Where is everyone from??

[Lalwendë]

I have no prejudice about Germans - well, not about anyone, in fact! Something which does irritate me about English newspapers is that they do perpetuate it. We are close cousins linguistically and culturally, and so this attitude just makes no sense to me. What's great about Germany? Their cars, the beers, Goethe...
Is the German for Annihilation really Vernichtung? Someone asked me this today, thinking I'd know...

What am I? My father's family are all from the same area into the far distant past, an area which was settled by Vikings at one time. Half my mother's family originated in Kinsale, the other half from North Wales; her great grandfather was a Welsh hellfire preacher who steadfastly refused to learn English.

I'm a bit diverted by how many 'Downers seem to have Celtic connections - is it some kind of genetic resonance which makes us Tolkienians?