BBC TV "WDYTYA?" Series 7 Episode #2: Chris Moyles

[LizzieW]

I wasn't impressed that Moyles seemed to think that the only profession worthy of mention in his book was a soldier.

I don't think it was, it was just that was what the BBC chose to concentrate on because lots of us can relate to losing an ancestor in WWI.  He was also interested in his gran and her job in the biscuit factory.  I would have liked to know what happened to his gran's other two siblings when she was sent to Ireland to live with her gran.  Did they stay in Aldershot with dad, or were they farmed out to a different gran - his parents maybe?

Lizzie

[heywood]

Yes Lizzie, I wondered that too re the other children.  Also it was interesting how Jacobs was the way - as in many towns - there were really large employers where all the family worked and that Jacobs was now the Dublin Archives.
I thought the 'soldier thing' was because he had been brought up to believe that Moyles was an Irish name for a soldier and he was 'put out' (good humouredly) to find out that it meant 'bald'.

[danuslave]

I was astonishly surprised to see that you can search and have access to the 1911 Irish census FREE OF CHARGE!!

Now that is truly amazing.  If only I had Irish ancestors.....

Linda

[mongoose2]

The one thing I wished they had spent some more time on was the Irish potato famine as most tv only skirt the truth of what happened.
If anyone is interested I recommend a book by John Burrowes called "Irish: The Remarkable Saga of a Nation and a City" in it he describes the Diaspora of nearly 2 million Irish to various parts of the world including over 700,000 to Glasgow. He says that over a million Irish starved to death whilst food was still being exported from Ireland.
I have a copy of my old school history book from the 60's and it has 3 paragraphs on the famine where only a "few thousand died". Talk about the victors writing the history books.
The images of the slums in Ireland in the program were awful and you wonder just how people survived.


Barry

[LizzieW]

Slightly off topic - it's odd that 700,000 Irish people moved to Glasgow during the Irish potato famine, when Scotland had their own potato famine and thousands of Scots emigrated to Canada, Australia and New Zealand - a fact I didn't know until I holidayed in Scotland earlier this year.

Lizzie

[Siamese Girl]

I was astonishly surprised to see that you can search and have access to the 1911 Irish census FREE OF CHARGE!!

Now that is truly amazing.  If only I had Irish ancestors.....

Linda

If only they had taken a census in 1811 - before most people's Irish ancestors had left the country!!!


I still haven't watched Mr Moyles - I'm afraid we opted for Midsomer Murders as well (and both went to sleep!)

Carole

[danuslave]

If only I had Irish ancestors.....

So much can happen in two days!  Since posting this I have discovered  that there is an Irish link.

Unfortunately the lady concerned was born about 1831, so the 1911 census is still not going to help much   

Linda

[maidmarion]

The best episode for a long time. Good one Chris

[aghadowey]

So much can happen in two days!  Since posting this I have discovered  that there is an Irish link.
Unfortunately the lady concerned was born about 1831, so the 1911 census is still not going to help much   
Linda

If she stayed in Ireland she'd only be about 80 in 1911. The 1901 (also free) is due to come online after all of 1911 is completed.