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Question: Am I Spanish!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!?
My mom and I have been arguing over the fact of whether or not i'm spanish!. Here's the story according to her: Spain invaded ireland and procreated with women!. It was illegal, so therefore it wasn't documented!. My aunt Helen looked spanish, she came from ireland to the US with my great grandmother in 1916!. From there, my greatgrandmother settled down here, etc!. had her daughter, my grandmother, who married a french man and had my mother and her sister, my aunt maura!. My aunt maura is darker skinned with dark eyes and curly hair, but I'm just saying it's the french!. I'm more french looking, but would you say i'm spanish, or no!? I say I'm not, she begs to differ!. What do you think!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
You are probably thinking of the legends surrounding the sailors that supposedly survived the sinking of the Spanish Armada during the reign of Elizabeth II in 1588, although almost all of them drowned in the North Atlantic!. Americans of Irish descent often refer to individuals of Irish descent with your coloring as the "Black Irish"!.
Your complexion, dark hair, and brown eyes, however, are just a variation of Celtic coloring found in both the Irish and the Scots!. (I see them myself--with the exception that my skin tone is like Snow White's--every time I look in the mirror while everyone else in my family has light brown, red, or blond hair and green, blue, or hazel eyes!.)
P!. S!. -- If you really want to know if there were any Spaniards luring in your ancestry, send off for a DNA test!. I've provided a link for such a European DNA test, but many similar sites are available as well: http://www!.dnatesting!.com/ancestry/europ!.!.!.
A DNA test cannot as yet tell the difference between Irish and English DNA, but it will be able to tell if any of your ancestors were Spanish!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Were you born in Spain!? No!? Then you're not Spanish!.
You could look into your genealogy, which would be a long and involved process!. It's always possible there is a bit of Spanish in there, but if your French grandfather is dark, chances are it's coming from the French side!.
also, while the Irish are known for being fair, they do sometimes spit out a "dark" child!. It's a Celtic thing and has nothing to do with Spain at all!. Since I'm pretty sure Spain never invaded Ireland, I highly highly doubt you have Spanish ancestry!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Spain invaded Ireland!? When was this!?
If you want to know your ancestry, you will have to do the research!.
You can't judge your heritage strictly by your looks!.
Start with yourself and ask the older generation for as many names and dates as they remember!.
Then you will find if you have any Spanish in your background!.
Good luck and have fun on your search!.
Www@QuestionHome@Com
Come On!.!.!. Spain invaded Ireland!?!.!.!.!. are you sure of that!.!?
You should comfirm that poin!. I bvelieve you are wrong!.
Moreover If you have spanish ancestry it does not make you a spanish citizen!.!.!. Look, my great gand mother was french It does not make me french!.!.!. My orher great gran mother was apache, it does not make me an apache!.!.!.!.
Greetings!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
you are definitely not a Spaniard!.!.!. however there is a good chance you may be Spaniel!.!.!. just check how floppy your ears are!.!.
Seriously though!.!.!. no you are not Spanish (from what you have said)Www@QuestionHome@Com
yes!.
go back to spainlandWww@QuestionHome@Com
With respect for you both!.!.
Neither one of you KNOW for sure, what exactly you are!.
Genealogy is absolutely and completely based in documentation!. Or!.!. a person (if they are doing actual genealogy) know NOTHING unless they have some record to document what they believe!.
The statement that mom is making, is an assumption!. Not a fact!. Whether Spain invaded Ireland or not, isn't the question!. The question is, has anyone found a valid document that shows YOUR own gr gr grandmother was the daughter of a soldier from Spain and a woman from Ireland!. You also have assumed that Aunt's coloring is from the French ancestor, which is stereotyping and not researched/ documented!.
ALL of us have ancestry which goes back prior to any existing documentation!. That is a given!. I know my grandfather had parents, gr parents, so forth!. I have not identified them, thus I have no way to claim that they came from Russia to Poland, or anything!. Russians did come to Poland!. That does not verify that my ancestors were among them!. I simply do not know, either way!.
You can (if you want) have dna testing done, which gives more information about genetic background and haplogroups!. You MIGHT find something to support mom's belief!.
If you use the term "genealogy", there are certain core standards!. It means working back from yourself, one generation at a time, and REQUIRES that it be done as a scientist would!.!. with documents, or other records!. You "prove" your parents, then your grandparents, then great grandparents!. Each will be unique!. Nothing in genealogy can ever be based in assumptions!. You already have info that gr grandmother is the immigrant from Ireland, and the date!. You can get documents to confirm this, and in those records, you may also find the exact place of her birth and parents!. (same for French grandpa)!.
Once you have the location in Ireland, you can start working with whatever documents exist/ survive there!. The reality is that many Irish do have darker coloring!. That is not proof that they are of Spanish descent!.
If and when you have records to verify an ancestor who came from Spain, it would be valid to claim being Spanish!. Until then!.!. you just don't know!. Www@QuestionHome@Com