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Presenter, actor and comedian Paddy McGuinness knows nothing about his family, except for the name of one of his grandparents. With a surname like McGuinness, he’s pretty certain that there must be some Irish relatives somewhere, but from when and where in Ireland his family comes from remains a mystery. In this episode of Who Do You Think You Are? Paddy goes in search of answers.

Born and bred in Bolton, sadly both of Paddy’s parents have passed away, so he starts his journey by meeting up with his mum’s brother, Uncle Tony. Tony tells Paddy that as a family, they didn’t talk about the past. Tony tells Paddy that the name of his father, Paddy’s grandfather, was James Leonard, and he lived in Bolton, but he knows very little about James’s childhood or past.

Paddy heads to Bolton to meet genealogist and historian Michala Hulme to see if she can help him discover more. Here, Paddy learns the names of his great-grandparents, Patrick and Annie Leonard. Further documents point to his grandfather James having had a difficult childhood, a story of domestic abuse and being placed in a Cottage Home – homes designed to keep the children of workhouse inmates separate from their parents in the belief that it would avoid bad influences. Paddy is relieved to find out that, despite this traumatic start, his grandfather found work as a miner and married. Paddy’s mum’s birth certificate in 1939 reveals James was then working as a handle rectifier at an Airplane Works.

Paddy sets off to the site of former De Havilland Aeroplane Works on the outskirts of Bolton to see if he can find out more about his grandfather’s work. Local expert Mick Crossley tells him that the site of the former factory was no coincidence. At the start of the Second World War, most of the aeroplane industry was around London, but fearing bombing raids, ‘shadow factories’ were set up in places like Bolton with lower bombing risks and high unemployment. Paddy learns his grandfather had an important role in the war, helping to manufacture and repair thousands of propellers that ensured the RAF stayed in the air.

Now that Paddy’s followed his maternal line back through his grandfather James Leonard to his great-grandparents Patrick and Annie, he’s turning to his father’s side - the McGuinnesses – hoping he might find an Irish connection.

Starting his search from scratch, Paddy goes to Macclesfield to meet historian Charlotte Wildman. Through his father’s birth certificate, Paddy discovers his grandfather was called William McGuinness. Further records reveal William was born in Bolton, so this isn’t the Irish connection, but he did join the army and travelled all over the world, including to South Africa in 1899. Charlotte tells Paddy this was the start of the Boer War.

Intrigued, Paddy heads to the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds to meet military historian Peter Donaldson. At the museum, Paddy learns about the horrors that his grandfather William McGuinness endured during the Boer War. Peter shows Paddy a service record that includes all the battles he fought in. Peter also shows Paddy a medal from the war - to Paddy’s astonishment it’s his grandfather’s medal, and holding it in his hands gives him a tangible link to the grandfather he never knew.

But Paddy has still not found the Irish connection - for this, he needs to go further back still. William’s birth certificate reveals that his mother, Paddy’s great-grandmother, was called Bridget McGuinness, but there is no father listed. Paddy meets genealogist Laura Berry to see if she can help solve this latest mystery. Census returns and a baptism certificate reveal that Paddy’s great-grandfather was called William Birtwistle, and he was Bridget’s lodger when his grandfather was born. Paddy reflects on how by rights he should have been a Birtwistle, not a McGuinness. With one mystery solved, he still needs to find the Irish connection. Finally, Paddy sees a baptism certificate for his great-grandmother Bridget that shows she was baptised in Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland.

In the final leg of his journey, Paddy travels to Ballina on the west coast of Ireland. He discovers his ancestors were weavers, and amongst their neighbours were US president Joe Biden’s ancestors. In the 1830s, the linen trade was in decline in Ireland, and Paddy’s family, along with thousands of others, made their way to the north west of England, where the textile industry was booming. Census returns reveal that Paddy’s ancestors moved first to Stockport, but by 1851 were settled in Bolton – the town where Paddy was born and bred.