin, Co. Cavan, Co. Clare...

 

We now return you to the wonderful topic of time zones...!

[Hawker]

Interesting - thanks for sharing. I can see why you feel an affinity to Ireland.

[~ Jen ~]

*is happy that Victoria finally change this weekend, meaing the end to the confusing time zones*

[notlookingback]

My time looks right (just checked)

 

Thanks for the information.