…this morning on Facebook, sumb’dy asked me if I have a touch o’ the Irish in me, given my occasional posting on there of Irish ballads and Celtic airs… and in that peculiar way yer thoughts bounce around in what’s left of the wee grey cells, a few (p’raps nebulous) connections began to form… my passport name is JAMES ANTHONY GALLACHER… so how, and where the hell does the ’SEUMAS’ derive, yeez may ask?… let’s back track a tad… it seems my great grandfather on my Dad’s side was JAMES MICHAEL GALLACHER, his son, my grandfather, was JAMES ANTHONY GALLACHER, my father’s name was JAMES MICHAEL GALLACHER, and in the family’s highly-original leapfrogging name-labelling sequence, I became the next JAMES ANTHONY GALLACHER… a bit of genealogical tracing back to the great grandwhatevers does indeed go back to Irish roots… (GALLAGHER and GALLAHER are more recognisably Irish surnames)… it seems that great grandfather was a celebrated Irish auctioneer… a great granduncle was an equally celebrated Irish lawyer… then the remaining family obviously swam across the Irish sea to Scotland in search of better fistfights, I should imagine… (the famous phrase at Irish weddings, ‘what time’s the fight?’)… then comes my metamorphosis from ‘JAMES’ to ‘SEUMAS’… frequent followers of my blog will know I spent six wonderful years in the Scottish Hebridean Island of Mull in the Western Isles…
…I arrived there as a callow youth of barely 16 years… began singing in their local Gaelic and winning medals in the tongue… presto, hey… the Gaelic translation for ‘JAMES’ became my adopted moniker, and it’s stuck ever since… the immersion in the Celtic language and particularly its music has been part of my soul ever since… in the genes already? I suppose it was, and grateful I am to have been given the opportunity to embrace it so wholeheartedly in my teens… there’s a wee bit of that Celtic music from Enya for yeez above… do any of yeez out there, Lads and Lassies of Blog Land, have similar anecdotes to share?… what’s in yer name?… what’s in yer genes?… see yeez later… LUV YEEZ!…
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Have a great day Seumas and FUNTASTIC 2016 That Man! 🎉💥🎈🐵
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…and the same to yerself in droves, that man, Chris 🙂
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👍😃😄
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Since the first momment I heard singing Enya I liked her, however I started liking Celtic Music some time ago, which goes strait to my heart, its melodies are unmistakable, pipes, violins… Leerene McKennitt, though she comes from East Canada, her style seems to come from Celtic music..
And your name… is YOUR name!!!!!!!
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..absolutely, m’Lady, Rosa:) mwaah 🙂
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My mother was German, Welsh, and probably a bit of Polish. My dad was probably 3/4 Celt with a 1/4 of American Dutch in there. He had two Irish grandparents–one on each side. Even his English grandfather Armstrong, from whom he got his last name, might have been Scottish as his name was John Armstrong. I looked it up and it seems the name originated in Scotland when a soldier for the Scottish king lifted up this king after he was unhorsed in a battle–thereby strong-of-arm. There’s even an Armstrong kilt. My dad had suspected his grandfather had a good bit of Scottish ancestry. My dad’s name was John Paul Armstrong. And that, Seumas, is no doubt why I like bagpipe music. Thanks for the lovely music. 🙂
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..yup, I think you more than qualify, m’Lady, Suzanne:)
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Lawyers, auctioneers… Yes, it figures. You have not only the celtic blood, but the words and the business in your veins. To a great 2016!
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…and to you and yours, m’Lady, Olga 🙂
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Happy Christmas, Sir! Hope its filled with great ideas for Jack’s adventures, lots of fun, and possibly a Holly bedecked camel! Thanks for being AWESOME!
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…cheeers , m’Lady… and have a great Christmas and New Year to you and yours 🙂
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Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
Seumas Gallacher reveals his Irish roots.. approximately 56 million Americans claim Irish ancestory.. My grandfather was Irish from County Cork and the nation is probably one of the most successful coloniser in history. Not bad for a wee country!
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…slainte! :):)
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“in search of a better fistfight”. Love it. I got my hair, freckles, skin tone and temper ( a bit) from my Irish ancestors. O’Connor. They came to Philadelphia in the late 1700’s ! Happy 2016 to you.
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slainte! …have a great 2016 yerself! 🙂
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With all the toasting going on, slàintes here and there, I thought this is a nice salute and would grace both Ireland and Scotland:
May the hinges of friendship never rust
Nor the wings of love lose a feather
Another great post Seumas …
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…LUV IT, Borassic… orrabest that man, slainte for the 31st:)
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slàinte to you too Jurassic :0)
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If the name fits, it’s always been yours – waiting for you. Interesting family tale. Who couldn’t love “What time’s the fight?”
Hope your new year is full of adventures and much delight.
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…slainte! :):):):)
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