Irish Roots: Watching ‘The Quiet Man’ on TCM recently reminded me that the legendary actor John Wayne does have Irish Roots. Wayne who was baptized Marion Robert Morrison (middle name later changed to Mitchell) was the great great grandson of Robert Morrison. Robert Morrison was baptized at Connor Presbyterian Church in Kells near Ballymena, County Antrim in 1782. He became involved in the 1798 uprising and as a result a warrant was issued for his arrest. He immigrated with his mother to America, arriving in New York in 1801. In 1803 the family moved to Cherry Creek, Ohio. Wayne was born May 26, 1907 in Winterset, Iowa. His parents were Mary A. Brown and Clyde L. Morrison.
