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Series 20: 7. Dev Griffin

Born to an Irish mum and a Jamaican dad, Dev Griffin grew up feeling he didn’t fit in either community. He hopes discovering more about his ancestors will help him strengthen his sense of identity and belonging.\n\nOn his first ever trip to Ireland, Dev uncovers the momentous events surrounding the lives of his Irish grandmother’s dad, his great-grandad Frank Weafer, and Frank’s brother Patrick, Dev’s great-great-uncle. Both were involved in Ireland’s fight for independence in the early 20th century. Patrick Weafer marched to Dublin to fight in the Easter Rising, a decision that put him in a gunfight on Dublin’s rooftops and in the middle of one of the most significant events in modern Irish history.\n\nSimilar to his brother, Frank became involved in the republican movement during the Irish War of Independence and had a role in a cycling corps, delivering intelligence messages. Both lived to see the declaration of the Irish Free State.\n\nNext, Dev travels to Kilkee on the west coast of Ireland to learn about his Irish grandfather’s dad, his great-grandfather James Griffin, who was known by his Gaelic name, Séamus Mór Ó Gríobhtha. As he uncovers Séamus’s involvement in the Gaelic League, Dev learns about the battle to preserve Irish culture and language during this period. Dev is astonished by what he learns about Ireland’s history and reveals how proud he is of his Irish ancestors.\n\nFollowing his father’s line, Dev travels to Jamaica. An emotional meeting with his newly discovered auntie Viveine leads Dev to an incredible document from the local Baptist church that reveals the day-to-day lives of his great-grandparents Joshua and Annie Riley, including some rather cheeky details, to paint an astonishingly intimate picture of island life in the early 20th century.\n \nDiscovering his ancestry uncovers stories of bravery, family and love, and Dev can finally claim both his Irish and Jamaican heritage with knowledge and pride.

Source: BBC 1