Donegal broadcaster Andrea Gilligan got the shock of her life today when she discovered she’s not actually from Donegal!
Newstalk FM presenter Andrea Gilligan, who hails from Ballyshannon, often flies the flag for her beloved home county.
But today on Lunchtime Live, as she proudly celebrated #LoveDonegal Day, she got the results of an ancestry DNA test.
Low and behold, when the results were revealed- she’s not a Donegal woman at all, she actually hails from Leitrim.
Andrea discovered that she is 95% Irish, 5% Scottish and most of her Irishness comes from County Leitrim.
There was silence as Andrea struggled to come to terms with the news from historian Jennifer Doyle. Dr Doyle explained how the borders of Irish counties are ‘fuzzy’ at best, and Ballyshannon’s proximity to Leitrim is the reason for her results.
Andrea soon cheered up when she took the ‘How much do you know about Donegal’ quiz.
Hard Shoulder Presenter Kieran Cuddihy put her to the test, asking her how much she knows about her (so-called!!!) home county.
She performed better on that getting 9 out of 10, only slipping up on the lyrics of the ‘Hills of Donegal’!
If you want to take the quiz yourself, have a listen back to the Lunchtime Live Highlights here: https://www.goloudplayer.com/episodes/youre-from-leitrim-andrea-gillig-YzY2MjNiZmRiNzJiYTk1ODg2NmMzY2MyNDZlY2NhODA=
