I might be related to Julia Child

Or perhaps, I should say was related, as she is no longer alive.

There was a story on the NBC evening news a couple of nights ago about how the late, great gourmet chef Julia Child had been a spy for the USA during WWII. Now this story would have been of only slight interest to me, except for one thing. A photo of her original application for spy service was shown, and her name was not "Child"... it was "McWilliams". A quick Google search revealed that Child was her husband's name. The name McWilliams is somewhat unusual and also is in my family lineage not too far back. Perhaps I have some money coming from her estate?? What about family resemblance? She was 6'2" tall and an excellent cook. I'm short and can barely boil water.

When I was in Ireland, I went to a reputable source (a vendor kiosk near the Blarney Castle) and purchased a family history of the McWilliams clan. I received a family crest and scroll describing the unpronouncable Gaelic form of the name and the family origins in Northern Ireland, migration to Scotland where they rose to prominence but then were booted out after some kind of falling out with the authorities. They then returned to Northern Ireland. Some later emigrated to Australia and the US. One of the more famous descendents was economist and broadcaster David McWilliams, who in 1994 coined the term "Celtic Tiger" to describe the surging Irish economy.

On a similar line of thought: another name in my family lineage is "Irwin". Perhaps I'm related to the late Steve Irwin, crocodile hunter! Crickey!