Northern Ireland

Silent Witness star 'blindsided' by family links to Ireland

During an appearance on Who Do You Think You Are?, Silent Witness star, Liz Carr found out her great, great, great grandfather was involved in the attempted murder of a prominent landlord in Armagh in the 1850s. Picture by Jonathan Ford
During an appearance on Who Do You Think You Are?, Silent Witness star, Liz Carr found out her great, great, great grandfather was involved in the attempted murder of a prominent landlord in Armagh in the 1850s. Picture by Jonathan Ford During an appearance on Who Do You Think You Are?, Silent Witness star, Liz Carr found out her great, great, great grandfather was involved in the attempted murder of a prominent landlord in Armagh in the 1850s. Picture by Jonathan Ford

Silent Witness actress Liz Carr has told of how she was left feeling "blindsided" when she looked into her family links to Ireland.

During an appearance on BBC One's Who Do You Think You Are?, the well-known TV star, who plays Clarissa in the popular crime drama series, found out her great, great, great grandfather was involved in the attempted murder of a prominent landlord in Co Armagh the 1850s.

The 48-year-old's journey took her to Killeavey, Dromintee and Armagh.

The distant relative on her father's side, Bernard 'Barney' Ryan was implicated in a plot to assassinate a wealthy landowner.

He was a leading figure in the Ribbonmen, a secretive Catholic society which came together to take action against landlords and their agents in the 19th Century.

Meredith Chambre was shot multiple times from a ditch but survived.

Frances Berry, an associate of Barney Ryan, was executed in Armagh Gaol in relation to the incident.

The actress said the find was confirmation of family folklore that a relation had been involved in an altercation in Co Armagh.

However, she admitted the reality was something she "could never have imagined".

"My cousin in Canada said that one of my relatives was involved in an assault or an altercation. So I went to Northern Ireland and it was like a treasure trail," she said.

"I was blindsided by a history I could never have imagined. Barney was from a working class background so it’s rare that there’s a lot of documentation.

“I don’t approve of how far it went but I don’t feel ashamed of Barney. The reason the men involved were fighting for change and justice, I understood".

"It's about vengeance against a greedy, malicious landowner. That radicalism sits comfortably with me".

Meanwhile, the TV actress also found out about her maternal grandfather, who died when her mother was aged just two.

Orphaned as a child, John Joseph Hughes took part in the Royal Navy's Northern Patrol during the First World War, then joined the merchant navy and travelled the world.

The actress was the 150th person to appear on the show to find out about her family history.