Ireland invading Sicily.

[HareBrain]

I recently had a conversation in which someone said that Ireland had once "invaded" Sicily. She said she got this information from an exhibition at the Victoria & Albert museum in London.

I assume she must be misremembering something, but I can't work out what. She said it was a long time ago, so before the existence of the Republic of Ireland. My best guess is either that it was a wave of emigration (but to Sicily?) or that the Normans who took Sicily were those who had previously taken Ireland, but this doesn't seem to agree with what I can find online.

Does anyone have any possibilities?

 

[The Big Peat]

I recently had a conversation in which someone said that Ireland had once "invaded" Sicily. She said she got this information from an exhibition at the Victoria & Albert museum in London.

I assume she must be misremembering something, but I can't work out what. She said it was a long time ago, so before the existence of the Republic of Ireland. My best guess is either that it was a wave of emigration (but to Sicily?) or that the Normans who took Sicily were those who had previously taken Ireland, but this doesn't seem to agree with what I can find online.

Does anyone have any possibilities?

The Norman conquest of Southern Italy started before the Norman Conquest of England, nevermind Ireland, and although it took them a wee bit to get into Sicily that was done well before Strongbow landed there. Which you'd probably already seen.

My best guess is she is, for one reason or another, full of it.

 

[Dave]

The Isles of Scilly?

(No Irish invasion, but in 1651 they were invaded by the Dutch and remained at war with them until 1986.)

 

[The Judge]

She's not confusing Ireland with Islam is she? Yep, the only connection is the letter "I" but y'know, it's an easy mistake to make...

Otherwise, a confusion over the British takeover?

The only connection with Ireland that springs to mind is Bronte -- it's a town in Sicily and the dukedom was granted to Nelson, and the Bronte sisters' father was originally Brunty, which is an Irish name. (Dredging the barrel here!)

 

[Lostinspace]

Perhaps she is thinking of 1943 when the Irish did invade Sicily Battle of Centuripe - Wikipedia.

 

[paranoid marvin]

The British occupied Sicily during tbe Napoleonic wars. About a third of the army and navy at this time were Irish.

 

[Foxbat]

Could be the 38th (Irish) Brigade at the battle of Primosole Bridge in 1943.

Remembering the dead of the Sicily campaign

The CWGC Catania War Cemetery, the largest in Sicily, has 2,135 graves The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) cemeteries in Catania and Syracuse contain the remains of 2,410 men who lost their lives between the start

www.irishbrigade.co.uk

Of course, the person in question probably also thought that Britain and Argentine fought in the Falkirk War

 

[HareBrain]

Thanks everyone. As she is a family member, I can't with any loyalty agree that she might have been "full of it", but it seems she must have made a pretty colossal misreading of whatever it was.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I don’t think Ireland is ever really arsed enough to invade anywhere. Too busy repelling the English, frankly