When you meet an Irish person anywhere in the world, the first question is 'where are you from?'
My ready reply 'I'm from Tralee, my grandmother from Tonavane and my grandfather from Fenit.'
But I often think about what it must be like for someone who does not know where they are from.
What is it like for someone who does not know their roots?
My knowledge of myself is rooted in my knowledge of my family.
And though I have done things that my grandparents and even my parents could not have imagined, still I stand on a foundation which informs how I see the world...
This makes me 'me',
it makes me strong.
I cannot imagine a world where this is not so.
I believe it is the right of every human being to know where they come from.
I believe this with every fibre of my being.
This knowledge of identity is a basic human right.
We may not all agree with the 'how' of it, but whatever walk of life we find ourselves in, I believe it is incumbent on us to support those who are being denied this most basic of human rights.
photo credit; MB Fenit 2015
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