12 Comments
Sep 9, 2021Liked by James Fell

My family converted for food. We were apparently shunned by the rest of the family, and ended up in Australia. The rest of the family were O’Connor, the O is an honorific which means “son of”. We were forced to drop the O, and became Connors instead.

Expand full comment
author

Wow. And if they hadn't converted you might not exist.

Expand full comment
Sep 9, 2021Liked by James Fell

Yep. But we’ve been atheists for a few generations now, it’s almost as if the food was more important than the religion ;)

Expand full comment
Sep 9, 2021Liked by James Fell

In Ireland it's known as 'taking the soup'. In order to be fed, you had to renounce your religion and anglicise your name. So, the difference between Connors and O Connors is that the Connors 'took the soup'. The English have a lot to answer for.

Expand full comment
author

Yeah I'd never heard the expression until I saw the movie Black 47.

Expand full comment

"joke" by a Scots musician I saw. "Why does the sun never set on England? Because god don't trust 'em, that's why."

Expand full comment
Sep 9, 2021Liked by James Fell

The primary Irish potato famine big was Phytopthera infestans. It’s not a fungus, it’s an oomycete (water mold). Similar to a fungus but not actually a fungus. Sorry to be a pedant…

Expand full comment
author

Thanks I'll update it.

Expand full comment
Sep 11, 2021Liked by James Fell

Thanks! As a descendant of two of the 1.5 million who got the hell out of dodge, I’ve always meant to look into this more. My research shows that my paternal side is English and maternal side is Irish. Seems like the English married into the Irish and said, wow we really are dicks, let’s bail! 😂

Expand full comment

First time I remember someone mentioning the fact about the food being shipped out. Good man yourself James!

Expand full comment

There was one Protestant minister who helped the starving as best he could. He became an outcast. Humans suck.

Expand full comment

Reverend Robert Traill

Expand full comment