‘Where are you from?’ is sometimes a difficult question to answer. With the advent of DNA testing, we can find out our ethnicity, and look at the implications of where our ancestors were from. This session will look at the differences between the terms ‘heritage’, ‘ancestry’, ‘ethnicity,’ and ‘descent.’ What happens when you don’t feel like you ‘come from’ where you live at present, and that your ancestors were forced to leave their home? Diaspora includes dispersion because of famine, enslavement, war, persecution. Irish heritage diaspora has been put as high as 70 million. Is there a ‘romantic’ notion to being Diaspora? Diaspora have to research the homeland country, history, religions, economy, politics, geography, and become ‘genealogy tourists’. When you ‘go back home’ are you a ‘tourist’, or a ‘long lost relative,’ investigating your ancestors’ hidden voices. I recently discovered that I have 94% Irish ethnicity, yet I had never even been to Ireland before that. When I visited for the first time, was I diaspora visiting my ancestral homeland, or just a tourist? My ancestors were fleeing the Great Famine. Is this interest cultural appreciation, or cultural appropriation? What percentage feels like you ‘have’ an ethnicity? Many people take a DNA test to find out about their ethnicities, and for some it is to prove that their family stories or paper trail were correct. However, unexpected or even upsetting ethnicity results can be revealed. How does finding a British Home Child ancestor affect descendants. What is the role of inherited trauma, or racial healing being needed? What are the ethical dilemmas surrounding ethnicity and identity?