Welsh Italians

Welsh Italians

Infobox Ethnic group
group = Welsh Italians


caption = Indefinate

popplace = Gower Peninsula, Swansea, West Wales and some parts of East Wales
langs = English, Welsh, Italian
rels = Christian: Mostly Roman Catholic
related = Italians

Italian Welsh are citizens of Wales whose ancestry wholly or partly originates in Italy. Most Italian immigration to Wales took place in the 19th century [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/migration/pages/italy.shtml BBC - Wales History - Migration - Italy ] ] and is still happening but to a much lesser degree. The most densely Italian populated areas of Wales are the Gower and Swansea, where there is a locally famous Italian ice cream parlour called Joe's Ice Cream which was started up by an Italian immigrant called Luigi Cascarini [http://joes.webmediaworks.co.uk/our-story.php Joe's Ice Cream - Our Story - Everything else is just ice cream! ] ] . Other less densely Italian populated areas of Wales are the South Wales coalfield and West Wales.

Famous Italian Welsh

Famous Welsh Italians include Joe Calzaghe a worldwide famous championship boxer, Enzo Maccarinelli another worldwide Championship boxer, Luigi Cascarini the founder of Joe's Ice Cream. The footballer Giorgio Chinaglia grew up in Swansea. The actor Victor Spinetti is of Italian-Welsh ancestry. Furthermore, the chef Angela Hartnett claims Italian ancestry through her Welsh-born mother. Robert Sidoli and his brother Peter Sidoli, both rugby union players.

History of Italian immigrants to Wales

Italian immigration to Wales started as far back as the Industrial Revolution when the population of Wales was only just 587,128 in 1801, most Italian immigration to Wales has taken place in 19th century and still is today. The population of Wales grew from 587,128 in 1801 to 1,162,139 in 1851 partly because of immigration and partly the demographic transition.

Most Italian immigrants probably migrated to Wales from Southern Italy, looking for a better quality of life in Great Britain. In the 20th century many catholic Italians started plying their trade in the business by opening many Bracchi (Italian Cafes) around the Gower, Swansea and some parts of the South Wales Valleys, however this had a knock on effect on the Protestant Non-conformist Welsh population of the valleys and many disputes about cafes opening on a Sunday took place.

The Welsh population increased even further to 2,420,921 by 1911, mostly because of Irish, English and Scottish immigration.

Pre- Industrial Revolution settlement

So far, demographic records from the 19th century in Wales suggest that there could be 100,000 to 150,000 Welsh Italians living in Wales, however Welsh genetics suggest that some of the original mesolithic Welsh population is Mediterranean descended [http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/content_objectid=13502852_method=full_siteid=50082_headline=-Genetics-make-Welsh-distinct-name_page.html] . In 2003 Prof. Steve Jones from Aberystwyth studied Welsh male genetics and population genetics and then compared them to English male genetics and he discovered that the Welsh male Y chromosome was very similar to that of the Basques of Northern Spain [http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/content_objectid=13502852_method=full_siteid=50082_headline=-Genetics-make-Welsh-distinct-name_page.html] which suggests that at a time before the invasion and settlement of the Romans in Wales the original Celts who settled into Wales in prehistory were Nomadic tribesmen originally from Northern Spain, through France and across through Cornwall and into Wales, primarily setting up small Celtic villages in South Wales.

ee also

*Italian Briton

External links

* [http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/south-wales-news/cynon-valley/2008/05/08/performance-will-reinforce-historic-links-91466-20867637/ A South Wales male voice choir visit Bardi]
* [http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/02/02/italian-ice-cream-and-exotic-dishes-a-big-hit-91466-20427222/ Wales Online feature on Italian immigration to Wales]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7256997.stm BBC Wales feature on Italian immigration to Wales]

References


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