Origins



Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland



I saw Kenneth Branagh’s film ‘Belfast’ last night. Set in August 1969, the story follows a Protestant family whose lives are torn apart when sectarian violence flares up in their community. For years Protestants and Catholics have lived peacefully side by side in the same street. But one fateful afternoon, bigotry and hatred arrive in the form of the local Loyalist militia who are determined to carry out ethnic cleansing. One by one, the Catholic families on the street are either driven out or flee. British soldiers start arriving in Belfast. The barricades go up.

The film is great and I highly recommend it: powerful, moving, funny, and chilling in its portrayal of the dark forces that tore Northern Ireland apart.

I have a strong connection with Northern Ireland. My adoptive family, the Lintons, are of Northern Irish stock – Scottish Protestants, in fact, originally sent over to put the Catholics in their place (not something I’m proud of). But I am also connected by blood: my birth mother – who was originally from South Norwood – went to Northern Ireland in 1963, the year after my birth, and she never left, raising a family there. I was reunited with her in 1997. I flew to Belfast, in August 2010, for her funeral.

Before I got to know my birth mother, I had already visited Northern Ireland several times. One occasion was the long, hot summer of 1990, when I was on holiday with English friends in County Down. I had no idea then that my birth mother and my biological siblings were living close by.

For someone with such strong Celtic connections, I have no idea whether I actually have any Irish blood. Like my birth mother before me, I grew up in south east England, on the edge of Greater London. My birth surname, Coward, is an old Norman name meaning ‘cowherd’, which indicates that my ancestors were the workers and peasants who came over with the Norman Conquest. Whoever they were, I would rather be descended from working men and women than the ruling class who conquered Ireland and began 800 years of colonisation.

Many adoptees are fascinated by their origins and seek them out. I did. I love reading about other people’s origins and the quest motif is one of my favourite story tropes.

What is your family’s history? What are the cultural forces that have shaped you and your life? Even if this is not an area you write in, eg historical fiction or memoir or autobiography, there are many factors which shape us as people and as writers. What secrets lie in your family’s story? (Every family has them.) Those secrets can be redeemed. Mine were.

Our origins are often complex and dark, but they are also rich and fascinating. As Christian writers, we can celebrate that. We can also hold out the hope of our final destiny in Christ, who can redeem all histories and cultures – and our origins.

… he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will … For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. Ephesians 1: 4-5, 2: 10, NRSV



I am the administrator for the education and learning office of the United Reformed Church and a lay minister in the Church of England. I wrote a devotional for the anthology ‘Light for the Writer’s Soul’, published by Media Associates International, and my short story ‘Magnificat’ appears in the ACW Christmas Anthology ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’.

Comments

  1. So, so interesting Philippa! I really want to watch Belfast. I heard Kenneth Branagh talking about it on the radio and it sounds amazing. My most famous ancestor is the Bishop of Gloucester & Worcester, John Hooper, who was martyred by Mary Tudor in 1555. I've done a few talks on him and I truly believe that's where I get my habit of taking the hardest path in life, rather than the easiest. Family memoir is one of my favourite genres.

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  2. This is fascinating - I love thinking about the circumstances that shape people (and it's a useful tool for our writing, too).

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  3. Yes I have heard good reports of this film.it is very interesting to read about your Irish family background. I have written about my family background in South London, and it is on my website scskillmandotcom. One of my forebears was a Thames 'Waterman' according to parish records I researched. I have a special feeling for the river Thames.

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  4. Oh wow, I love this post! I feel justified for writing 'Their Journey'. It mentions abit of my family history fictionally. The genealogy of our Lord Jesus proove that it is important for us to know our roots, history, origin and yes, secrets? There were some people with dark secrets or history in our Lord's origin. Bathsheba and Rahab to mention a few. I guess people from England and other countries have had records of people kept which help them find their origins compared to other countries in Africa for example. I wish I knew more about my past from generations ago! This post gives one a lot food for thought. Great post. Blessings!

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  5. I love family history and connections too. I have no Irish blood that I am aware of, but one line of family research did link me tentatively to Sir William Wallace! I too would like to see Belfast. I have long admired Kenneth Branagh, as both actor and director, and it's fascinating that his background was Belfast in the troubles.

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  6. Really helpful post - and timely! I'm struggling with the new book and as I read "These secrets can be redeemed. Mine were" I realized it could be one of my characters speaking. So the fog has cleared. Thank you!

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  7. Loved this, so interesting and thoughtful. Family history looking back often shows us how pfamilies over time move between upper class and totally ordinary, and if we relate that to historical circumstances we can see why. I have some people way back who were silk merchants and who seem to've contributed to the Royal Academy of Art being formed, but also learned the background of one of my Grandmothers: she grew up on Bristol waterfront where her parents, by the time she was a young adult, were running a pub. 'Takes all sorts' is very true'- and often you would never have guessed the trials and difficulties some of them had.

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  8. My husband and I are going to see 'Belfast' tonight and really looking forward to it. Funnily enough I have a foot in both Irish camps. My father was born in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, my uncle in Dublin (both before the division) and their mother was Southern Irish too. I also have lots of Scottish ancestors, so a Celt through and through.

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  9. Fascinating. Lovely to hear about your Irish roots. I believe I have some too and would love to find out more about them. I would not have thought of going to see 'Belfast' but now I think I will. Thank you.

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  10. Thanks for this Philippa. My roots lie somewhere in Scotland – part of the Murray clan, many of whom were wiped out at Culloden, but someone must have made it! Research stumbled across cattle rustlers at which point I think the project was abandoned.
    I really enjoyed 'Belfast'; Mr B captured a moment in time so well with the black and white film which changed to colour in the theatre and cinema: the places where he felt most alive. Great performances by the cast especially the little lad. Hope they scoop a healthy bunch of awards next month.

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