Who Do You Think You Are? sees Aisling Bea discover family ties to key moments in Irish history
Aisling Bea opens up on the emotional experience of discovering the stories of her ancestors while heavily pregnant with her own first child in her episode of Who Do You Think You Are?.
The comedian and actor was in the late stages of pregnancy whilst filming her episode of the BBC One genealogy show, where she discovered both sides of her family had been involved in some key moments of Irish history.
Her journey through Ireland on the trail of her family tree before her daughter was born in August 2024 can be seen tonight, Tuesday 20 May, on BBC One at 9pm.
Bea is proud of her Irish heritage and so she is thrilled to discover that her relatives were present at some key moments in Irish history...although there is an uncomfortable piece of news about one of them.
Exploring more about her three-times great-grandmother, she finds out that she actually ended up with more land to her name after the 1845 Great Famine after other tenants were evicted.
Bea admits: "That is hard to hear...it does make me feel a little bit shameful, to be honest." She adds: "It doesn't leave me with a very proud feeling, at all."
However, the comedian's family pride is reignited once more when she finds out the fascinating story of her great-grandfather's role in the 1916 Easter Rising. He had protested over British rule in Ireland by filling out a census in the Irish language, one of just two men of hundreds with his surname to do so. He was also involved in campaigning and marches that put him at the centre of the rising.
"Oh wow, that makes me so proud," she says.
Another family story that leaves Bea beaming is the tale of her great-great-grandmother who moved to the remote Blasket Islands to become one of its first teachers, continuing to teach into old age after bringing up her own children.
A pregnant Bea smiles as she says: "You see, people do keep working when they have children!"
Reflecting on what she has found out during the episode, Bea says proudly: "I feel like on this journey, there have been such specific points in history that I learned about as a kid during school - the famine, the 1916 rising, the revival of the Irish culture. And now suddenly, I have all of these personal connections and stories within all those moments in history, whether it was my three-times great-grandmother surviving on her own as a widow through the famine period, or my great-grandfather being directly involved in the build-up towards the 1916 rising. Or even my great-great-grandmother who ends up on the Blasket Islands as one of the first teachers to go out there and educate the kids out there.
Tonight's episode of #WDYTYA takes actor, writer and comedian @WeeMissBea to Ireland to discover stories of resilience among her ancestors. Tune in on @BBCOne at 9pm. pic.twitter.com/dwziaAwltu
— WDYTYA? UK (@WDYTYA_UK) May 20, 2025
"It's just sort of blown my mind and given me a really interesting different point of view on so many moments that I felt I knew so well and no know so personally."
She continues: "They all fit into two things that I carry passionately about me in life, which is feminism and the placement of women and their voices, and Ireland and our culture. I can't believe how much of that voice has come into the stories and I just feel so lucky to be exploring this journey while being about to create my own little line."
Looking at her bump, she jokes: "So hopefully you don't disappoint us all!"
Who Do You Think You Are? airs on BBC One at 9pm on Tuesday, 20 May.
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