My families names is Turner, they settled in Virginia in the United States. I am told through elder family that we come from what are commonly known as Spanish Armada Irish or "Black Irish". Men in my family have jet black hair atop their head, blue eyes, and redish facial hair. I am afraid I can offer very little more information at this time. Any help in assisting me with locating my families place of origin there in Ireland would greatly be appreciated. It will help in my planning a family trip to Ireland.
Tuesday 5th Feb 2013, 03:37AM
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Dear Hank:
My advice to you would be to try to find out as much in Virginia as you can through: birth, marriage and death certs. In addition, look at the Censuses as they can contain a lot of information with regard to birthplace. The more work that you have done in the US, will help to narrow down where your ancestors might have come from.
Please keep in touch with Ireland XO as there is a lot of helpful information that is out there and is in the process of becoming available all the time. I will certainly keep my ears and eyes open for you and if I come across anything of interest with regard to your surname in County Clare, I will let you know.
As a matter of interest, you might take a look at the Clare County Library website as it has a lot of very useful genealogical links and resources to look over.
All the best with your search.
Jane.
Tulla Clare, IrelandXO Volunteer
Tuesday 5th Feb 2013, 07:46PM -
Hi Hank,
There is a book entitled "The Clare Anthology" Edited by Kieran Sheedy and published by CLASP Press (Clare Local Studies Project), see: http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/library/local-studies/clasp/index.htm
One of the many offerings inside is called "Historical Sketches, The Spanish Armada in Clare," and this essay details the wrecks off the Munster coast and ends with "No blame can be attached with any certainty to the native Irish who undoubtedly witnessed the wreck, the captures and the hangings except perhaps to point out that no attempt was made to aid the Spaniards, of whom not one survived."
This essay was "Abridged from Niall Fallon, The Armada in Ireland, 1978."
You might also need to know that when the term "black Irish" is used, it is not always in reference to this myth of genetic makeup of Irish with certain physical traits and sometimes is just another way of saying, these folks aren't from around here and they don't act like us. This expression (Black Irish) is often hotly disputed of the real meaning and I can't claim to be any kind of authority on the matter - it's just that I have heard this said by some Irish and some lecturers, so please take this part with a grain of salt; I cannot offer even one reference to this idea - sorry.
However, there is a nice Wikipedia article on the subject here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Irish which discounts the idea that any genetic makeup of any of the Irish come from sailors of the Armada wrecks.
All the best,
James McNamara
Feakle Clare Administrator.
Friday 8th Feb 2013, 06:00AM