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Abigail Hayden, 30 Aug
LIMERICK featured in an episode of the hit BBC show Who Do You Think
You Are? On Thursday night, as Mel C, also known as Sporty Spice,
discovered her roots in the county.
Melanie Chisholm, one-fifth of the iconic Spice Girls, found out that
her great-great-great grandparents were tenant farmers in Croom in the
1800s, until the Famine forced them to emigrate to Liverpool.
Dr Paul OâBrien, a historian and lecturer at Mary Immaculate College,
also featured on the programme, and tells the Leader about the
excitement he felt seeing an email from the BBC in his inbox whilst on
holidays in France: âI saw an email from the BBC and I thought, âWhat
on earth is this about?â.â
His holiday was short-lived, however, as around ten days later he was
back in Limerick filming his segment for the BBC TV show.
Dr OâBrien explains that âthey didnât actually tell me who the
celebrity wasâ at first. He was simply given the research their team
had done into Melanieâs ancestors, and asked to find out as much as he
could about them, without knowing which celebrity they were related to.
He was very excited when he found out, exclaiming, âOh my God! I saw
them (the Spice Girls) years ago in Croke Park!â.
READ MORE: Spice Girl explores Limerick roots tonight on TV
He was surprised to find out that he would meet her for the first time
on camera, with the producers explaining to him: âWhen she turns the
corner and youâre standing at the door of the museum, thatâs when you
meet herâ.
As the show is totally unscripted, Dr OâBrien explained, having the
first meeting be filmed live makes it feel more natural.
He sings the praises of Mel C, saying that âShe was so unbelievably
sound, really chatty, really friendlyâ.
She was very down-to-earth, he explains, recounting how, when she asked
if he had ever been to a Spice Girls concert, he confessed that while
he and his friend did have tickets, they lost track of time in a pub
before the concert, and only made it into the venue for the final two
songs.
âYou were late to the concert because you were at the pub!?â she had
exclaimed, and when he gave the excuse that âthe craic was ninetyâ, she
laughed and said âI probably would have done the sameâ.
He was thrilled by how interested she was, saying that she was full of
âvery informedâ questions about both her family history, and Limerick
city, which, he was happy to report, âshe lovedâ.
He says that he âfelt really privilegedâ to be able to tell her about a
piece of her ancestry and was overjoyed to have Limerick feature in a
primetime spot on BBC.
Decades after the famous Spice Girls song was first released, who
wouldâve thought that the answer to the question âWho Do You Think You
Are?â would be âa Limerick nativeâ!