Echoes of past times

I feel it nanna8.
🧡

A similar thing happened to me in Dublin, when visiting the jail with my daughter and seeing where the rebels had been executed.
I didn't know it at the time, but later found out that my great uncle had been shot by the Black and Tans, while trying to escape them.
It was the strangest feeling, I felt so emotional, but had no idea why.

My husband didn't know he had Irish ancestors until after we'd visited Ireland many times.Right from our first visit he said he felt he'd come home.It was years later when I did his family tree I found 2x great GP all from the north east of Ireland so he had been going home.I'm 60 odd % Irish but I've always known it just 25 % Scottish but feel Scottish to the core,whats left is Italian...apparently ,now thats a mystery ,but I've had Italian friends all my life and am happy to be even a wee part Italian

About twenty years ago I travelled around NE England and Scotland studying my family history but it was in N. Uist in The Outer Hebrides that I felt at home and I was particularly drawn to the now uninhabited tidal island of Vallay where my ancestors once lived. We didn’t cross for fear of the tides but standing there looking across it felt like home.

I’ve lived in London all my life my Mum was born in Sth Wales and my sister has lived there for many years. Crossing the Welsh border on holiday always brings tears to my eyes it’s weird and emotional and I have no explanation.

Since I moved to my current address I have done a lot of family history and discovered so much about my ancestors on my mother’s side who all came from this area. It is as if I have come home. Yet we chose to live here for completely different reasons. I find it quite uncanny.

I do think it's there somewhere in our brains or dna, hasn't happened to me though.

In Wales this feeling is hiraeth - a longing for "home".

Just realised that this is what my father called it - I hope I'm right. It's what I've always called it.

Apologies to Welsh speakers if I'm wrong.

NotSpaghetti I googled it and you are perfectly right. I’ll know what it is next time 🥹

When in Ireland I feel totally at home, I am 75% Irish.
I travelled to Suffolk for the first time when I was 40 for a weeks holiday.
It took my breath away, I had an instant connection and felt I had been there before.
I recently discovered my 25% is Suffolk!

I 'm from the old Cumberland. When we retired we wanted to go back but ended up in an old Westmoreland village we had never visited. We feel very comfortable.
Doing family trees I found my grandmother had, had the post office in the next village, and DH relations had lived in a lot of the towns and villages.

ggggrandmother sorry auto correct

My parents were both from Southern Ireland. I was born here in Birmingham. When we visit relatives in Eire, they always say 'When will you next come home?' Also the sign when we leave Dublin airport after landing says 'Welcome Home'. It's a nice feeling.

NotSpaghetti

In Wales this feeling is hiraeth - a longing for "home".

One of my favourite words. I was born and raised in England but many of my relatives live in Wales, as do we since we moved two years ago. Soon to be moving further north to the coast. I can't wait. Desperately trying to learn Welsh but it's not easy - just different! Always feel like I'm home when we cross the border and breathe a huge sigh of peacefulness. Have always felt this way. I also lived in South America as a child. I've always felt like I left a piece of myself there. And whilst I have zero ties to it otherwise, I get so emotional when I hear panpipes! Strange, but true.

I've never had any dna taken, but ooh, when I first saw Scotland, I felt I was "home".

There again, I have heard that from a good few people, and met some who went for a holiday and never left.

My great grandad was Welsh.

Both sides of my family have Welsh roots and visiting is special but as far as we knew DH and I had no roots where we live now, until DH did his family tree and found his ancestors were here in the 19th century.

A friend of mine's daughter bought a new-build in a village some years ago. It's been built in the garden of her great-grandfather's cottage!

She had no knowledge of a connection to the village and found out some time after moving in.
She had described the house as feeling like she was "home".

When we moved out of the city nearly thirty year ago I felt as though I had come home. A couple of years later my son bought me a subscription to Ancestry and I discovered that my grandfather, who I always assumed was a Londoner, was born only a few miles away and that I have Somerset roots going back well into the 18th century.

I can remember cycling in Derbyshire and stopped on a lane to look at this beautiful old farmhouse. I felt so drawn to it and just stared and stared and somehow felt something connected to me. Some years later found when doing my family history that my Great-grandparents lived and farmed there. I was amazed.

A few years ago I went back to Liverpool and persuaded my sister (with considerable difficulty) to drive past the house we used to live in with our parents.

We were standing outside when a woman came out and asked us if we were lost/looking for someone. When I told her why we were there she asked if we would like to see inside. Liverpool people are like that.

My sister mumbled something and quickly walked back to the car. I thanked the woman and said we were just passing by and had not intended to disturb her. I assured her that I lived in another city and we would not be back.

When we returned to her house my sister was quite upset and burst into tears. She said she could not bear being there because it reminded her of the "happy times" when we were kids growing up in a family.

My sister evidently has a very rosy view of those times, but she was, after all the golden princess. I can never remember her being hit or disciplined. I was lucky if I got through a week without a "good hard walloping" from our father.

Not all memories of childhood are nostalgic

When my husband had a short contract in Dublin years ago...I used to fly over every other weekend..the first time..as the plane approached Dublin..I just felt so very emotional and tears were running down my face...4 years ago..my DNA showed
68% Irish
28%Welsh
4%Scottish
I did have an irish maiden name but never really thought anything about it..

Greenfinch You should visit. Its a wonderful place. I have spent many days there over the past 30 years. My spiritual home