COMEDIAN Tom Allen has been speaking about his strong links to Donegal and Derry.
The 39-year-old, who hails from Bromley, revealed his maternal grandfather came from Donegal and he has "lots of cousins" who live in Derry.
The TV personality, who has presented Bake Off: The Professionals and The Apprentice: You're Fired, was speaking ahead of his debut solo show at the Millennium Forum in Derry in June.
Speaking to The Derry Journal, he said: "I have a lot of cousins who live in Derry and Donegal."
He said he learned of his close connections to Dongeal on a show called DNA Journey.
"It turns out that my mum’s dad is from Donegal. It’s very beautiful - Harkin was the name there," he said.
"We got to this big house in Donegal and, when they said: ‘Tom’, I thought: ‘Oh, I knew I was from some great house’ and, then, they told me this was where my grandfather worked. He was a farmer who married a lady’s maid and moved to Tipperary, I think. His son became a butler and I think it was his son who went to America in the early 20th century, to New York.
"He was going to send back for his family, who at this point had moved to Derry. But he sadly died in New York. So, his family were here and worked in the shirt factories.
"I’m really excited to get back to Derry. One of my best friends, her father was a GP in Derry, Frank O’Connor. My mum also has beautiful quilts made out of the shirts, with incredible needlework. I have lots of links to Derry."
