Are You related to someone famous? part II

Well I went and revisited the site to find out about famous relatives.
And guess what?  They made it better and more improved

Here is the link again.
http://roots.cs.byu.edu/

What is cool is the fact they are tagging into the familysearch database and the information you have provided (with your permission) and are able to show a more direct link.  In the past it was only to your distant relative.  Now it can show all the way to you.

Now generally when you hit a royal line like in my case you get only a dozen or so people since they can't show every count, princess or the like.  But, with the improved system you can add in other relatives or people you want to verify if you have any link to and get a report for this.

So Like any good member of the Clan MacDougall (http://macdougall.org) I felt I should put in our Patriarch - Somerled.

What amazed me was the fact that I do have a direct line to Somerled.  But the more amazing part is that it goes through the second child - Reginald.   Not the route I was expecting.





It is also very interesting to see the linkage between various states like Portugal and the rest of the Iberian Peninsula or England and Scotland.



So I'm going to give some of the ID codes (Ancestral file Number- AFN) that one would need to check their linkage to the great Somerled and other notables of the time frame.

PZ7J-20 -  ISLES, Somerled King Of The

8WKN-4B - ENGLAND, Edward I Longshanks King Of

9G9N-60 - SCOTLAND, Kenneth I Macalpin King Of



So if you find anything interesting using this site please provide the information.  It's amazing what we can find.  I just wish I could solve the problems I'm having with my ancestor George McCool who came from Canada to Macon Illinois in the 1850's.


So for Now
Buaidh - NO - Bas

Salmon of Knowledge

What more fitting topic to start off this blog then with a bit on the Salmon of Knowledge from none other than Fionn MacCumhail (Finn MacCool).  Both have a prudent connection to the content that will follow here: Ancestors and Wisdom.

UI's Celtic Mythology - Finn MacCool

"Finn MacCool, sometimes called Finn Mac Cumaill or Fionn MacCumal, was the leader of the Fianna, or Fenians, the select band of warriors which guarded the High King of Ireland. His father, Cumal, a previous leader of the Fenians, was killed by Goll, a Fenian warrior. Cumal had eloped with a girl named Hurna and her father urged Goll to avenge this dishonour. Goll slew Cumal, but later Cumal's son Finn was born and brought up secretly. One of his tutors was the druid Finegas, who lived beside the River Boyne and caught the Salmon of Knowledge. He gave the fish to his pupil to cook, but Finn burnt his thumb on the flesh and in sucking it obtained wisdom."
Graphic and text provided by United Irelander



Most if not all the "Tales or Legends" about Finn are considered just that.  Legends and myth.
Why is he considered so "Legendary" while Cuchulainn is not?  A good question for another day.  Stay tuned I may just try to answer that without rambling to much.

So classic is the tale of the salmon of knowledge.  Due to the burnt finger all he has to do is suck or gnaw on his thumb to gain wisdom.  With this insight he is able to get  out of just about all his sticky spots.

However, I have to say for someone to be able to chew their thumb down to the bone and gain wisdom is far fetched.  But is not wisdom what everyone is seeking?  This is what causes so much trouble with the tales of Finn.  You have heroic deeds by someone that live in say 100 A.D. to 400 A.D.  mixed together with far fetched stories alike

Want more on Finn MacCool?  I found a good read in Morgan Llywelyn's book by the same name.

Morgan Llywelyn's Finn MacCool 5 Stars

It's historical fiction just like the rest of the stuff she writes.  Highly recommend this author.  Sometimes I'll get lucky and find a paragraph or page in some book on Irish history, or mythology.  Never nearly as much as Cuchulainn.  At this time I will not recommend any other books.  Look for something in the future when I review some of the stories of Finn.

So long for Now.

Buaidh - NO - Bas