THE WILD GEESE OF IRELAND SETTLED IN FRANCE
(Please be aware this post was written in 2003 and published at that time in the Houston Chronicle (Houston, Texas) newspaper. Some of the news in this post, therefore, may not be current. Current and future posts on this blog may revisit and update news on this and other posts on this blog. If you have questions and/or suggestions, please send Mic a note using the comment page -Don’t forget to use the orange “subscribe” button to receive new posts-Thanks, Mic)
Known in history as Wild Geese twelve thousand Irish soldiers under Colonel Patrick Sarsfield arrived in France in December 1691. The soldiers and thousands of other soldiers and civilians that followed in the ensuing years left Ireland after being defeated by the Protestant forces of William of Orange. Most never saw the Emerald Isle again.
The diaspora began when the English King James II, a Catholic, was overthrown in 1688 by Protestant William of Orange. James fled to France where he was welcomed by His Most Catholic Majesty, King Louis XIV. Louis persuaded James to go to Ireland with a small Irish-French Army in an attempt to regain his throne. Upon landing in Ireland in March 1689 Irish Catholics, civilians and regiments of Irish soldiers in the English army flocked to his side.
In battle near Boyne River William’s valor inspired his troops so well James fled to Dublin and eventually back to France. With many of the remnants of James’ army Patrick Sarsfield organized an orderly retreat to Limerick where the English lay siege to the city for several months.
To end the siege, in return for allegiance to himself, William offered the Catholics Freedom of Religion and the right of Catholic land ownership. Those refusing allegiance to William exiled themselves to France with Sarsfield. Shortly after Sarsfield left Ireland, however, the English Parliament repudiated the Treaty of Limerick, as it was called, and continued the oppression of Catholics.
SELLERS IN BRYAN
Well known lecturer John A. Sellers will be the featured speaker at the all day 9th Annual Texas Research Ramblers Seminar at the Sam Rayburn Middle School in Bryan on Saturday March 29.
Sellers will talk about various types of records normally found in a courthouse that may be used for genealogical purposes. For more information and to register contact Sue Foy by email at bsfoy2@cox-internet.com or by telephone at 797-846-7392.
FAMILY TREE MAKER SOFTWARE CLASS
Paula Perkins Parke will lead an Organizing Your Family Research With Family Tree Maker Software class from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday March 26. This one-time four hour class will be held at Houston Community College’s 1681 Cartwright campus in Missouri City.
Through demonstrations, students will learn step by step how to organize, document family information and sources and publish a family book. For more information and to register, contact HCC at 281-835-5539. Please note pre-registration is required.
SURFING THE INTERNET
Mic Barnette will lead a Surfing the Internet for Genealogy class at Houston Community College’s 1681 Cartwright campus in Missouri City. This one session class is a live three hour virtual tour of some of the most helpful and notable genealogical websites on the Internet. The class will be held Thursday March 27 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
For more information and to register, contact HCC at 281-835-5539. Please note, pre-registration is required.
BOOKSHELF NEWS
Matthew J. Culligan and Peter Cherici have written an interesting book about Irishmen who left Ireland to live in Europe. The Wandering Irish in Europe: Their Influence from the Dark Ages to Modern Times is available for $22.45, postpaid from Clearfield Publishing Company, 200 E. Eager Street, Baltimore, MD 21202.
The book describes the wanderings of the Celts from Europe to the British Isles and from Ireland back to the Continent. It discusses the rise of the Celtic culture to it’s transformation into Christianity and Roman Catholicism and the close kindredness of the Irish with other Catholic regions of Europe such as Spain, France and Italy.
The book also discusses migrations of singular and small groups of Irish to Russia, Poland, Austria and other areas of central Europe.
The book is a series histories of Irishmen intertwined with the histories of nations where they are stereotypically not expected to be found.
