Are there any good Irish historians out there?

Sceala Clann Location: Sydney, Australia

Are there any good Irish historians out there? If so i have a personal request.

I am posting from Sydney Australia, and am first generation Aussie. My family has a strong Irish heritage, but my issues centre mainly around my late grandfather. I am hoping that i can find people on this forum who are knowledgeable about Irish history and can enter into discussion.

The deal is as follows. My late grandfather (passed away just over two years ago in oz) was born in Waterford County in 1930, miggrated over to London in his twenties, and then onto Sydney several years after that, to which he lived for the remainder of his life.

I knew him to be a proud and prinicpled man, but he was also quite stubborn and hot tempered. I know what ye'all thinking - typical irish! But he was simply not the type to disclose his feelings to anyone, or to open up really. Plus he was quite controlling of my family, and got quite angry and abusive when things didn't go according to his plans or expectations.

I was diagnosed a couple of months back with anxiety and depression and i feel that much of this is attributed to behaviours that i learned from my grandfather. As i dont know who my biologicial father is (i do have a father but not biological), i regarded my grandfather as something of a role model.

I am currently receiving treatment for the A&D, but i cant help but wonder if there was some stuff that went on in my grandfather's life that has some baring on the stuff that i am now going through. I remember him talking aobut his life from his time at London onwards, but he never really mentioned anything about his experiences in Ireland.

I wonder if my grandfather had anything to hide about his growing up in Ireland, which is possible coz i feel that Waterford County might not have been the friendliest place during the 1930s and 1940s. But i am only guessing at this as my grandfather never talked about it. I have done some research about this period of time in Waterford and Ireland and have found it was a time of great tension due to fundamental disagreements as to how Ireland should be run (Ireland got its independence in 1926 i believe?)

As i understand it, Irish independence led to civil war, this war finishing just before my grandfather was born, but the threat of more violence in Ireland always loomed large for a time thereafter as Ireland came to grips with independence ie 'The Troubles'.

This is the best i have gotten toward understanding what it might have been like for my grandfather growing up in Ireland, but like i mentioned before, much of it is up to assumption. I am hoping there are people on this forum who are more knowledgable about Irish history and might be able to provide more insight as to what it may have been like to grow up in Waterford County between 1930 and 1950.

Apologies for this long-winded posting, but any help or opinion on this would be greatly appreciated. It would help a lot toward me getting closure on understanding my family and understanding wot i am.

Cheers.

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Irish Forums Message Discussion :: Are there any good Irish historians out there?

Are there any good Irish historians out there?