How english, welsh and Irish am I?

[Nick29]

Well, so far I'm 100% English, but since our great country was invaded by so many 'immigrants' in times gone by (Romans, Vikings, Celts, Picts, Normans, Jutes, etc), who knows ? 

[genjen]

Doesn't some of it depend on how you feel?

My dad was Scottish, my mother English so techincally, I am half and half. Go back two generations and one of the Scottish lines suddenly has Essex blood in it  , so that dilutes my Scots ancestry a bit more.

But if pushed, and in spite of having grown up and lived most of my life in England, I would say that I feel more kinship with my Scottish side than the English one.

Interestingly, doing this research has made me more fond of the English ancestors but in a pitched battle between the two, I'd almost certainly support the Scots.

Jen

[Rena]

Whilst I was reading this thread it came to me that we possibly might not be having this conversation a few decades ago.  In those days the father was the official guardian and by law whatever nationality he was so were his children.

With the Commonwealth games so near it comes to mind that the athletes from each of the countries who make up the United Kingdom are chosen from where they were born (or if a recent immigrant whether they have legal British citizenship status, then it's which of the countries they live in).  To further complicate the matter, the football association stipulates that a player can go as far back as a grandparent's nationality.  This is why sometimes the Irish, Scots and Welsh football teams have some very English sounding players.

[netgrrl79]

To further complicate the matter, the football association stipulates that a player can go as far back as a grandparent's nationality.  This is why sometimes the Irish, Scots and Welsh football teams have some very English sounding players.

Which is why Vinnie Jones was able to play for - and even captain - the  Welsh national team as his mother's father was Welsh!

Katie

[genjen]

Whilst I was reading this thread it came to me that we possibly might not be having this conversation a few decades ago.  In those days the father was the official guardian and by law whatever nationality he was so were his children.

 

Oh goody...I am Scottish then.

[FosseWay]

I'm English in the sense that I've lived all but one year of my life in England (the exception was Italy) and my parents were brought up in England (though neither was born here). But I have a Scottish surname.

Going by great-grandparents, I'm a quarter Scottish, an eighth Irish and five-eighths English. But the Irish eighth is in reality a right hodgepodge of Scots, English and French Huguenot, with no native Catholic Irish in there at all, and the English portion is a mix of Saxon, Viking and Norman. As others have said, where do you stop?

[Charles IX]

So after reading everyones post on this thread Im assuming that there is no perticual stopping point. Its just as far as the person wants to go back... so Im going to say Im 1/16 Irish, 6/16 English and 9/16 Welsh.

Thanks for everyones feedback
Charles

[Jean McGurn]

I think basically unless you have a bloodline relative born outside the British Isles then maybe calling oneself 'British' covers all of  Scotland/Ireland/Wales/England,  not too sure if the Isle of Man, Scilly Isles and the Channel Isles come under British Isles or not. 

Jean

[Daisy Loo]

I think basically unless you have a bloodline relative born outside the British Isles then maybe calling oneself 'British' covers all of Scotland/Ireland/Wales/England, not too sure if the Isle of Man, Scilly Isles and the Channel Isles come under British Isles or not.

Jean

and I'm pretty sure that no-one from Ireland would call themselves British