I got to see a preview of the upcoming March 29, 2015 episode of TLC’s Who Do You Think You Are? This one features Sean Hayes – who is most likely best known for his role as Jack McFarland in the long-running NBC sitcom, Will and Grace. He won an Emmy Award for that gig. The episode was filmed from November 29 to December 07, 2014.
Sean grew up in modest circumstances in a Chicago suburb. Sean’s father left the family when Sean was just 5, and they’re currently estranged. Since there’s such a big disconnect with his father’s family, Sean wanted to know more about his paternal roots. Sean was especially interested in knowing why his father and his siblings were placed in an orphanage when at least one of their parents was still alive.
In this episode, Sean heads to Chicago to begin his search, where his father and grandparents were from. He discovered that his grandfather, William, was once successful, but met an early demise in the Chicago slums – a death that was most likely the result of alcoholism. Sean found that at the time of his grandfather’s death, his grandmother had broken both of her hips, which led to his father and his siblings living in the orphanage. Digging further into his paternal roots, he discovered that his great grandfather, Patrick Hayes, immigrated to Chicago from Ireland in 1901. Patrick appeared to have been a responsible, ambitious man.
Sean followed his ancestor’s trail to Dublin and County Kerry, where he was surprised to find his great grandfather actually had lengthy court records for various crimes and did hard labor in jail. The hard labor was made up of tasks that were really hard! Further research revealed that much of the Hayes family – including Sean’s great, great grandfather Patrick Hayes Senior – constantly ran afoul of the law, and even faced each other in court over family brawls. Finally, Sean discovered that Patrick senior’s wife’s early death appeared to have prompted the string of family troubles. Alcohol seems to have aided in the family’s troubles. Through Sean’s journey, he was able to deepen his understanding of his father’s roots and appreciate that he’s broken a turbulent family pattern on his own.
I found the show to be fascinating. Don’t miss it! It premieres this Sunday, March 29, 2015 at 10/9c on TLC.
Cities/locations visited:
- Sean Hayes’ home, Los Angeles;
- Chicago History Museum, Chicago, IL;
- Cook County Hospital, Chicago, IL;
- Cook County Circuit Court, Chicago, IL;
- National Archives of Dublin, Dublin, IRE;
- Tarbert Bridewell Courthouse, Tarbert, County Kerry, IRE;
- Finucane Bar, Ballylongford, County Kerry, IRE
